Enerace | Custom-made SaaS web app

The Client

Enerace is a company founded by Bartosz Palusiński and Wojciech Nowotnik, two experts on energy procurement. Over the last 11 years, they’ve helped dozens of big businesses all over Europe save millions of Euros on energy and fuel. Their mission is to educate companies and help them make the best decisions in terms of energy purchases.

Turning consulting into SaaS

When we first met three years ago, Bartosz and Wojciech already had many clients, but they knew there was an enormous scaling potential, given a proper software solution. Their day-to-day work included gathering data, preparing Excel spreadsheets, talking to clients, and making reports and predictions. There was plenty of room for automation, and they knew that very well, so they came prepared with a detailed list of features. The idea was, in essence, to create a user-friendly Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that makes consulting a hands-off process.

The biggest challenge in projects like this is knowledge transfer. As a consulting company, the most significant value of Enerace was the experience and market expertise. And the amount of factors that affect that particular market is so mind-boggling that not even all energy sellers understand them.

Simplifying overwhelmingly complex industry

In order to develop web app that helps such complex businesses grow, we had to understand their (and end-users’) challenges and opportunities in the best way possible. So we’ve started with a series of discussions, product workshops, during which we defined detailed requirements for UX/UI implementation and deployment. We’ve also discovered that flexibility is one of the key factors for the client, so we agreed on the time & material pricing model.

Of course, it was just the beginning. Over the following months, we’ve worked very closely with Enerace, learning more and more about the industry (huge shout out to Wojciech for his commitment and availability for us).

After some time, we were able to instantly understand each new idea or feature and propose the best technological solutions that save them time and money. The task was far from straightforward but truly fascinating at the same time, and we can say that we’ve managed to get into it pretty deeply. The best testimony to it would be a declaration by Wojciech that they would happily hire our tech lead, Maciej, as an energy procurement consultant ;)

Web app development starts with massive amounts of data

As with many modern businesses, data is the key. It is the foundation of everything Enerace is doing. So one of the most significant challenges was gathering and organizing large sets of data from different sources. In many cases, it required changing their structure significantly. Only after we’ve sorted it out, we could proceed with implementing features.

In terms of technology, on the back-end side, the project was developed on Django with GraphQL, while on the front-end side, we used React.js.

But no matter what was the next step, or the next element to develop, the initial phase of understanding Enerace's business was essential. Knowing what’s the role of every new feature allowed us to work efficiently and avoid costly mistakes. But, most importantly, we were able to understand the value of each component for both our client and end-user.

Rocket fuel for the business

The ultimate goal of the project was to make business scaling possible with extensive automation. Enerace App is precisely that. At this point, it automatically collects information about energy prices from over 20 countries all over the World. Since the app was launched, Bartosz and Wojciech have acquired new clients in the SaaS model.

Besides that, they’re saving hundreds of hours every month thanks to the automation of:

• Data gathering - the most significant part of the entire platform. The comprehensive set of data helps both Enerace staff and their clients
• Reports - there are several types of automatically generated reports with market data and recommendations. Each one is customizable by the client both in terms of appearance and content.
• Newsletter - each day, week, and month, users receive news, recommendations, and in-depth analysis of any turmoil on the market.

Other crucial features in web app include:

• Map of carbon footprint - energy procurement in the modern era must take environmental issues into account. We are working on a feature that analyzes energy consumption and the use of sustainable sources.
• Client panel - with the panel feature, Enerace founders can buy energy on behalf of customers. They have access to specific data, such as energy usage and current contracts, so they can make the right choices at the right time.. ?
• Customer recommendation and ordering system - clients receive recommendations about energy purchases, which they can later easily accept in the system. The process has to be fast due to rapid price fluctuations in the market. At the same time, it’s secure thanks to a qualified signature system. ?

The result is a highly customizable, comprehensive, yet user-friendly energy procurement encyclopedia that allows Enerace clients to make much more informed, data-based decisions that save them huge chunks of the budget.

Although results are very promising, ambitions are still much higher. According to Wojciech, there’s still room for expansion. We’re glad to be a part of the project, and we’re excited about its future potential, especially due to its significance in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.