A business risk hidden in your meter cabinet

A heat pump instead of a gas boiler. Induction, or new freezers in the kitchen, air conditioning in the office, chargers in the car park. Dutch companies are electrifying fast, and the money behind it is real: climate-related business investment nearly doubled between 2019 and 2023 [1].

But the buildings where they operate have not kept pace. The electricity now running the business still travels through the original connection and meter cabinet, dimensioned decades ago for a gas-heated building with far lower demand. Adding appliances without upgrading the infrastructure creates a hidden mismatch that often goes unnoticed. When you rely only on periodic inspections, which may not take place during peak demand, the impact of the full electrical load can easily be missed.

At peak, an under-dimensioned installation runs hot at its weakest points. Not dramatically. Gradually, until heat becomes a spark [2]. And a fire can disturb, or even end a business [3].

A smart system to prevent fire

At the NN Innovation Lab, DataSmart began as a pilot with one ambition: make electrical fire risk visible before it becomes a problem. The main finding: if electric installation is monitored continuously, risk becomes detectable exactly when it is real, at peak load, when the danger is highest.

To turn the idea into a product, three types of expertise had to come together. DataSmart brought the process logic and risk methodology. Althen provided the sensors and connectivity needed to collect the data. Blockbax brought it together: one platform with real-time alerts that turn a continuous data stream into a decision.

Sylvio Puzzo

Senior Project Engineer

Althen Sensors & Controls

Reliability is not something you claim; it is something you test for. Our team tested different options and engineered the right combination of sensors, connectivity and data infrastructure, integrating them into one dependable chain from measurement to alarm. That is where our expertise lies: not in any single component, but in ensuring the entire chain operates around the clock.

Combining the three made it possible to create a unique product and focus on what matters most: reaching the businesses that need it.

The power of live control

Electrical fire risk in commercial buildings is not new. But the combination of older infrastructure and rapid electrification is creating a growing category of risk that calls for a closer look. A periodic inspection captures a snapshot of the installation on the day it takes place. Peak load is a different moment entirely, and it’s exactly when risk is highest.

Robin Lantinga

Risk Expert

NN

The strength of DataSmart lies in its ability to detect change. Not only changes that could directly lead to damage or loss, but also changes that indicate something is no longer functioning as it should, issues that could eventually develop into a loss event. This gives business owners the opportunity to act when it suits them, rather than having to wait until it is too late. Detecting this trend early allows maintenance to be planned in advance, helping to reduce fire risk and avoid unexpected failure during a busy period.

NN’s risk experts see the consequences when risks or malfunctions are detected too late: prolonged business interruption, total loss of assets, and claims that take months to resolve. Business continuity is rarely restored quickly after a serious fire. The good news is that this risk can be acted on. Continuous, load-aware monitoring turns an invisible threat into something measurable and manageable, before safety becomes an emergency.

A component under strain doesn’t always announce itself until it breaks down or starts a fire, continuous monitoring exposes that risk early enough to act on it.

Video above (in Dutch): Giovanni Simonis, Manager at Vishandel Simonis in The Hague

Fire risk under control

Any business raising its electricity demand inside an older installation faces the same hidden danger and the energy transition widens that gap every year. Grid congestion sharpens it further: when a heavier connection is not available, the existing one is simply pushed harder.

DataSmart makes that risk visible: continuous monitoring watches the meter cabinet around the clock, so you can protect your business continuity before safety becomes an emergency.

Protect your installation with DataSmart.

Sources

1. CBS - Investeringen in beperken klimaatverandering in vier jaar bijna verdubbeld (2025). cbs.nl
2. Netbeheer Nederland / Kiwa - Registratie van huishoudelijke elektriciteitsongevallen achter de meter (2018); meterkast en elektrische installatie samen verantwoordelijk voor 38% van geregistreerde meldingen. netbeheernederland.nl
3. Rabobank / GfK onderzoek via Verbond van Verzekeraars & Brandweer Nederland - helft van bedrijven die een grote brand meemaken is binnen twee jaar failliet. bonv.nl