Smart Energy Demand Coalition

What Smart Energy Demand Coalition does

Smart Energy Demand Coalition, operating as smartEn or Smart Energy Europe, is a Belgian non-profit association (ASBL) founded in 2012 and headquartered in Brussels at Rue de la Science 14A. It functions as the European business association for the Flexible Demand Management Industry, with a mission to integrate consumer-driven solutions into the clean energy system by unlocking demand-side flexibility across buildings, transport, and industrial processes. The organisation does not sell technology products; instead, it convenes a coalition of over 100 member companies—spanning utilities, grid operators, technology vendors (including Danfoss, Johnson Controls, Schneider Electric, Trane), aggregators, automotive firms, and energy-intensive industries—to advocate for regulatory frameworks that enable flexible assets to participate in European energy markets.

The association's core deliverables are policy intelligence and convening services. It produces recurring publications including the smartEn Map and the European Market Monitor for Demand-Side Flexibility (developed in partnership with Delta-EE, covering 30+ markets), issues open letters and position papers targeting EU institutions and national regulators, and organises flagship events such as the FLEXCON conference. Its advocacy focus spans network codes for Demand Response, dynamic network tariffs, post-2030 energy efficiency and renewable frameworks, and the integration of EVs, heat pumps, and energy communities into flexibility markets.

Commercially, SmartEn operates a membership-based revenue model with three tiers (Executive, Regular, Associate), supplemented by event-related income. It is governed by member committees (e.g., a Markets Committee) and led by Executive Director Michael Villa, succeeding Frauke Thies. The organisation coordinates joint advocacy with ENTSO-E, EU DSO Entity, Eurelectric, the European Heat Pump Association, E-Mobility Europe, the Coalition for Energy Savings, and the Electrification Alliance, positioning itself as the primary European voice dedicated exclusively to demand-side flexibility.

Name

Smart Energy Demand Coalition

Legal name

Smart Energy Europe ASBL

Website

https://smarten.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smart Energy Demand Coalition (smartEn) is a Brussels-based European non-profit association that convenes over 100 member companies to advocate for demand-side flexibility policies and market frameworks across the EU energy system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Industry Association / Demand-Side Flexibility Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Energy Engagement (In-Home Displays, Portals, Usage Insights) (EUADAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Demand-side flexibility
• Energy policy advocacy
• Demand response
• Flexible demand management
• Energy market intelligence

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: SmartEn operates as a membership-based business association (ASBL) supported by member dues. The organization provides services to members including market intelligence, networking, advocacy representation, and participation in working groups and events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Smart Energy Demand Coalition (smartEn) is a European business association that advocates for and advances demand-side flexibility in the clean energy transition. It provides members with market intelligence through annual publications (smartEn Map, Market Monitor), policy advocacy toward EU institutions, networking through events such as FLEXCON, and working groups across the flexibility value chain.

Product overview

Smart Energy Demand Coalition (smartEn) is a European business association focused on demand-side flexibility in the clean energy transition. It is not a product company but rather an industry organization that publishes open letters, policy recommendations, market reports, and organizes conferences. The coalition provides intelligence through publications including the Market Monitor, smartEn Map, and various position papers on demand-side flexibility. Their activities center on influencing EU energy policy and promoting flexible demand management across European energy systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FLEXCON: Europe's favorite Flexible Energy conference organized by smartEn, held annually in European cities
• smartEn Map
• Market Monitor

Products and services

• Smart Energy Europe Membership
• FLEXCON Annual Conference

Quantifiable outcome

• HVAC&R equipment contributes up to 40% of energy usage in the built environment
• +4 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• E-Mobility EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Joint letter with E-Mobility Europe and European Heat Pump Association calling for ambitious electrification with full activation of flexible demand.
• Coalition for Energy SavingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint advocacy partnership with the Coalition for Energy Savings to promote energy efficiency and demand-side flexibility as complementary approaches to decarbonization.
• Electrification AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024SmartEn is a signatory of the Electrification Alliance Declaration calling for mainstreaming clean electrification in heating, cooling, and transport sectors.
• European Heat Pump AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Partnership on joint letters and policy advocacy for demand-side flexibility and heat pump integration.
• ENTSO-EcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Joint statement with ENTSO-E and EU DSO Entity welcoming the new network code for Demand Response enabling distributed energy resources.
• Smart Energy Demand CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2016Original founding identity of the organization, operating as Smart Energy Demand Coalition before rebranding to smartEn/Smart Energy Europe.
• Delta-EEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration with Delta-EE to produce the European Market Monitor for Demand-Side Flexibility, benchmarking national progress across 30+ European markets.
• EurelectricmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmartEn is a partner for EVision annual regulatory affairs event by Eurelectric, connecting thought leaders at the crossroad of transport and power industries.
• The Smarter E EuropemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Smarter E Europe supporting the Collection of Best Practices for Flexible Energy-Intensive Industries publication.
• Broad coalition of European organisationsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint letter with broad coalition of European organisations calling for a strong future-proof post-2030 EU energy framework.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DENEFF (Deutsche Unternehmensinitiative Energieeffizienz):
• BNE (Bundesverband Neue Energiewirtschaft): German new energy industry association, listed as a smartEn member. Comparable as a national-level industry association focused on flexibility, aggregation, and new energy business models, with a member relationship directly to smartEn.
• E.DSO (European Distribution System Operators): European association of distribution system operators. Comparable as a Brussels-based European energy association co-signing joint statements with smartEn on distributed flexibility and grid integration.
• European Heat Pump Association: European trade association for the heat pump industry. Comparable as a Brussels-based association collaborating with smartEn on joint letters and policy advocacy linking electrification of heat to demand-side flexibility.
• Eurelectric: European electricity industry association representing the power sector. Directly comparable as a Brussels-based trade association engaging EU policymakers on electricity market design, including demand-side flexibility topics on which smartEn also advocates.
• Coalition for Energy Savings: European alliance promoting energy efficiency and demand-side management. Directly comparable as a Brussels-based coalition with overlapping member companies and a joint advocacy partnership with smartEn on flexibility and efficiency.
• ENTSO-E: European Network of Transmission System Operators. Comparable as a Brussels-based European energy association issuing joint statements with smartEn on demand response network codes and grid integration of flexible demand.
• EFET (European Federation of Energy Traders): European association of energy traders and flexibility providers. Comparable as a Brussels-based trade association active in EU electricity market design, with overlapping concerns on flexibility products and market access.

Regional players

• Energy UK: UK energy industry trade association. Comparable as a national-level energy industry association representing utilities and suppliers, with adjacent but UK-focused advocacy on flexibility and market design.

Emerging players

• Delta-EE: Energy research and consulting firm co-producing smartEn's annual Market Monitor. Comparable as a research-led firm operating in the same demand-side flexibility intelligence space, with a strategic partnership rather than competing association model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@smartenergyeurope/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smarten-eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart Energy Demand Coalition