Two to five years. According to independent analyses, that’s how quickly an energy management system (EMS) pays for itself. For business owners who have been waiting months or even years for more grid capacity, that’s a striking statistic. Experts are therefore increasingly pointing to EMS as a solution that works in the short term, while grid congestion for both businesses and households continues to grow.
Whereas grid congestion was mainly an issue in a few regions just a few years ago, it now affects large parts of the country. Take North Brabant, for example: there, the high-tech sector, industry, and logistics are demanding more and more power, and in several places the grid is at capacity for both consumption and feed-in. Businesses looking to expand sometimes have to wait years for additional capacity.
This hinders the transition to sustainability, as well as economic and social growth. The Netherlands will be investing heavily in grid upgrades in the coming years, but that will take years, and grid operators will have to make decisions about who gets priority. Until then, organizations will have to find their own solutions.
The problem isn’t limited to businesses. Homes, homeowners’ associations, and vacation parks are also reaching the grid’s limits. With the end of the net metering program on January 1, 2027, it will also become even more important to use as much of the electricity you generate yourself as possible.
What do you do when waiting isn’t an option? Independent analyses, such as this one on grid congestion for businesses, compare the common emergency solutions:
What stands out most from this comparison is the payback period for an EMS: typically two to five years. When combined with a smaller battery, experts therefore consider an EMS to be the financially strongest choice.
An EMS does not expand the grid. However, it ensures that the available capacity is utilized as efficiently as possible. The system regulates the generation, storage, consumption, and purchase and sale of electricity 24/7. This always takes place within the terms agreed upon with the grid operator in the connection and transmission agreement (ATO). Specifically:
The result is lower energy costs, reduced CO₂ emissions, and greater security of supply. This allows an organization to get more out of its current grid connection, even when the grid is at capacity.
An EMS that meets the highest cybersecurity standards and integrates with all common assets and energy providers costs between €2,000 and €5,000 as a one-time fee. In addition, there is an annual license fee ranging from €500 to €3,500. The system has a lifespan of at least ten years. Given a payback period of two to five years, this is an attractive investment for many organizations, especially when you consider that growth becomes possible immediately rather than only after several years.
The Embion EMS monitors and controls a facility 24/7. The system knows at any given moment how much power is available and distributes it among the connected assets. Specifically, this means that the EMS:
We work with the organization’s trusted installer. Together, we determine how to optimally control the system, depending on what the organization prioritizes: low costs, reduced CO₂ emissions, or security of supply. The installer sets up and configures the EMS in half a to two business days, after which it is immediately operational. The installer and the end user can monitor its operation via phone or laptop.
The solution is brand-independent and can be expanded modularly. With Embion HEMS, the same smart control is also available for homes, homeowners’ associations, and vacation parks—either per residence or collectively via the main connection.
Grid congestion isn’t going away in the coming years. Those who wait for grid upgrades will lose valuable time. An EMS can get more out of the existing connection as early as tomorrow and pays for itself within a few years. This brings growth and sustainability back within reach.
More and more experts agree: smart management is the first step. In this way, grid congestion becomes a reason to use energy more wisely, rather than a brake on growth.