Energy portals are the digital backbone of many energy suppliers, municipal utilities and platform operators. They enable customers to access consumption data, tariff information, billing or smart meter applications - and are therefore much more than just a website.
A relaunch offers the opportunity for a better user experience, more security and new functions. At the same time, however, it also harbours considerable risks: Incorrect data migration, performance problems or security gaps can not only annoy customers, but also have legal and economic consequences.
This is why a structured QA and testing process is essential before the relaunch. In this article, we show you 10 important points that should not be overlooked when testing an energy portal.
Requirements analysis & test strategy
Before the first line of code is tested, a clean foundation is needed: Which functions are new? Which legacy issues are being replaced? Who are the stakeholders?
Define clear test objectives, acceptance criteria and risk analysis
Plan test levels (unit, system, acceptance) and test types
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Cross-browser- & responsiveness tests
Energy portals are used on a wide variety of devices - from office computers to apps: Do all functions work on different devices and combinations after the relaunch?
Tests on common browsers & devices
Additional focus on tablets & older browsers
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Validate data
migration
A frequent sticking point: Is the migrated data correct? Have customer accounts, consumption histories and contracts been transferred completely and correctly?
Sample-based plausibility checks
Automated comparisons of old vs. new databases
Dealing with inconsistent or missing legacy data
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Last- & Performance-Tests
Gerade bei Energieportalen gibt es wiederkehrende Lastspitzen – etwa bei Jahresendabrechnungen oder bei Preisanpassungen: Kann das System hohen Lasten standhalten?
Testszenarien mit realistischen Peaks
Fokus auf Skalierbarkeit und Time-to-First-Byte
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Design realistic test environments
Many problems arise because work is carried out in non-representative test environments. If the server configuration, database load or API interfaces are not production-like, the result will be falsified.
Use a production-like configuration
Import real data (anonymised)
Simulate authentication & third-party connections realistically
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Schedule test
automation
Regular updates and hotfixes after the relaunch? Then there is no way around test automation.
Use tools such as Cypress, Selenium or TestRail
Integrate automated smoke and regression tests
Increase repeatability and efficiency
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User acceptance tests (UAT)
What QA doesn't see, users often notice immediately. That's why real tests with end users are a must:
Involve customer service, sales and real customers
Map use cases, integrate feedback
Document acceptance criteria
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Prepare monitoring after
go-live
QA does not end with the go-live - on the contrary: now is the time to see whether everything is stable.
Keep an eye on logs & performance data
Alerts for error codes & utilisation
Check loading times & availability regularly
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Rollback plan &
hotfix strategy
Despite all the planning, something can always go wrong. Then a plan B must be put in place - quickly and cleanly.
Prepare staging & backup environments
Clear recovery scenarios
Define hotfix processes, have a team ready
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Conclusion
Relaunching a website without thorough testing is like taking a leap in the dark - especially for critical systems such as energy portals. If you want to be on the safe side, you need a well thought-out QA strategy: from data migration to accessibility, from UAT to load testing.
Are you planning a relaunch?
We can support you with all QA issues - contact us and let's make your energy portal future-proof together.
Get in touch
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