Frequently asked questions

From 1 January 2027, all heat cost allocators, heat meters and hot water meters must be remotely readable. Devices that cannot be read remotely had to be retrofitted or replaced by 31 December 2026 (§ 5 Abs. 3 of the Heating Costs Ordinance, Heizkostenverordnung, HeizkostenV). Newly installed devices have had to be remotely readable since December 2021 and, in addition, interoperable since December 2022.

No. The Heating Costs Ordinance covers heat cost allocators, heat meters and hot water meters. There is no obligation for cold water meters to be remotely readable. In practice, however, they are usually switched to radio as well, at the latest when they are replaced after the calibration period expires, so that all values are available without an appointment in the flat.

No. With remotely readable devices, the values are transmitted by radio without anyone having to enter the flat. An on-site appointment is only needed in exceptional cases: when devices are installed or replaced, when a device is faulty or no longer sends data, and for smoke alarms that do not support remote inspection.

No. The reading is done by radio — you neither need to be present nor give anyone access. Your presence is only needed when we install or replace devices or fix a fault. We announce such appointments in good time.

Remotely readable devices store their values continuously and transmit them regularly. This means the data is available at least monthly — a prerequisite for the monthly consumption information required by the Heating Costs Ordinance.

They transmit the current meter reading or consumption value, the value on the reference date, the device number and status messages, for example in the event of a fault or an attempted tampering. The data is sent encrypted and contains neither names nor addresses.

Not second by second. The devices transmit their values at fixed intervals, and the consumption information shows your consumption monthly — with a comparison with the previous month, the same month of the previous year and an average user. This is enough to spot changes in your own heating behaviour early on.

Interoperable devices output their data in an open, manufacturer-independent format. This means that another metering service can also read the devices. It makes switching provider easier, because new devices do not necessarily have to be installed.

A smart meter gateway is the central communication unit of an intelligent metering system for electricity, certified by the Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik). Consumption data for heating and water can also be bundled and transmitted securely via such a gateway. Since December 2022, newly installed remotely readable devices must therefore be capable of being connected to a smart meter gateway (§ 5 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV). There is no obligation to actually run heat cost metering via a gateway.

In everyday language, this means devices that record values digitally, store them and transmit them by radio — as opposed to mechanical meters or evaporation allocators, which have to be read on site. In the legal sense, however, an “intelligent metering system” means an electricity meter with a smart meter gateway under the Metering Point Operation Act (Messstellenbetriebsgesetz).

The devices only send very small data packets at short intervals with low transmission power. The exposure is far below that of a mobile phone and below the applicable limit values.

If transmission fails, we usually notice this promptly because the values are missing. We check the cause remotely and, if necessary, arrange an appointment for repair or replacement. Only in this case may an on-site reading exceptionally become necessary. For a period of failure, consumption is estimated in accordance with the Heating Costs Ordinance.

Newly installed equipment has had to be remotely readable since 1 December 2021. For existing devices, the retrofitting deadline expires on 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, all heat cost allocators, heat meters and hot water meters must therefore be remotely readable.

The obligation lies with the building owner — in a WEG (Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaft, the community of flat owners), this means the community of owners. The running costs for rental, reading and billing can be passed on under § 7 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV and § 2 of the Operating Costs Ordinance (Betriebskostenverordnung, BetrKV). The purchase of devices, by contrast, is not an operating cost item.

The Heating Costs Ordinance contains no provision on fines. In practice, the deadline takes effect through two other levers: if, contrary to § 5 Abs. 2 or 3 HeizkostenV, remotely readable equipment is not installed, users may reduce their share of the heating costs by three per cent (§ 12 Abs. 1 Satz 2 HeizkostenV). In addition, the property management may become liable if it does not inform the community of the obligation in good time.

Only in the individual case where retrofitting is technically impossible or economically unreasonable. This must be interpreted narrowly and must be justified and documented for the specific building. A blanket waiver by the community is not sufficient.

Often, yes. If retrofitting is carried out via the existing provider, a separate device rental contract with a term of up to ten years usually begins for the new devices. The community should therefore check whether it wants to switch provider before retrofitting, not afterwards.

