How Custom Software Transforms Smart Energy Management: Success Stories

Energy management is all about saving money and cutting waste. But can you achieve that with spreadsheets and basic thermostats in 2025? They only tell you how much power you’ve used — after it’s already wasted. That means businesses are losing money and resources without being able to take action in the moment.

This is why more companies are making the switch to smart energy management. With real-time monitoring, AI predictions, and automation, they can spot issues and adjust before it becomes a bigger problem.

In this blog, we’ll cover why custom software is the key, explore the tech driving this shift, and share real-world success stories. If you’re ready to build the next big thing in energy management and need energy software development services, now’s the time — with the right tech and team.

Traditional resource management tools, like basic meters, simple thermostats, and standalone systems (Nest Thermostat, Lutron Lighting Control), helped track energy use and automate basic tasks. They worked well for simple things, like adjusting temperatures or turning lights off. But today, they can’t handle the more complex energy needs businesses have.

Here’s why older systems fall short:

• Lack of integration. Modern buildings use multiple energy sources (solar, wind, grid), but without a system to manage them together, it’s hard to balance supply. For example, if solar energy isn’t stored or used when needed, you waste it and end up paying more for grid power.
• Limited data and insights. Legacy systems track basic metrics like energy use and temperature but miss real-time data like occupancy, weather, and demand patterns. Without knowing things like how many people are in a room, you can’t adjust heating or cooling. This also leads to excess consumption and higher costs.
• No user engagement. Traditional tools don’t really engage users, so people don’t always realize how their actions affect energy use. Unlike smart systems, they won’t remind you to turn off the lights or adjust the thermostat.
• Scalability issues. Older systems can’t grow with your business. They work for small setups but struggle to adapt when you add things like solar panels or manage multiple buildings.
• Regulatory challenges. Regulations change fast, and it’s hard to keep up with sustainability updates using legacy software or spreadsheets. Energy and greentech software development, on the other hand, keeps everything updated, tracks rules and regulations, and helps you catch incentives instead of penalties.

Custom energy management software is designed to address these challenges head-on, giving businesses full control, real-time insights, and the ability to scale.

Next, we’ll explore the key technologies that make smart energy management possible and how they help businesses get these benefits.

IoT devices and smart sensors have totally changed energy management. They collect real-time data on their consumption levels, temperature, occupancy, and conditions, so businesses can monitor and control their electricity usage better.

These sensors can track energy use across devices remotely and adjust automatically — like dimming lights or adjusting the thermostat when a room is empty. This cuts down on waste without anyone having to do anything. A great example is the University of Zaragoza (UZ) in Spain, which saved up to 70% on costs by using an IoT-based smart energy system to optimize heating, cooling, and lighting across its campus.

Data on its own isn’t very useful — it needs to be put to work. That’s where data analytics comes in. It takes all the info from your sensors and systems and turns it into actionable insights that help businesses save electricty.

For example, it looks at things like energy use, temperature, and occupancy. Then, it finds where power is being wasted and suggests ways to cut back without affecting comfort.

Take CS Energy, a major electricity provider in Australia. They struggled with renewable unpredictability. To tackle this, the company turned to renewable energy software development and used AVEVA PI to track power use in real time. This helped them adjust their operations based on weather and market changes. As a result, the energy management system helped them save resources and avoid outages.

AI takes energy management technologies one step further. It works with IoT sensors, collecting data from your systems. Then, it uses that data to make better decisions. Instead of just reacting to power consumption, AI learns, predicts needs, and adjusts settings to reduce waste.

For example, AI looks at past data, weather, and real-time conditions. It figures out the best times to adjust heating or cooling. It can even predict when electricity usage will go up and adjust ahead of time.

One example is BrainBox AI. They helped the 45 Broadway building in Manhattan cut HVAC use by 15.8%. How much is that? It’s $42,000 in savings over the first 11 months for a single building. Their smart energy management system checks things like temperature, humidity, sunlight, and occupancy, making real-time adjustments to cut down on usage.

Our client, a building energy management company in Estonia, wanted to make it easier for construction companies to plan and install energy-saving devices. They created custom energy management software that models a space as a digital twin. Managers input basic building details and get recommendations for devices, plans, and pricing.

Digiteum built a user-friendly web platform that handles calculations, recommends the best devices, and provides real-time pricing.

The solution helps its users:

• Cut down on manual work with a user-friendly platform.
• Speed up energy efficiency planning while reducing mistakes.
• Easily integrate smart devices into their projects.
• Transition to sustainable strategies faster.

Another Digiteum’s client is a US-based cleantech company. They wanted to create an IoT energy management solution that lets people manage their electricity use, solar power, and stored power. And they succeeded — their solution was named a top solar product, and the client won Innovator of the Year.

We helped bring their idea to life by building the tech behind it. Now, users can control everything from an easy-to-use web portal or mobile app. We also added data tools to help people understand their consumption habits. Plus, we used AI to make homes safer by spotting devices that might overload and cause blackouts.

The solution helps:

• Track energy use in real-time and cut costs.
• Monitor solar power and stored energy.
• Manage backup power during outages.
• Control devices remotely through the app or portal.

Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) is a Texas-based utility focused on renewables, smart grids, and efficiency programs. To make battery storage more affordable, they launched a subscription service as part of their Energy Saver program. Customers store electricity for backup and use it when needed, saving money on power costs and avoiding outages.

A key part of the program is Apolloware, an energy monitoring platform that gives real-time control over power consumption. It helps members tap into stored power during outages and optimize electricity usage when prices are high.

Thanks to the smart energy management technology, users:

• Get up to eight hours of backup power during outages.
• Reduce peak demand and lower electricity bills.
• Access cost-effective battery storage through a subscription.
• Integrate with solar systems for better efficiency and savings.

EcoFlow makes portable power solutions. At CES 2025, they introduced EcoFlow OASIS, a smart home energy system that uses AI to lower electricity costs, store power efficiently, and prepare for outages. It tracks power consumption, solar production, and weather forecasts to make real-time adjustments.

The system includes a built-in smart assistant that answers questions like, “How can I save energy today?” It can also automate tasks, like running appliances on stored solar power when grid prices spike.

How it helps:

• Lowers bills by optimizing power use.
• Keeps batteries charged ahead of storms.
• Automates energy-saving decisions.
• Works with solar, battery storage, and smart home devices.

• Traditional systems can’t keep up with real-time control, integration, and scalability. Custom smart software with IoT, AI, and data analytics helps businesses manage power use more efficiently and in real time.
• As businesses focus on saving money and becoming more sustainable, custom software lets them integrate renewables, manage energy audit and monitoring, and predict future needs.
• With the right technologies, you can build automatic power management systems that stand out in the market.

For over a decade, Digiteum has built trust with clients in Europe, the US, and Australia, like Lodgify, Oxford University Press, and Origin Digital. Here’s why:

• We create custom solutions that match your unique needs. Unlike one-size-fits-all systems, we build a product that fits your vision perfectly.
• We’re flexible. We provide the right team and resources, scale up or down as you grow, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
• We’re experts in building energy software. With proven skills in data management, IoT, and UX/UI, we’ve delivered dozens of successful projects. Now, we’re ready to take on your biggest challenges.