Strategic Consulting, Strong Governance, Sustainable Heat
Strong district heating companies start with clear choices.
Innoforte connects engineering, business economics and governance. For well-founded choices, effective collaboration and control over performance and risks.
Bring us your challengeFrom a complex challenge
to a clear decision.
Independent advice on the development, collaboration and operation of district heating networks.
Governance and collaboration
Who decides, who invests and who bears which risks? We help parties align their interests and reach clear agreements on ownership, decision-making powers and collaboration.
Business economics and risk management
A business case must not only add up, but also provide insight. We make assumptions, costs, performance and risks visible, so you can make informed choices and adjust course.
Second opinions and due diligence
How robust is the basis for a plan or investment? We assess engineering, economics and organisation together and clarify what needs attention before a decision is made.
A good district heating network takes more than good engineering.
“It requires clear choices, sound business economics and partners who know what to expect from one another. I connect these worlds and help clients critically assess plans, understand risks and shape collaboration.”
Wim Mans · Consultant
About Wim MansWim Mans: connecting engineering, economics and governance
Wim helps municipalities, district heating companies and housing associations assess plans, bring interests together and substantiate decisions. Is the business case realistic? Who bears which risks? What influence do the partners have, and how do they retain oversight of development and operations?
He studied mechanical engineering, specialising in energy technology, at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences in Heerlen, and business economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, focusing on strategic policy and finance. He later completed mediator training. His career included district heating, combined heat and power and heat pump consultancy and a controller role at KEMA, followed by senior management in Business Control at BDO. He has worked at Innoforte since 2003.
His work includes business cases, second opinions, due diligence, financial monitoring and facilitating collaboration and negotiations. A report is not an end in itself: analysis should help improve a proposal, inform a decision or move a discussion forward. Where additional expertise is needed, he works with appropriate specialists.
A clearly defined question.
A concrete deliverable.
A strategic quick scan, a focused second opinion or comprehensive due diligence: we agree in advance which question will be answered, what information is needed and what you will receive. For facilitation and mediation too, we clarify the assignment and the next steps.
From an informed assessment to workable agreements
Sustainable heat must be more than technically possible. It must also be economically and organisationally viable. Innoforte brings insight into the underlying evidence, the risks and the interests of the parties involved. Our work ranges from the first development choice to the assessment of an existing district heating company.
In governance and collaboration, we help clarify ownership, decision-making powers and the allocation of risks. In business economics, we make assumptions, costs and performance visible. In second opinions and due diligence, we examine engineering, economics and organisation together, identifying what needs attention before a decision is made.
The aim is clear decisions, an appropriate allocation of responsibilities and collaboration that the parties can build on.
The depth behind the advice.
Energy performance and sustainability
Insight into energy use, performance and the evidence behind sustainability claims. Advice on reporting and EMG-related questions.
Heat metering and heat cost allocation
Focused investigation into measurements, energy use and cost allocation. First clarify the problem, then develop a well-founded approach.
Heat meters
Advice and support, including our work for VMNed’s meter pool.
The technical evidence behind the advice
Heat meter management and verification
Heat meters measure the heat supplied and form the basis for billing. Good management and careful verification therefore matter to both meter operators and heat consumers. Innoforte supports questions concerning heat metering, the evidence for measurement quality and the organisation of verification procedures. We clarify what information is needed and which next steps suit your situation.
Our work includes coordinating checks and audits against VMNed standards and explaining the relationship between heat meters, legislation and VMNed’s meter pools. Where deviations arise, we conduct further investigations.
Heat cost allocation and energy performance
Questions about measurements, energy use and the allocation of costs call for focused investigation. First we clarify the problem; then we establish a well-founded approach. For energy performance and sustainability, we provide insight into energy use, performance and its substantiation, including reporting and EMG-related questions.
Current questions. A considered perspective.
English summaries of two articles by Wim Mans.
Wim Mans · 21 October 2026
A small shareholding, but enough influence?
A municipal shareholding can give local interests a place in a district heating company’s direction. But ownership alone does not ensure influence. Start with the decisions that matter, rather than a percentage: changes in strategy, major investments and additional financing. Then establish the information, consultation and decision-making arrangements needed.
Read more
These arrangements must form a coherent package. Articles of association, shareholder agreements and collaboration agreements have different functions; they are not interchangeable. The final structure requires legal review. Keep the municipality’s policy-making, regulatory and shareholder roles clearly distinguishable, and separate shareholder representation from professional supervision.
Oversight must continue after the company is established. Agree reporting schedules, warning thresholds and escalation procedures for development and operations. Consider in advance how partners will review fundamental changes. Review does not mean losses are automatically redistributed or agreements can be reopened unilaterally. Influence should match the local interest, risks should be bearable and the company must remain able to act.
Wim Mans · 21 October 2026
A reasonable return does not yet make a district heating network financeable
A network may show a reasonable return on paper yet lack the cash to pay interest, repay debt or fund expansion. Delayed connections are one example: infrastructure costs have already been incurred, while income arrives later.
Read more
The weighted average cost of capital, or WACC, must be understood in context. A return benchmark for regulatory oversight, a discount rate for valuation and the terms on which lenders actually provide money answer different questions. Book value, regulated asset value and commercial acquisition value are also distinct.
Assess cash flows over the agreed financing periods, not just annual profit. The debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) compares cash available for debt service with interest and contractual repayments in the same period. The required buffer depends on the lender and loan agreement; a numerical example should not be mistaken for a universal lending requirement.
Before investing, ask: which valuation and return measure are appropriate; will cash remain sufficient if connections are delayed or costs rise; and who is willing and able to bear the remaining risk? A guarantee can change risk allocation without making the underlying shortfall disappear.
Experiences with Innoforte
Selected excerpts from client responses, translated from Dutch. These responses concern Innoforte’s work, not solely Wim’s personal contribution.
“Coordination and communication were good. Communication was direct.”
Bram de Deugd
Municipality of UtrechtRead the full response
Innoforte acted for the Municipality of Utrecht as an independent facilitator between the municipality, housing associations and Eneco regarding the expansion of the district heating network in Overvecht-Noord. We certainly experienced Innoforte’s contribution positively. Coordination and communication were good. Communication was direct. It was a long process in which Innoforte also worked hard to meet our internal milestones. This is greatly appreciated.
What we particularly appreciated was the continued critical approach towards all parties, even when that was not always comfortable, and the flexibility in thinking along with the planning. I give Innoforte an 8!
“Innoforte’s advice was understandable to the parties involved and well substantiated.”
Nico van Egmond
EnpulsRead the full response
I found working with Innoforte very pleasant and professional. Direct communication between us and Innoforte made it possible to coordinate quickly to achieve the best result. Thanks to its proactive approach and in-depth expertise, it was always possible to respond quickly, and Innoforte always had a clear understanding of what needed to be done. Innoforte’s advice was understandable to the parties involved and well substantiated.
I am fully confident that future projects can be completed successfully, just like this one. All in all, I regard Innoforte as a knowledgeable and reliable partner. I give Innoforte a 9.5
For your next decision
Are you confident that your business case is sound?
Is it clear who makes the decisions and which risks each partner bears?