The basis is the Heating Costs Ordinance (HeizkostenV). It applies to buildings with central heating or district heating and takes precedence over deviating provisions in the tenancy agreement. For deadlines and objections in a tenancy, § 556 of the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, BGB) also applies.

First, the total costs of the building are determined and, for a shared system, split between heating and hot water. Both blocks are divided into basic costs and consumption costs: the basic costs are allocated according to living space, the consumption costs according to the recorded values. Finally, your share is offset against your advance payments.

At least 50 and at most 70 per cent of the costs are allocated by consumption, the rest by floor area (§§ 7 and 8 HeizkostenV). In certain older buildings with oil or gas heating and predominantly insulated pipes, 70 per cent is mandatory. A higher consumption share can be agreed.

Yes. In addition to heating and hot water, we also bill cold water. If cold water meters are installed in the flats, cold water is allocated according to the recorded consumption — and the waste water costs on the same basis. The legal basis here is not the Heating Costs Ordinance but operating costs law (§ 2 Nr. 2 and 3 BetrKV). If consumption is recorded, the costs must be passed on according to consumption (§ 556a Abs. 1 BGB).

Allocable costs include fuel and delivery, operating electricity, operation, maintenance and cleaning of the system, emission control measurements, rental of the metering devices, and reading, billing and consumption information (§ 7 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV). Repairs, purchases and administration costs are not included.

In a tenancy, no later than twelve months after the end of the billing period. If the landlord is responsible for a delay, he can no longer demand an additional payment; he must nevertheless pay out any credit balance.

We prepare the heating cost statement for our client — the property management or the owner. Tenants receive their statement from the landlord as part of the operating costs statement. In an owners’ association (Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaft), it forms part of the annual statement.

Your consumption share is a relative value: it depends on how much all the other users in the building have consumed. If others have saved even more, your share hardly falls. In addition, higher energy prices and the basic cost share, which is incurred regardless of consumption, can offset a saving.

This cannot be stated as a general figure. The price per unit only emerges in the statement: the building’s consumption costs are divided by the sum of all recorded units. It therefore depends on the energy costs and on the consumption of all users and changes from year to year.

Only to a limited extent. The units of heat cost allocators are proportional values that are only comparable within one building. Only kilowatt hours, as measured by heat meters, or the costs per square metre are meaningful for a comparison across buildings.

Heat cost allocators display units, not kilowatt hours. In the statement, these units are weighted with a factor for the respective radiator, because large radiators give off more heat than small ones. In addition, the display resets to zero on the reference date; the previous year’s value can usually still be called up from the memory.

Heat cost allocators react to the temperature of the radiator. If it gets warm in summer — for example from direct sunlight or because the heating runs briefly — individual units can be recorded. Modern electronic devices largely distinguish such external heat from real heat output, so the effect remains small.

An estimate is permitted if a device has failed or no usable values are available for another compelling reason (§ 9a HeizkostenV). It is based on earlier periods or comparable rooms. With remotely readable devices, estimates are rare because failures are noticed early.

If the estimate affects more than 25 per cent of the living or usable floor area, all costs must be allocated by floor area instead of by consumption (§ 9a Abs. 2 HeizkostenV).

First contact your landlord or the property management. Tenants have the right to inspect the supporting documents and can raise objections within twelve months of receipt. Property managers and owners, as our clients, can contact us directly; we check the values and correct incorrect statements.

By 15 per cent if billing is not based on consumption, and by 3 per cent in each case if, despite the obligation, no remotely readable devices are installed or the required billing and consumption information is missing (§ 12 HeizkostenV).

Basic costs are also incurred for a vacant flat, because they are allocated by floor area. These are borne by the owner. Consumption costs only arise to the extent that heating was actually used — for example for frost protection. The start and end of a vacancy should therefore be reported to us.

Degree-day figures show how heating demand is typically distributed over the year: in January, many times more is consumed than in May, and almost nothing in high summer. The table divides the year into 1,000 parts per thousand. It is used when consumption has to be split over time, for example when occupants change and there are no interim values.

