Consumption information
Interim consumption information (UVI): what must be communicated every month
24 September 2026MEVIO editorial teamReading time 9 minutes
Key points at a glance
- Where remotely readable devices are installed, users must be informed of their heating and hot water consumption every month (§ 6a of the Heating Costs Ordinance, Heizkostenverordnung – HeizkostenV).
- Mandatory contents: consumption in kWh, comparison with the previous month, the same month of the previous year and the average user.
- From 2027, all devices will be remotely readable — the UVI will then affect practically every apartment building with central heating.
- The costs can be passed on to users.
- If the UVI is missing, users may reduce their share by 3%.
The heating cost statement arrives once a year — often months after the winter in which the consumption occurred. Anyone who then sees an additional payment can no longer change anything. This is exactly where interim consumption information (unterjährige Verbrauchsinformation, UVI) comes in: it shows consumption every month, while there is still time to react.
Since when has the obligation applied?
The UVI is based on the European Energy Efficiency Directive and was introduced with the amendment to the Heating Costs Ordinance of December 2021. Since 1 January 2022, the rule has been: where remotely readable devices are installed, the information must be provided monthly.
- Dec 2021HeizkostenV amendmentConsumption information becomes mandatory, initially twice a year or quarterly.
- Jan 2022MonthlyWith remotely readable devices, the information must be provided monthly.
- 31 Dec 2026Retrofit deadline endsDevices that are not remotely readable had to be replaced.
- from 2027UVI for everyonePractically every centrally heated flat receives the monthly information.
Legal basis · § 6a Abs. 1 HeizkostenV
Where remotely readable consumption metering equipment has been installed, the building owner must provide users with billing or consumption information based on actual consumption every month.
What the UVI must contain
The ordinance specifies the contents precisely. The UVI is not a cost statement but information about consumption — with three comparisons that help to put it into context.
12% less than in January of the previous year, 7% below the average user.
January (current): 612 kilowatt hours, Previous month: 548 kilowatt hours, January last year: 694 kilowatt hours, Average user: 655 kilowatt hours.
The three comparisons are prescribed by § 6a Abs. 2 HeizkostenV. Design and presentation differ from one metering service to another.
Legal basis · § 6a Abs. 2 HeizkostenV
The consumption information contains the user’s consumption in the last month in kilowatt hours, a comparison with the previous month and with the corresponding month of the previous year, where recorded, and a comparison with the consumption of a standardised average user, or one determined by benchmark tests, of the same user category.
Cold water is not included. The obligation relates to heating and hot water — that is, to the costs that are distributed under the Heating Costs Ordinance.
How the UVI is delivered
The ordinance does not prescribe a particular channel. What matters is that the information reaches the user. In practice, digital channels have become established because they work every month without much effort.
Who contributes what
The obligation lies with the building owner, but as a rule it is fulfilled by the metering service. For this to run smoothly, good cooperation with the property management is needed — above all when users change.
- 1. Metering servicereads the devices monthly, calculates comparisons, creates and sends the UVI
- 2. Property managementreports changes of user and contact details, clarifies special cases
- 3. Userreceives the UVI, checks their own consumption, adjusts their heating behaviour
The most common source of errors is outdated user data. If a tenant moves out and the change is not reported, the information goes to the wrong person — and the new occupant receives none. Prompt reporting of changes of user, including contact details, is therefore the property management’s most important contribution.
Does the obligation only apply towards tenants?
No. § 6a HeizkostenV refers to users — meaning everyone who uses the heated rooms. This includes tenants, owner-occupiers and commercial users alike. So anyone who lives in their own freehold flat is also entitled to the monthly information.
Legal basis · § 1 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 HeizkostenV
In the case of flat ownership, the owners’ association (Gemeinschaft der Wohnungseigentümer, WEG) is treated as the building owner in relation to the individual owner — and, for a let flat, the letting owner in relation to their tenant.
In practice, this means: owner-occupiers receive the UVI on behalf of the association; for let flats, it goes to the tenant, who actually influences consumption. The letting owner remains responsible towards their tenant, but can have the delivery handled by the association’s metering service — for this, the tenant’s contact details are needed.
There is one difference regarding the reduction right: the 3 per cent reduction under § 12 HeizkostenV does not apply between the individual flat owner and the association. There, the general provisions of flat ownership law continue to apply. The UVI obligation nevertheless remains.
Costs and reduction right
The costs of the consumption information are part of the costs of consumption metering and, like these, are passed on to the users via the heating cost statement (§ 7 Abs. 2 HeizkostenV).
Legal basis · § 12 Abs. 1 HeizkostenV
If the obligation to provide consumption information is not fulfilled, or not fulfilled in full, the user may reduce their share of the costs by 3 per cent. This does not apply between the individual flat owner and the association (§ 12 Abs. 1 Satz 4).
Three per cent does not sound like much. Across all flats in a building and over several years, however, the reduction adds up to an amount that usually far exceeds the costs of a proper UVI.
What the UVI achieves
The purpose of the UVI is to make consumption visible while it can still be influenced. Anyone who sees in January that they are well above the previous year can take action — instead of only finding out with the annual statement. You will find practical tips on our page Saving energy.
Checklist for property managers
- Are all heat cost allocators and heat meters remotely readable?
- Are up-to-date contact details available for all users, ideally an e-mail address?
- Is it clear how users without e-mail will receive the UVI?
- Are changes of user reported promptly with contact details?
- Does the UVI contain all three comparisons under § 6a Abs. 2 HeizkostenV?
- Are the costs shown correctly in the heating cost statement?
The additional information in the annual statement is explained in our article IDA — information in the statement.
UVI with MEVIO
We provide the monthly consumption information automatically — by e-mail or via your property management’s portal.
This article is intended as general guidance and does not replace legal advice in individual cases. The graphic shows example values. As of: September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
UVI — quick answers
Who has to provide the UVI?
The obligation lies with the building owner; in practice, the appointed metering service takes care of it. In an owners’ association (Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaft, WEG), the property management organises the implementation; the recipients are the users, i.e. the occupants of the flats.
Does the UVI obligation only apply to tenants?
No. The obligation applies to all users, i.e. everyone who uses the heated rooms — tenants as well as owner-occupiers and commercial users. In a WEG, the association is obliged towards the owners; in the case of a let flat, the letting owner is obliged towards their tenant (§ 1 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 HeizkostenV). The only difference is the 3 per cent reduction right: tenants have it, but the individual owner does not have it towards the association.
How often must the UVI be provided?
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 affect practically every centrally heated apartment building.
What must the UVI contain?
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, or one determined by benchmark tests, of the same user category (§ 6a Abs. 2 HeizkostenV).
How may the UVI be delivered?
The ordinance does not prescribe a particular channel. E-mail, a web portal or an app are common. What matters is that every user actually receives the information — for users without e-mail or internet, another channel must be found, by post if necessary.
Is cold water part of the UVI?
No. § 6a HeizkostenV relates to heating and hot water. Cold water consumption does not have to be communicated monthly.
Who bears the costs of the UVI?
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.
What happens if the UVI is missing?
If the consumption information is not provided despite the obligation, the user may reduce their share of the heating costs by 3 per cent (§ 12 Abs. 1 HeizkostenV). This reduction right does not apply between the individual flat owner and the owners’ association.
Are the values in the UVI binding?
No. The UVI shows consumption values, not costs. Only the annual statement is binding, because the costs of the building and the consumption of all users are only known at the end of the billing period.