De Boer family: From €180 To €23

A busy family with a high energy bill

Mark and Linda De Boer live with their two children (8 and 11 years old) in a terraced house in Eindhoven. The family consumes a lot: the washing machine and dryer run almost daily, Mark works from home three days a week and the electric car has to be charged in the evening. The result? A monthly energy bill of €180.

"We already had 14 solar panels, but during the day the children are at school and I am the only one at home. We use most of our power early in the morning and late in the evening — exactly when the sun is not shining," says Linda.

The choice: Dyness Tower T10

After advice from the HES team, the family opted for the Dyness Tower T10 with 10.24 kWh capacity. The family needed a large system because of the high consumption and the electric car. In combination with a hybrid inverter, the system could intelligently control both the solar panels and the grid.

“Patrick explained that a plug-and-play system would be too small for us. We needed the capacity to also charge the EV with solar power. The Dyness Tower fits perfectly: modular, expandable, and proven technology,” says Mark.

Professional installation via HES partner

Because a high-voltage system requires professional installation, HES engaged a certified partner installer in the Eindhoven region. The installation was completed in one day, including connecting the hybrid inverter and configuring the energy management system.

The surprising result

After four months of measuring, the results were even better than expected. The monthly energy bill fell from €180 to just €23. Self-consumption increased to 92%, which means that the family uses almost all the solar power itself.

But the real surprise came from the dynamic energy contract. Mark had switched to a dynamic contract on the advice of HES. The battery now charges automatically when the electricity price is low (sometimes even negative) and supplies electricity back to the household when the price is high. This yields an average of €45 extra per month on top of the regular savings.

Tips from the De Boer family for families

Mark and Linda are happy to share their experience with other families considering a home battery:

• Choose sufficient capacity. "With two children and an EV, you are happy with 10+ kWh. It is better to be a little too big than too small."
• Combine with a dynamic contract. "The additional savings are substantial. The battery does the work automatically."
• Get good advice. "HES thought along with us about our specific situation. That makes a difference afterwards."
• Shift consumption where possible. "We now run the washing machine and dishwasher during the day when the sun is shining. Small effort, big difference."
• Don't wait too long. "Every month without a battery is a month too much."

“"We didn't expect it to make such a difference. Our energy bill has actually disappeared. And with the dynamic contract we sometimes even make money."”

— Linda De Boer, Eindhoven