Only what was actually consumed during the billing period is billed: opening stock plus purchases, minus closing stock. The remaining stock in the tank is carried over to the next period. Consumption is generally valued in the order of the deliveries — first the older oil, then the newer oil.

To buildings with at least two units that are supplied jointly by a central heating or hot water system or by district heating — in other words, to most apartment buildings and owners’ associations. An exception applies to two-family houses in which the landlord lives in one of the flats: there, the parties can freely agree on how costs are allocated.

Tenants have twelve months from receipt of the statement to do so. Within this period, they can also ask to inspect the supporting documents, such as the fuel invoices and the meter readings.

70 per cent of the heating costs are allocated according to measured consumption, 30 per cent according to living space. The 30 per cent are called basic costs, the 70 per cent consumption costs.

Not as a general rule. The Heating Costs Ordinance permits any consumption share between 50 and 70 per cent. 70 per cent is only mandatory if the building does not meet the standard of the 1994 Thermal Insulation Ordinance (Wärmeschutzverordnung 1994), is heated with oil or gas and the exposed pipes are predominantly insulated (§ 7 Abs. 1 Satz 2 HeizkostenV).

That depends on the building. The better the building is insulated, the more the residents’ behaviour determines the costs — then 70/30 is usually fairer. In unrenovated buildings with high heat losses through pipes and walls, 50/50 is often more balanced.

The building owner; in an owners’ association, the owners’ meeting by resolution. The key must lie within the limits of the Heating Costs Ordinance.

Only in certain cases: within the first three billing periods after it was first set, when a preliminary metering stage is introduced, or after structural measures that permanently save heating energy. The change only applies from the start of a billing period and must be communicated to users in advance (§ 6 Abs. 4 HeizkostenV).

Yes, by agreement, up to a completely consumption-based allocation. The Heating Costs Ordinance expressly leaves such arrangements unaffected (§ 10 HeizkostenV).

Yes. Hot water costs must also be allocated 50 to 70 per cent by consumption and otherwise by floor area (§ 8 Abs. 1 HeizkostenV). The key for hot water may differ from the key for heating.

Pipe heat is the heat that uninsulated heating pipes give off in the flats — above all risers and distribution pipes in older buildings. It helps heat the rooms but is not recorded by the heat cost allocators on the radiators.

Because it is unevenly distributed. Flats through which a warm riser runs are heated as well, without any consumption being counted. The consumption costs are then spread over the other users. The statement no longer correctly reflects the actual heat received.

No, it is an optional rule. Under § 7 Abs. 1 Satz 3 HeizkostenV, consumption can be determined according to the recognised rules of technology if the exposed pipes are predominantly uninsulated and a significant part of consumption is therefore not recorded. The recognised rule is the supplementary sheet on pipe heat (Beiblatt Rohrwärme) to guideline VDI 2077 of the Association of German Engineers (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, VDI).

The supplementary sheet to VDI 2077 sets out test criteria for this. The decisive factor is above all the recording rate — the share of heat measured at the radiators in the total heating heat. If it is below 34 per cent and the distribution of consumption is at the same time strikingly uneven, a pipe heat correction may be considered.

No. The ordinance refers to exposed pipes. According to the case law of the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH), pipes that run under plaster or in the screed are not exposed; the rule does not apply to them.

The costs of the calculation and allocation are part of the costs of consumption metering and billing and can in principle be passed on (§ 7 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV). This presupposes that applying the pipe heat correction is permissible.

Yes. The most sustainable solution is to insulate exposed pipes — then the problem does not arise in the first place. In addition, a higher floor-area share in the allocation key can soften the effects, provided a change of the key is permissible.

With remotely readable devices, no appointment in the flat is needed: the interim values on the move-out date are determined from the stored radio data. The consumption costs are split according to these values, the basic costs pro rata according to the duration of the tenancy (§ 9b HeizkostenV).

Please report the change to us with the move-out and move-in dates, the name of the new occupant and — for the monthly consumption information — their contact details. The earlier we receive the notification, the more cleanly consumption and costs can be separated.

