Hero Balancer wins the SHARE Award 2020

17 November 2020

This year the SHARE Award for innovative entrepreneurs was presented to Hero Balancer. The company ensures that buildings become more sustainable by installing smart software that contributes to a better indoor climate, sustainable CO2 reduction, and lower energy costs. Through the use of artificial intelligence, Hero Balancer creates an ideal balance between heat supply and demand. 

Hero Balancer started its operations in the Province of North Holland only three and a half years ago. Through the installation of Hero Balancer, the company safeguards that children are educated in a comfortable school environment. This was first proven at primary schools Klimop in Hoofddorp and Oranje Nassau in Badhoevedorp. Due to its success, Meer Primair, the Association for Christian and Catholic Primary Education, contracted the company to equip all school buildings with Hero Balancer. Antoine Peters, principal of the Klimop School, is enthusiastic: “The heating does not burn more than necessary. In the past years, we consequently saved on gas  and our investment has partly been recovered. Our building has an old and a new part and Hero Balancer is now regulating the temperature throughout the building.”

Digital caretaker

The heating installation in schools and offices is usually a complex and expensive system. It is installed departing from the idea that it will last for 20 years. According to the founder of Hero Balancer, Ted Braakman, this is too long: “Often, a system is already outdated before it has been installed. Over the years, the use of buildings or the wishes of users change.” Hero Balancer closely matches heat supply and heat demand, so that large-scale heating systems never heat unnecessarily. By analysing the weather forecast, the usage properties, and the heating characteristics of the building the software calculates the heat demand on the basis of an algorithm. It also anticipates holidays and, for example, the intelligent lockdown before the summer of 2020. Ted Braakman explains: “If nobody uses the school building then the heating schedule is adjusted and the boilers are switched off. Just calculate the school holidays or how often the heating is turned on unnecessarily. We are improving that with our smart digital caretaker. In addition to the tremendous cost savings on the installation, Hero Balancer only costs about 10% of an old-fashioned system with equipment, man-hours and others.” Along with schools, Hero Balancer also creates heating solutions for showrooms, offices, apartments, and public buildings.

About the SHARE Award

The SHARE Award 2020 is an award of the SHARE founders, i.e. the business community and the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer. Previous winners are Algae Innovations, the Waste Transformers, Rigo Verffabriek, Joost Valk Architectuur, Nijssen Recycling, the Miscanthus Group, and Park 20|20. Through their innovations and pioneering role, they contribute to a sustainable and healthy society in Haarlemmermeer. The aim is to share news, knowledge, inspiration and experiences, to initiate innovations, and to facilitate specific collaborations. The jury of the SHARE Award consists of SHARE founders Age Vermeer and Adelbert de Vreese (Dura Vermeer), Mart Pfeiffer and Daniëlle Strating (Rabobank Schiphol Region), Denise Pronk and Jacco Bartelds (Royal Schiphol Group), Jozien van der Wal (SADC), Laurens Schenk (Schenk Makelaars), and Alderman Marja Ruigrok (Municipality of Haarlemmermeer). Read more about SHARE Haarlemmermeer.