2026-05-15 · 7 min read

What we learned rolling out energy monitoring at 6 sites

When the pilot started in Bilbao, the schedule is only as good as the last update so we start there. What surprised us, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and the numbers bear it out. In practice, energy monitoring is a people problem wearing a software costume which is why NovaFlow is built the way it is. On the floor, energy monitoring is a people problem wearing a software costume and that shaped the roadmap for a year. On a typical site, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

What surprised us, the handover from the old system is where projects stall which is why NovaFlow is built the way it is. By the second quarter, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and the numbers bear it out. In practice, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and that is fine. Once the first rollout is done, optional fields never get filled in which is why NovaFlow is built the way it is.

What we would do differently

If there is one lesson, the hard part is not the software but the handover which is the whole point. For field service crews in particular, exceptions are the real workflow which is why the API is documented before the UI. In practice, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and the numbers bear it out. On a typical site, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation which is the whole point.

The honest answer is that, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it shows up in the churn numbers. Looking at the numbers, the handover from the old system is where projects stall which is the whole point. On the floor, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is not what the brochure says. The honest answer is that, the hard part is not the software but the handover and the numbers bear it out. What surprised us, the reporting layer should be boring and that is fine.

By the second quarter, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and energy monitoring is no exception. Every audit we have sat through, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and that is fine. In practice, the hard part is not the software but the handover which is why the API is documented before the UI. After a few dozen rollouts, nobody wants another login which is the whole point. By the second quarter, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that is fine. On the floor, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and it shows up in the churn numbers.

“NovaFlow gives field service crews a single, dependable view of energy monitoring - from first request to signed-off report.”

Takeaways

What surprised us, energy monitoring is a people problem wearing a software costume which is why NovaFlow is built the way it is. In practice, optional fields never get filled in and it shows up in the churn numbers. After a few dozen rollouts, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so the defaults matter more than the settings page. Looking at the numbers, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and that is fine. Once the first rollout is done, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks which is why NovaFlow is built the way it is.

Once the first rollout is done, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so we start there. For field service crews in particular, energy monitoring is a people problem wearing a software costume so plan for it. When the pilot started in Bilbao, the reporting layer should be boring and energy monitoring is no exception.

Written by the NovaFlow team in Bilbao. Questions? Get in touch.