Yes. A separate fee is charged for the separation of costs when occupants change. We generally invoice it to the owner. If the tenancy agreement stipulates that the tenant bears these costs, please let us know — we will then assign the fee to the tenant in the statement. Background: according to the case law of the BGH, costs for a change of occupant are not allocable operating costs; without a contractual provision, they are borne by the landlord.

If a separation based on measured values is not possible, the consumption costs are also split by calculation — using degree-day figures, which reflect the typical heating demand per month, or pro rata temporis. Hot water is then allocated pro rata temporis.

Consumption information during the year (unterjährige Verbrauchsinformation, UVI) informs you every month about your heating and hot water consumption in the previous month — with a comparison with the month before, the same month of the previous year and an average user. This allows you to adjust your consumption behaviour early on.

Yes. As soon as remotely readable devices are installed, users must be provided with consumption information every month (§ 6a HeizkostenV). As all devices must be remotely readable from 2027, the obligation will then apply to practically every centrally heated apartment building.

No. The obligation exists towards all users, i.e. towards everyone who uses the heated rooms — tenants as well as owner-occupiers and commercial users. In a WEG, the community is obliged towards the owners; for a let flat, the letting owner is obliged towards their tenant (§ 1 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 HeizkostenV). The only difference is the right to reduce by 3 per cent: it is available to tenants, but not to the individual owner towards the community.

The user, i.e. the tenant who lives in the flat. The information is intended to help the person who actually influences consumption. For this, we need the tenant’s contact details via the property management.

Usually by email or via an online portal. For users without an email address, we agree on another method with the property management.

The Heating Costs Ordinance only requires the information for heating and hot water. Cold water is not covered.

If the consumption information is not provided despite the obligation, the tenant may reduce their share of the heating costs by 3 per cent (§ 12 HeizkostenV). This right to reduce does not apply in the relationship between an individual flat owner and the community.

The UVI shows consumption values, not billed costs. Only the annual statement is binding, because the building’s costs and the consumption of all users are only established at the end of the billing period.

Not with MEVIO. The information is sent by email directly to the users or fed into the customer portal of the responsible property management, if there is one. We deliberately do not operate our own user portal — it would be yet another login that hardly anyone would open every month.

Up-to-date user data and, for sending by email, the users’ email addresses. Changes of occupant must be reported promptly, otherwise the information goes to the wrong recipient. For users without an email address, we agree on the method with the property management.

The obligation lies with the building owner; in practice, the commissioned metering service takes care of it. In an owners’ association, the property management organises the implementation; the recipients are the users, i.e. the residents of the flats.

Monthly since 1 January 2022, as soon as remotely readable devices are installed (§ 6a Abs. 1 HeizkostenV). As all heat cost allocators and heat meters must be remotely readable from 2027, the obligation will then apply to practically every centrally heated apartment building.

The consumption of the last month in kilowatt hours, a comparison with the previous month and with the same month of the previous year, where the values are available, and a comparison with a standardised average user of the same user category or one determined by comparative tests (§ 6a Abs. 2 HeizkostenV).

The costs of the consumption information are part of the costs of consumption metering and billing and can be passed on to the users under § 7 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV.

IDA stands for “Informationen in der Abrechnung” (information in the statement). Since the amendment to the Heating Costs Ordinance of December 2021, every heating cost statement must contain additional details that help you put your own consumption into context (§ 6a Abs. 3 HeizkostenV).

The shares of the energy sources used, for district heating additionally the greenhouse gas emissions and the primary energy factor, the taxes, levies and duties included, a weather-adjusted comparison with the previous year, a comparison with an average user, as well as contact points for energy advice and information on dispute resolution.

Consumption is converted using a climate factor from the German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for the location. This way, the comparison with the previous year shows how your own behaviour has changed — and not whether the winter was mild or cold.

A notional comparison user of the same user category, standardised or determined from comparative values. The comparison is for guidance; the location of the flat, the number of residents or working from home can explain deviations.

No. The IDA is an information page. The allocation of costs into basic and consumption costs remains unaffected.

