Networked electricity meters: consumers now have a right to a smart meter

Since January 1, consumers in Germany have been entitled to a networked electricity meter for the first time. They can demand that their local electricity grid operator install a smart meter within four months if this is technically possible. The grid operator may charge a one-off fee of 30 euros for the installation – as stipulated by the Metering Point Operation Act.

The fact that the so-called “Right to Smart Meters” is now in force in this form is also due to the end of the traffic light government. It actually wanted to weaken the law shortly before it came into force: Network operators were to be allowed to refuse installation under further conditions. On top of this, the fee was to rise from 30 to 100 euros, which was criticized by the Federal Association of Consumer Advice Centres, among others. However, the draft bill with the amendments (PDF) was not passed by the Bundestag before Christmas.

For consumers who are interested in a smart meter, the opportunity is therefore just right. It is conceivable that the changes planned by the traffic light could still be passed in the future.

Providers of dynamic electricity tariffs such as Tibber, Octopus Energy and Rabot Charge, among others, had campaigned for the right to smart meters. They often apply for smart meters for their customers from the local grid operator, which is usually also the metering point operator. The technology is typically the prerequisite for the actual electricity consumption to be billed dynamically at the exchange price.

Rabot Energy wants to use smart meter law “at full speed”

Smaller electricity grid operators in particular have struggled to date with the installation of smart meters, reported Konrad Schade, Chief Commercial Officer at Rabot Energy, in an interview with c't. “There is often no web portal for customers to apply for a smart meter. Often, interested parties also have to wait months for the installation or the network operators claim that the installation is not technically possible.” The new right to smart meters will now be used “at full speed”, announced Rabot Energy.

Rabot Energy has joined forces with its competitors Ostrom, Tibber and Octobus to form a “smart meter initiative”. This is now also supported by other providers such as Sonnen and 1Komma5°. The Smart Meter Initiative estimates that only two percent of households in Germany are currently equipped with a smart meter.

On January 1, not only did the “right to smart meters” come into force for consumers, but a rollout obligation also began at the same time: Grid operators must equip households that consume more than 6000 kilowatt-hours per year or operate a solar system with at least 7 kilowatts of installed capacity with a smart meter. However, only 20 percent of these cases must be equipped with a smart meter by the end of 2025.

(cwo)