a plumber to help solve a particular issue, they will still need to know what to tell that person. In other words, this option cannot stand alone, which is also the experience we hear back from our customers. — No. 2: Customer guidance Data-driven customer consultancy and guidance is the next step in motivating customers to take responsibility for their heat installation and return temperature. This can occur in many interactions – from onsite visits and targeted letters to digital notifications (often well-hidden behind demotivating three-step log-ons). Kamstrup’s customers’ experiences show that by combining the best of both worlds with customized letters, utilities can multiply the effect of their communication to end users whose installations are faulty or misadjusted. But just as these letters must be customized, relevant, and easily accessible for the consumer, they must also be efficient for the utility to make – and both demands speak to the need for data. DIN Forsyning in Esbjerg, Denmark, has taken the first signifi- cant steps from reactive fault detection to proactive low-tem- perature operation in its network supplying heat to its 27,000 consumers. The utility’s energy consultant saw positive results from creating customized letters outlining specific challenges and potential, which led to a temperature of 9-12 °C – com- pared to almost no reduction from generic letters simply stat- ing that something is wrong. However, each letter took approx- imately 30 minutes because he had to pull data from different systems manually. Through a collaboration with Kamstrup, it became clear that he didn’t need a longer, more detailed list of optimization opportunities – he only tackled the tip of the iceberg anyway. Instead, he needed help prioritizing the most relevant heat installations to address and generating customer-specific let- ters in seconds. Today, a dedicated cloud solution does just that. As a result, the utility now sends out 16 times more cus- tomized letters. With an innovative digital low-temperature assistant tool, DIN Forsyning also benefits from continuously monitoring all instal- lations to ensure issues are identified, prioritized, and resolved efficiently. In addition, the tool enables easy access to notify end users and keep track of interactions, plus full transparency in progress and results. And this is only the beginning. Imagine a future where data is used to pinpoint the problem and enable the utility to pro- vide exact information on what needs to be fixed – maybe even putting the end user in direct contact with somebody who can help immediately. — No. 3: Heat Installation as a Service The third option takes utilities one step closer to their custom- ers. By offering rental units and service agreements to monitor, maintain, and optimize utilities, they can take responsibility – and thereby control their end users’ heat installations’ per- formance. This move naturally demands significant effort from the utility’s side, especially in the beginning.
“The green transition is only possible if we bring the customers with us and are able to heat buildings optimally.” — Claus A. Nielsen, business development director, DIN Forsyning
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