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Wil Sillen

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Water battery Nymo turns your boiler into a (cheaper) alternative to the home battery
By: Herwin Thole
Emma Snaak and her father Hans are launching Nymo with their start-up Solyx Energy. This device transforms any electric boiler into a 'water battery', which is heated with excess power from solar panels. Remarkable: the Nymo pays for itself much faster than a home battery.
A black box the size of two packs of sugar, plus a sensor the size of an AirPods case. It can save households a lot of money on their energy bills. And the installation is relatively simple. Emma Snaak (31) and her father Hans (65) will launch the Nymo with their company Solyx Energy at the end of this month. The device allows owners of solar panels to store generated energy in an electric boiler. By heating water for the shower or washing up, gas consumption decreases.

A smart solution, now that all energy suppliers charge costs for supplying electricity. While an average household currently uses less than a third of the solar energy generated itself. The government also wants to stop the netting scheme from 2027 and the problems surrounding grid congestion are increasing. “These types of social issues have only become greater,” says CEO Emma Snaak of Solyx Energy. "We notice that there is more traction. Energy suppliers and boiler manufacturers approach us and want to know more about our solution."

Developed own device
That was different two years ago, when Solyx Energy launched its first product. That was the Solar iBoost, and it can basically do the same thing as the Nymo. The device measures in the meter cupboard how much solar energy is not being used and sends exactly that amount to the boiler. But the iBoost had a crucial limitation. “We imported the product from England, where all connections are single-phase,” says Snaak. "But here in the Netherlands, households often have a 3-phase connection. In three quarters of the cases we had to say no."
The Nymo, which Solyx Energy developed itself, can handle both types of connections. The installation is also a lot simpler. The Solar iBoost required an electrician to install the product in the meter cupboard. The Nymo sensor plugs into the so-called P1 port of the smart meter, where it automatically reads the consumption.

Space for boiler tank
So you must have that smart meter. Households with an older energy meter cannot therefore install the Nymo for the time being. Snaak expects to come up with a solution for this in the second half of 2025. "Not so much for the Netherlands, but for other countries in Europe."

And there is a second limitation. Those two packs of sugar are counted outside the boiler barrel. A two-person household easily needs a 100 liter boiler. For four to five people that is double. The tank must fit next to the boiler.

Do-it-yourself culture
Installation is easy to do yourself. The Nymo is ready for use in 20 minutes, but the boiler is a slightly bigger job. But that is a fun challenge for handy Harrys or Henriëttes. "The Netherlands has quite a do-it-yourself culture. That's what we hear from boiler sellers," says Snaak.
To reach the masses, the job factor must be reduced. Snaak has therefore joined forces with installer Boilergarant to offer the water battery as a complete package. Installing the boiler and Nymo will then cost 1,725 ​​euros. The main unit and sensor are also available separately for 649 euros.

According to Solyx Energy, an average household can save around 350 euros on gas annually with the Nymo. At current energy prices, the device will therefore pay for itself in five years. If there was already a boiler, then that is even less than two years. That is a lot cheaper than a home battery, which costs on average between 5,000 and 8,000 euros and has a payback period of more than 6 years.

From Tesla to Solyx Energy
A new phase is now dawning for the father and daughter behind Solyx Energy. “We started importing the British product because we had no background in this industry,” says Snaak. “We both come from the charging infrastructure for electric cars.”

Snaak previously worked on the rollout of charging stations for Tesla and at Lilium, a builder of electric aircraft. Father Hans is a mechanical engineer by training and was the owner of Ratio Electric, a company that develops charging station systems. With the Solar iBoost they wanted to scan the Dutch market and "learn what the reactions are", says Snaak. "But with the prospect of launching your own product one day in mind. Then of course you first have to know what you are going to make. It is better to test that in practice."
Dutch made
So now there is the Nymo. Nice detail: the device is completely made in the Netherlands. For example, the printed circuit boards come from near Arnhem and the housing is made in Nijkerk, where the Solyx Energy office is also located. "These are contacts that my father has had for twenty to thirty years," says Snaak. Those short lines proved to be worth their weight in gold during development. "We also had printed circuit boards shipped from China. The quality was quite good, but it was more difficult in terms of delivery times and communication. With a new product you want to be close to it. If a cover of the housing needs to be sturdier, we can immediately go to the producer. Especially now that we are still building up, it is great that everything is nearby."

The four (and from next month five) employees will assemble the first hundred copies of the Nymo themselves at the Solyx Energy office. "Just to experience it, to have all that control ourselves. If the volumes increase, we will have to do things differently. But my father also has those connections with parties in the Netherlands."

Doing business with your father
How does it actually work, running a business with your father? “Still very good,” laughs Snaak. What really surprised her was her father's attitude. “The first week we started the company, he asked me, “Are there things I can do better?” Then you are a man in his sixties who has been the director of his own company for thirty years. And then you ask your daughter what you can do better. I think that is a good example of his approach to entrepreneurship.
The division of roles is also clear: Hans is busy with the product, Emma focuses on the company's strategy. "Where are we going? How are we going to market this? How do we reach installers and private individuals?"

Attracting external capital
Speaking of which, what exactly are the plans? That can go in several directions, Snaak indicates. The market for water batteries, home batteries and other solutions is now emerging. It will have to be determined what the best route is for Solyx Energy: installation by partners, offering directly to the consumer or a combination thereof.

In any case, one thing is certain: the next two years are crucial. "With the disappearance of the netting scheme, this is the opportunity to gain market share in the Netherlands," says Snaak. She is therefore looking at external financing to accelerate growth. She has already oriented herself towards that. "Based on that, we said: we'll leave it for a while." Solyx Energy first wants to launch the Nymo and enter into some partnerships. "So that we are just a few steps further for investors and have good figures. Then you can of course also ask for more."
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