Do you own a multi-family building and want to sell the solar power from your roof to your tenants? That’s allowed, and it can pay off for both sides. Tenants get cheaper electricity, and you sell your solar power for more than feed-in brings. However, it makes you an electricity supplier, with obligations around contracts, prices and billing. Here you’ll learn which options exist, which rules apply and how to proceed step by step.<\/p>\n
Planning a PV system on your rental property? Request your free, no-obligation quote now<\/a>.<\/p>\n You operate the system yourself and supply residents with electricity: solar power from the roof and, when the sun isn’t enough, residual power from the grid. You sign an electricity supply contract with each participating tenant. You have full control and the highest revenue, but also the most effort: sourcing residual power, billing, invoices and the legal obligations of an electricity supplier.<\/p>\n A specialist tenant electricity provider, often a municipal utility, handles the electricity supply, metering concept and billing. Depending on the model, they operate the system themselves and pay you roof rent, or you remain the operator and they only handle the supply. This greatly reduces your effort, but you share the revenue.<\/p>\n Since the Solar Package I, there’s a simpler alternative (Section 42b of the German Energy Industry Act, EnWG). You provide residents with solar power according to an agreed allocation key, and residents keep buying residual power from their own supplier, so you don’t have to provide a full supply. There’s no tenant electricity surcharge for this model, and smart metering systems are needed for billing.<\/p>\n You’ll find an overview of all the models, including communal electricity and full feed-in, under solar for multi-family buildings<\/a>.<\/p>\nThree Ways to Sell Solar Power to Tenants<\/h2>\n
1. Tenant Electricity Run by You<\/h3>\n
2. Tenant Electricity with a Service Provider<\/h3>\n
3. Shared Building Supply<\/h3>\n
The Models Compared<\/h2>\n
| <\/th>\n | Tenant electricity (Section 42a EnWG)<\/th>\n | Shared building supply (Section 42b EnWG)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|
| Residual power<\/td>\n | supplied by you as the landlord (full supply)<\/td>\n | bought by residents from their own supplier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Price<\/td>\n | at most 90% of the basic supply tariff<\/td>\n | freely agreed in the building electricity use contract<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tenant electricity surcharge<\/td>\n | yes, for solar power supplied in the building<\/td>\n | no<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Metering<\/td>\n | metering concept agreed with the grid operator<\/td>\n | quarter-hourly metering, i.e. smart metering systems<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Effort<\/td>\n | high, obligations of an electricity supplier<\/td>\n | much lower<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Suits<\/td>\n | larger buildings or with a service provider<\/td>\n | smaller multi-family buildings and owners’ associations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n In owners’ associations (WEG), the building electricity use contract under Section 42b EnWG can be replaced by a resolution of the owners. Shared building supply is also not limited to residential buildings and works for commercial properties with several tenants.<\/p>\n Energy Sharing: Sharing Solar Power via the Grid<\/h3>\nSince mid-2026, Section 42c EnWG has allowed energy sharing. It lets you share solar power with neighbours or other buildings via the public grid, even across property boundaries. Because the public grid is used, grid fees and levies still apply, and there is no dedicated funding. For power consumed in the same building, tenant electricity or shared building supply is therefore usually more economical.<\/p>\n Which Rules Apply to Tenant Electricity?<\/h2>\nThe key requirements are set out in Section 42a EnWG:<\/p>\n
|