The IDA is part of the annual statement. The consumption information during the year (UVI), by contrast, informs you monthly about the previous month’s consumption, provided remotely readable devices are installed. Both are based on § 6a HeizkostenV.

If the required information is missing, the tenant may reduce their share of the heating costs by 3 per cent (§ 12 Abs. 1 HeizkostenV).

The Heating Costs Ordinance requires transparency about which part of the energy costs is attributable to taxes, levies and duties — such as energy tax, the CO₂ price or VAT. This shows how the energy price is made up.

Remotely readable, interoperable heat cost allocators, heat meters, hot and cold water meters, and smoke alarms, with remote inspection on request. We work independently of manufacturers; devices already installed that meet these requirements can usually continue to be used.

Devices are replaced when their calibration period expires, the battery reaches the end of its service life, a device is faulty or the obligation to be remotely readable requires a replacement.

Under German measurement and calibration law (Mess- und Eichrecht), cold water meters every six years, hot water meters and heat meters every five years. In practice, the meter is replaced with a new, calibrated device when the period expires.

No. Heat cost allocators are not measuring instruments within the meaning of calibration law; they record proportions. Electronic devices are usually replaced after around ten years, when the battery is exhausted.

No, not for much longer. Evaporation allocators cannot be read remotely. They therefore had to be replaced by remotely readable electronic devices by 31 December 2026 (§ 5 Abs. 3 HeizkostenV).

With the uniform scale, all heat cost allocators in the building display units on the same basis; the different output of the radiators is only taken into account in the statement via weighting factors. With the product scale, the factor for the respective radiator is already stored in the device, so the display is already weighted.

A radiator can feel cool and still be warmer than the room, for example because warm water trickles through the valve or the riser warms it. Under the DIN EN 834 standard, electronic heat cost allocators start counting as soon as certain temperature thresholds are exceeded. The resulting units are usually small.

We announce the appointment in good time. Replacing a heat cost allocator takes only a few minutes per radiator; for water meters, the water is turned off briefly. The readings of the old devices are documented so that the statement remains complete.

Yes, or a person you have authorised, because the flat has to be entered for the replacement. Users are obliged to allow the devices to be installed and replaced (§ 4 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV). If the appointment cannot take place, we will arrange a new one.

If water is leaking, please close the shut-off valve immediately and inform the property management or caretaker. Please also report damaged or detached devices to the property management or directly to us; we will arrange a replacement. Do not remove devices yourself — this affects the recording.

Electronic heat cost allocators alternately show the current value and other details on the display. A permanently blank display or an error message indicates a fault. As remotely readable devices transmit their values, we usually notice faults too.

A heat meter measures how much heating water flows through the flat and the temperature in the flow and return. From the flow and the temperature difference, it calculates the heat delivered in kilowatt hours. Unlike heat cost allocators, it therefore provides an absolute measured value.

Both measure the amount of water that has flowed through in cubic metres. Hot water meters are designed for higher temperatures and are usually marked red, cold water meters blue. The calibration periods also differ: six years for cold water meters, five years for hot water meters.

Usually there is a small leak behind it: a dripping tap, a running cistern or a leaking valve. Close all outlets and watch the meter for a few minutes. If it keeps turning, the cause should be fixed.

Every meter works within permissible measuring tolerances, and the smallest flows are only recorded above a starting threshold. There are also outlets without their own meter, for example in the basement or garden. The difference is therefore normal and is included in the allocation in the statement.

Modern devices detect tampering attempts such as removal, covering or magnetic interference and report them by radio. Tampering is not a trivial offence but can be punishable as fraud. In such a case, consumption is estimated.

Common causes are air in the radiator or a stuck valve pin under the thermostat head. Bleeding the radiator often helps immediately. If the radiator stays cold, please inform the property management so that the system can be checked.

Only in agreement with the landlord or the property management. If a radiator is removed or replaced, the heat cost allocator must also be reinstalled and re-rated. Please inform us beforehand — otherwise the recording will no longer be correct and consumption will have to be estimated.

The rental of the metering devices is allocable and is distributed via the heating cost statement. If the owner buys the devices, the purchase costs are not operating costs; the running costs for calibration, reading and billing then remain allocable.

