How Synergi is accelerating product development and empowering more energy consumers using Enode

Synergi’s mission is to make it as easy as possible for consumers to save on their energy bills and earn rewards by using electricity flexibly, positively contributing to the energy transition. The Finland-based energy management solution aims to be the only electricity control app consumers will ever need. It enables them to connect and optimize all their household devices in one place and soon take part in reserve markets via partner utilities.

Maximizing impact means offering a range of consumption management services through the flexibility platform and ensuring the full spectrum of residential energy devices is supported. That’s where Enode comes in.

The challenge: making an energy super app that serves the whole market

The number of smart energy devices entering consumers’ homes is growing rapidly. The increased demand for electricity not only puts pressure on the grid, but also drives up energy bills – unless devices can be programmed to operate in response to pricing signals from the grid. Previously, household energy loads were too small to trade in flexibility markets, but now there are enough devices in our homes that bundling up and shifting their consumption patterns can make a real difference.

This was the opportunity that Synergi wanted to seize. By connecting to and aggregating a wide range of devices, they’d be able to leverage them in demand-side flexibility programs that would benefit the whole energy ecosystem.

Getting as many consumer devices enrolled as possible was critical: only with a large enough flexible load would they be able to participate in demand response.

But it was a huge engineering task. Developing API connections for every category, brand and model of energy device would be enormously time-consuming, and distracting from mission-critical activities like product development and user experience. Synergi didn’t want to have to think about the detail of device integrations when they could be focusing on creating the best possible flexibility platform.

The solution: a single integration to connect and aggregate DERs

To solve this, Synergi turned to Enode. Enode’s API makes it possible to connect to and control energy devices across five categories (EVs, home chargers, HVACs, solar inverters, home batteries), covering a broad range of brands and models.

Being able to use Enode for both API connection and load optimization removed a huge burden from Synergi’s product team. The breadth of integrations Enode offered compared to competitors was a key deciding factor, as was the support offered throughout the implementation process. The extensive API documentation and collaborative approach made it even quicker for Synergi to get energy devices online.

Speed was important. With more and more energy devices being added to the grid every day, and exponential growth predicted, unlocking flexibility is an urgent need. With Enode, Synergi would be able to quickly add support for more devices and bring new integrations to market.

This was pivotal to the success of their business, meaning Synergi could reach new users and maximize the number of flexible assets they controlled.

The results: shorter time to market, more users onboarded and greater impact on the grid

Working with Enode has enabled Synergi to focus on what really matters – freeing up development resources to build the best flexibility platform on the market.

And it’s working: consumers can now use the Synergi app to connect their devices and save roughly 50% on annual charging costs and 20% on annual heating costs. The app identifies the cheapest energy hours of the day and pauses or shifts their electricity use, without affecting their lifestyle or comfort. This reduces their energy bills and could even earn them rewards in the future. And already with thousands of households enrolled in the Synergi app, partner utilities can soon trade consumers’ flexibility in reserve markets, driving revenue and benefiting the grid system.

“To build the integrations we have now through Enode, we would have had to spend all developer resources and hire an even bigger developer workforce,” says Petrus Holm, CPO at Synergi. “It would have taken us a few years. But our product is needed already today.”

Saving that time is to the benefit of everyone. As Synergi sees it, an open energy system serves us all. It’s important to get as many people on board with the transition, and empowered to take control of their energy consumption as soon as possible. Collaborating with Enode has helped them do exactly that, accelerating energy management software to where it can have the most impact – in the hands of consumers.