When Yves Desmet (55) had a new home built nine years ago, he opted for a future-proof home: superior insulation, underfloor heating, ventilation and smart controls.
Yves explains: “I like to look to the future, and nine years later, it's clear – insulation has become even more important, just like renewable energy. An energy management system has since become just as indispensable as heating.”
The focus of that smart system has been extended over the years from increasing comfort to saving energy and money. Thanks to software updates, Niko Home Control continues to adapt to new needs and circumstances.
Saving energy
Around 2015, an energy system mainly revolved around ‘home automation’: comfort and scenes in terms of lighting and heating. For example, Yves programmed a number of routines based on his habits.
When going to sleep, he presses the all-off button, meaning all the lights go out and the heating is set one degree lower. The heating is subdivided into four zones (bathroom, shower, living area, bedrooms), each with their own temperature and timing.
Yves even uses his system as an alternative to an (expensive) alarm.If there is an intruder in the garden, the outdoor lights begin to flicker to scare them off.
Self-consumption
Those kinds of individually regulated routines remain handy, but since the energy crisis of 2022, the advent of the capacity tariff and the digital meter, the emphasis within Niko Home Control has come to focus more on maximum self-consumption.
Moreover, everything can now be controlled wirelessly. Yves installed solar panels at 1.5 kW nine years ago. Now, there are solar panels at a 9 kW peak on his roof. In 2022, when the gas prices exploded, he had an electric boiler installed with a 150-litre buffer tank so as to gain more from his solar power.
“Since then, I've been making full use of the Solar Mode for maximum self-consumption and I'm enjoying free hot water for nine months of the year. From December to March, the boiler takes over. That electric boiler paid for itself in a few months.”
Low energy bill
And all of this without losing any comfort, resulting in an energy bill that many consumers will be jealous of – easily half of that for a comparable home. With thanks to the Peak Mode, whereby the system levels off peaks in consumption, and the user-friendly interface, which gives Yves' household an insight into daily consumption.
“When we turn on the washing machine, the boiler turns off automatically. If the solar panels are delivering a lot of power, we get a notification on the smartphone and we'll put a washing load on that we would otherwise have left. I expect the system will be ready for the dynamic power tariffs in the future too. Then you can consume power from the grid when electricity prices are at their lowest, thus saving even more.”
No battery needed
Yves is now driving an electric car that he has charged up with free solar power all summer. “I don't need a home battery – I can just put the overflow power in my car. One tip: do choose a car charger that allows for load balancing.”
Yves pulls out his self-consumption charts. “In May, we covered 36% of our power consumption with our solar panels – in June, 52%, and in July, 56%. Sunday 28 July was the best day: the solar panels produced 43 kWh then, of which we consumed 88% ourselves, in particular for the car. The charts and energy flows give me ever greater insight, meaning my self-consumption percentage goes up by itself every month.”
The future
In roughly five years, when his wall-hung gas boiler is due for replacement, Yves is planning to invest in a heat pump, so he can also reduce his gas consumption to zero and consume even more of his own power. This is all thanks to his smart energy system, which is continuing to evolve.
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