That depends on the property: on the number of devices, on whether they are rented or bought, and on the desired scope of services. We therefore calculate a quote for each property in which devices, installation and billing are shown separately. The running costs for device rental, reading and billing can be passed on to the users.

Yes. Under the Bavarian Building Regulations (Bayerische Bauordnung), bedrooms, children’s rooms and hallways that serve as escape routes from living areas must be fitted with smoke alarms. For existing flats, the obligation has applied since 1 January 2018.

At least one in every bedroom, every children’s room and every hallway that serves as an escape route from living areas. Large or angled rooms may require several alarms under DIN 14676. We determine the number for each flat during installation.

Once a year, at intervals of twelve months with a time window of plus/minus three months (DIN 14676). The inspection covers, among other things, function, smoke inlet openings, surroundings and power supply.

Not with smoke alarms with remote inspection: they check their own condition and report it by radio. For devices without remote inspection, an appointment in the flat is necessary once a year.

No. Smoke alarms detect smoke via an optical measuring chamber. Devices with remote inspection only transmit status data such as battery level, soiling or removal — no images, no sounds.

A short beep at regular intervals usually indicates a weak battery or a fault. A loud continuous tone is an alarm. In the event of an alarm, first check whether there is a fire. If there is a fault message, please inform the property management or us so that the device can be checked or replaced.

Common causes are steam, dust during renovation work or cooking fumes. Most devices can be silenced using the button in the middle. Ventilate the room. If the false alarm occurs repeatedly, please report it so that the device can be checked.

No. Paint closes the smoke inlet openings and makes the device inoperable. Please contact us about renovation work; the device can be protected for the duration of the work and must then be reinstalled in working order.

No later than ten years after commissioning, and earlier in the event of a defect. We monitor the deadlines for each device.

Installation is the owner’s responsibility; this follows from the state building codes (Landesbauordnungen). Who has to ensure that the alarms are in working order is regulated differently from state to state — in Bavaria, this generally lies with the direct occupier, i.e. the resident, unless the owner takes it on. In practice, the community usually takes over maintenance by resolution, because this is the only way to keep uniform records.

Yes. The BGH has ruled that a community can decide on uniform installation and uniform maintenance — even for flats that the owner has already equipped themselves. The uniform solution serves to provide proof and is therefore covered by the community’s discretion.

A distinction must be made here. The costs of regular maintenance and inspection can be passed on as other operating costs. The costs of purchasing the devices cannot — and in 2022 the BGH also ruled that the costs of renting smoke alarms cannot be passed on, because rental costs economically take the place of purchase costs.

Both are possible. In either case the owner bears the purchase or rental costs — only maintenance can be passed on. Rent, however, is incurred again every year, whereas a purchase is paid only once. Rental models offer convenience when defective devices are replaced, but usually tie you to a provider for long terms. We will gladly calculate both options for your property.

Since 2023, landlords and tenants have shared the CO₂ costs under the Carbon Dioxide Cost Allocation Act (Kohlendioxidkostenaufteilungsgesetz, CO2KostAufG). For residential buildings, the share depends on the CO₂ emissions per square metre of living space in ten stages; for non-residential buildings, the costs are currently split in half.

The landlord determines the split in the heating cost statement on the basis of the supplier’s CO₂ information and deducts his share from the allocable costs. If the split is missing, the tenant may reduce their share of the heating costs by 3 per cent.

No. Heat pumps, wood pellets or solar thermal systems do not cause any CO₂ costs within the meaning of the Fuel Emissions Trading Act (Brennstoffemissionshandelsgesetz). There is then nothing to split.

Since 1 January 2023. The Carbon Dioxide Cost Allocation Act (CO2KostAufG) applies to all billing periods beginning on or after that date. Before that, tenants bore the CO₂ costs alone as part of the heating costs.

According to a tiered model with ten stages. The decisive factor is the building’s annual CO₂ emissions per square metre of living space. The poorer the energy balance, the higher the landlord’s share: from 0 per cent below 12 kg CO₂/m² to 95 per cent from 52 kg CO₂/m².

