Energy monitoring in Enschede: How EnergyFlip and the Verbruiksmonitor contribute to Energy savings
The challenge
In Enschede, Stichting Pioneering, in collaboration with the Municipality of Enschede and Stichting Alifa, launched an ambitious energy savings project. The goal: help residents gain insight into their energy consumption and motivate them to take energy-saving actions. Thanks to the RRE subsidy, it became possible to support hundreds of households with technology that makes energy waste visible.
But awareness alone isn’t enough. Households affected by energy poverty are often hard to reach and require additional support to take real action. The project therefore needed to offer not just a technological solution, but also a practical and social approach to drive behavioral change.
The solution
To support residents in an accessible way, the following combination was chosen:
✅ EnergyFlip – a real-time energy monitor that gives residents immediate insight into their consumption.
✅ Verbruiksmonitor – a white-label app, styled in the look & feel of Energieloket Enschede, offering users smart insights.
✅ Energy Coaches and Fixbrigade – a team of volunteers and professionals who guided residents in reducing their energy use.
This combination proved crucial: technology alone wasn’t enough. Through personal support, door-to-door visits, and local gatherings, residents not only gained insight, but also concrete tools to reduce both energy use and costs.
How the project was implemented
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Pilot phase (2019): 200 EnergyFlip monitors were distributed to residents and through energy coaches. This helped collect real-time data and identify the most effective saving strategies.
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Expansion & local integration: The successful pilot led to the launch of a fully customized version of EnergyFlip: the Verbruiksmonitor. Residents could easily download the app and start using it right away.
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On-site coaching: Energy coaches and the Fixbrigade visited households, provided guidance, and helped with installation and interpretation of the data. This was particularly crucial in households facing energy poverty.
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Broad accessibility: EnergyFlip also works with analog meters, ensuring older and poorly insulated rental homes weren’t excluded.
Energy monitoring with tools like EnergyFlip is the way to gain insight into your usage. Unlike your energy provider who shows data a day later, real-time monitoring shows what’s happening in your home right now. Turn on the kettle and you immediately see the spike! That makes energy use tangible.
The impact: saving energy with tangible results
✅ Residents immediately identified their biggest energy guzzlers — from old refrigerators to unnecessarily heated rooms.
✅ One resident saved €2,000 on their energy bill — with the help of a coach and EnergyFlip, it was discovered that the boiler had been constantly running. This led to instant savings and a €600 refund the following year instead of a huge end-of-year bill.
✅ More than just numbers: behavioral change through awareness — residents learned how to easily reduce energy use, from small habits to structural improvements.
Challenges and lessons for the future
🚧 Not everyone is digitally literate: An app works well for many, but not for all. Some groups still require physical support.
🚧 Behavioral change takes time: People often only change when there’s a clear financial incentive. Motivation and guidance remain essential.
🚧 Energy poverty requires an active approach: Those who benefit most from energy monitoring don’t always sign up themselves. Door-to-door outreach and community meetings proved more effective.
Conclusion: Technology + Human Contact = Success
The savings project in Enschede demonstrates that combining technology with personal guidance is key to effective energy savings. An energy monitor can offer insights, but without explanation and support, the impact is limited. By linking EnergyFlip with coaching and targeted communication, residents not only learned how to save energy, but also took real action.
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