In 2014, the municipality of Roosendaal developed a low temperature heat network – the Smart Climate Grid -, realised it and named it : Duurzaam Energiebedrijf Roosendaal (DER) . This heat network was initially constructed from the Suez power plant to the Kellebeek College in Stadoever. In the meantime, DER is also responsible for the exploitation of heat for the sustainable new housing district ‘Stadsoevers’.

In addition to the technical challenges that DER faced as a new company, they also had to deal with administrative functions and customer service. They soon realised that it is difficult for a technical company to combine the technical part with the administrative part, because they are less oriented towards customer services. That is why DER deliberately chose to look for a third party that could carry out these administrative tasks successfully and that would be a perfect match for the technical functions within the energy company.

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Dick Maaskant – Director at Duurzaam Energiebedrijf Roosendaal – and Technical Specialist Bart van Oosten testify about their experience with the Zero Friction invoicing platform.

What does Duurzaam Energiebedrijf Roosendaal do?

Dick Maaskant: “In 2014, the municipality developed a low-temperature heat network – the Smart Climate Grid – realised it and placed it under the management of Duurzaam Energiebedrijf Roosendaal (DER). This heat network was initially installed from the Suez power station to Kellebeek College in Stadoever. Now DER is also responsible for the utilisation of the heat for the  sustainable new-build neighbourhood ‘Stadsoevers’.”

Bart van Oosten: “The Smart Climate Grid is based on a completely new and innovative technology in the heating networks. The heat reaches the homes at 35 degrees. Each home has a booster heat pump that upgrades the water to 55 degrees to provide hot tap water and heat in winter. We’re constantly trying to achieve a sustainable, cheap and reliable heating network for all Roosendalers.”

How did the administration and invoicing of the heat work out for Zero Friction?

Dick Maaskant: “Besides the technical challenges that we faced as a new company, we also had to work out all the administrative functions and customer service. We soon noticed that it’s difficult for a technical company to combine the technical part with the administrative part  because they’re less oriented towards customer services. That’s why we consciously chose to look for a strong third party who can successfully complete these administrative tasks and be the perfect match for the technical functions in our energy company.”

And what was Zero Friction able to do for DER?

Dick Maaskant: “Like DER, Zero Friction is a very young company. So it’s great that we can grow as a business together. We pay lots of attention to the design of the processes and the state of the art of the business operations. We connected with Zero friction in a way that also helps us with the further development of DER. Moreover, all the processes take place in a very solid way. This means that Zero Friction is also very reliable as well as being very innovative.”

Bart van Oosten: “Personal involvement is also very important to me. You can be innovative and reliable, but the human contact in the way we work together is also an important factor when facing various challenges. It’s also great that all the technical data is clearly displayed. You can see at a glance what you need to pay focus on to prevent problems before they happen.”

Dick Maaskant: “For me, the confidence that Zero Friction exudes and the commitment of the entire team were the deciding factors for getting on board with Zero Friction.”

How do you see the partnership with Zero Friction?

Dick Maaskant: “In terms of development, we’re the perfect match. I think it’s important to be able to react quickly to events by communicating openly and directly with each other.”

Bart van Oosten: “As a technical employee, I also like the fact that there’s a proactive attitude. Zero Friction meets this expectation not just in the way we work together but also on the platform itself. It’s great that Zero Friction itself is always looking for ways to guarantee the optimal performance of the platform.”

How would you describe Zero Friction?

Bart van Oosten: “Zero Friction delivers a distinct product and communicates in a human way. Two-way communication in the partnership is the most important thing.”

Dick Maaskant: “Zero Friction is a dynamic company that is improving all the time and that focuses closely on customer needs. Added to that, we keep our finger on the pulse to make sure everything is going as planned, which is really great.”

More information about DER:

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