In that case, the tenant first settles the CO₂ costs directly with the supplier and then claims the landlord’s share back from the landlord — within twelve months of receiving the supplier’s invoice.

We check the terms and notice periods of the existing service and device rental contracts, plan the transition for the earliest possible date and take over master data, meter numbers and previous-year values so that billing continues without gaps.

Not necessarily. If remotely readable, interoperable devices are already installed, they can continue to be used. If new devices are due anyway, for example because the device rental contract is ending, we combine the replacement with the changeover.

The number of residential and commercial units and — for a comparison with the current costs — the latest heating cost statement, preferably without personal details of individual users.

The Heating Costs Ordinance also applies to owner-occupied flats (Wohnungseigentum). The heating cost statement is part of the community’s annual statement. Owners who let their flat then use the values for the operating costs statement to their tenants.

As the consumption data is continuously available via remote reading, we prepare the statement within seven days of all data and costs being complete.

Yes, as soon as the existing contracts end or can be terminated. The decisive factors are the terms and notice periods of the service contract and — if the devices are rented — of the device rental contract. The two may run for different lengths of time.

That is governed by the respective contract. Notice periods of three to twelve months before the end of the term are common; if the deadline is missed, the contract is often extended automatically. Notice should be given in writing or in text form and in a verifiable way.

At the end of a billing period, which in most buildings means at the turn of the year. The previous provider then bills the last year in full, and the new one starts with a clean reference date.

For complete billing, user and floor-area data, device and meter numbers, reference date values, weighting factors, the allocation key and the previous-year values are needed. An obligation to hand them over arises mainly from the contract; it should therefore be settled when the contract is concluded.

Not solely because of the switch. An established allocation key can only be changed in the cases set out in § 6 Abs. 4 HeizkostenV, for example after structural measures that save heating energy, and only at the start of a billing period.

The running costs for device rental, reading and billing remain allocable (§ 7 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV). If the community buys new devices, however, the purchase costs are not operating costs and are financed from the maintenance reserve or by a special levy.

That depends on the building. In unrenovated houses, the greatest amounts of heat are usually lost through the external walls, windows and roof. An individual renovation roadmap (individueller Sanierungsfahrplan) from an energy consultant shows which measure is most worthwhile.

As a rule, first the building envelope, then the heating. Once the building is insulated, the heat demand falls and the new heating can be designed smaller. A heat pump also works more efficiently if low flow temperatures are sufficient thanks to good insulation.

Yes, some retrofitting obligations: the top floor ceiling must be insulated if it does not meet the minimum thermal insulation (§ 47 GEG), uninsulated accessible heating and hot water pipes in unheated rooms must be insulated (§ 71 GEG), and many oil and gas constant-temperature boilers may no longer be operated after 30 years (§ 72 GEG). Anyone renewing external building components must comply with the minimum values under § 48 GEG.

For individual measures on the building envelope and system technology, grants are available from the BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control), for replacing the heating grants are available from the KfW (the German state development bank), plus subsidised loans for comprehensive renovations. Energy consultation is also subsidised. Applications must generally be submitted before the measure begins; the conditions change quite often.

Energy-efficiency measures on the common property are structural alterations that the owners’ meeting can approve by simple majority (§ 20 Abs. 1 WEG). Who bears the costs is governed by § 21 WEG: all owners pay if the resolution was passed with more than two thirds of the votes cast and half of the co-ownership shares, or if the costs pay for themselves within a reasonable period.

Energy-efficiency modernisations entitle landlords to a rent increase of 8 per cent of the costs per year, capped at 3 euros per square metre within six years, or 2 euros for rents below 7 euros per square metre (§ 559 BGB). For a subsidised heating replacement, § 559e BGB applies as an alternative. The modernisation must be announced at least three months in advance (§ 555c BGB).

Exclusively for billing, the legally required information such as the monthly consumption information, and the operation of the devices. The Heating Costs Ordinance expressly restricts the use of the data to these purposes (§ 6b HeizkostenV).

The devices record cumulative consumption values and no movement or presence data. For billing and the monthly information, the values are processed in aggregated form.