Technical FAQ

Which EDSN market messages does the platform handle?

The platform covers the full SME and residential supply lifecycle:

CVB weekly upload and BAR (Balance Accounting Report) are referenced in the operational runbooks but the outbound file generation for these is not yet confirmed in production code. TenneT e-MIPS load profiles (E1A/E1B/E4A) are handled by the simulation layer in demo/dev.

Can the platform be demonstrated without a live EDSN connection?

Yes — this is the default. The platform ships with EDSN_SIMULATE=true. A full simulation layer (EdsnSimulatorService) replaces all live EDSN calls, returning realistic synthetic responses. Staff training, customer demos, and the full supply lifecycle can be run without EDSN registration. Switching to live requires one environment variable change after EDSN qualification is complete.

Does the platform handle Programme Responsibility (BRP / balansverantwoordelijkheid)?

Balance Responsible Party (BRP) / Programme Responsibility is architecturally planned — the interface contract (IBrpConnector) and a simulation layer exist — but the live TenneT e-MIPS integration is not yet built.

This is consistent with how new market entrants typically operate: during the first one to two years it is common practice to outsource BRP to an existing licensed Balancing Group. The platform is designed so that a real BRP adapter can be plugged in without structural changes when needed.

Who keeps the EDSN message specifications up to date when protocols change?

EDSN message logic is isolated in common/services/EdsnClientService.php and HttpEdsnClient.php. Protocol version changes — such as schema namespace updates or new mandatory fields — are applied in these files without touching billing, UI, or ERP code. The maintenance commitment for EDSN protocol compliance rests with Pinuno as part of the platform subscription.

Is there vendor lock-in? What happens if Pinuno stops supporting the product?

No cloud-provider lock-in. The platform runs identically on Docker Compose (single server), self-managed Kubernetes, or any managed K8s service (AKS, GKE, EKS). The Helm chart and Dockerfile are included in the repository. A buyer who holds the source code and the Helm chart can operate the platform fully independently — no Pinuno-controlled services are in the runtime path.

The one dependency tied to the current operator is reCAPTCHA Enterprise (a GCP project). Replacing it with an alternative (hCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile) requires changing one validator class and one frontend widget component.

What is the integration stack? Can we use our own SSO, storage, or mailer?

Every infrastructure component is selectable at deploy time via environment variable — no code branching involved:

Switching from one option to another requires changing environment variables and redeploying — the application code is identical in both configurations.

What is the code quality baseline? What should a CTO doing due diligence expect to find?

Static analysis runs at PHPStan level 6 in CI on every commit to main and develop. New code must pass clean — CI fails on any new finding. The codebase carries a 7,177-entry baseline of suppressed legacy findings, the most common being uninitialized variables in older controller actions. A baseline-reduction sprint (estimated 3–5 days) would clear the majority of these and bring the project to a clean level-6 or level-7 baseline.

The PHP 8.2 / MySQL 8.0 stack runs against a matrix of PHP 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 in CI. Test coverage targets are documented in the DoD; unit and integration test suites are included in the repository.

How does the cost compare to alternatives like MECOMS 365 or MaxBill?

Enterprise utility platforms — MECOMS 365 (built on Microsoft Dynamics 365) and BE-terna — are designed for established utilities with hundreds of thousands of customers and six-figure annual software budgets. They are not a realistic option for a company going through its first ACM licence application.

General-purpose billing platforms like MaxBill serve the mid-market internationally but do not include Dutch market specifics (EDSN messaging, SEPA pain.008, Energiewet contract types) out of the box — that is a custom integration project on top of the subscription cost.

Energie Software is built specifically for new-entrant Dutch energy labels. It includes EDSN simulation from day one, SEPA Direct Debit batch export, the full supply lifecycle, and four ERP connectors with no additional integration project required. For a label in the 0–10,000 customer range, the total cost of ownership over three years is a fraction of any enterprise alternative.

Is pricing published?

No. Pricing is discussed directly and is structured around where you are in your market entry process — a label in ACM registration has different needs from one that is already live with 2,000 customers. Contact us to start a conversation.