Bergler guides · Apartment buildings · May 2026
Apartment buildings 2026 — passing electricity to tenants, mobility and heat
If you own, administer or co-own a multi-family building, energy is not just about the PV system. You need to decide how to pass electricity on to tenants (ZEV, vZEV, LEG, Praxismodell), how to organise tenant EV wallboxes in the underground parking, and what heating replacement realistically looks like in a multi-family building. This page covers the essentials. Legal references remain German originals.
The four marketing models at a glance
ZEV, vZEV, LEG and Praxismodell differ legally, technically and in tariff regime. Pick the one that fits your setup.
ZEV
Self-consumption association (since 2018)
Behind a single grid connection point, typically a multi-family building. ZEV-internal tariff capped at 80 % of the utility's standard product. Governed by Energy Act (EnG).
lokalerstrom.ch/betriebsmodelle/zevvZEV
Virtual self-consumption association (since 2025)
Across multiple connections, all participants at the same coupling point (same distribution cabinet or transformer station). Uses the grid operator's smart meters — no private metering required. Governed by Energy Act (EnG).
lokalerstrom.ch/betriebsmodelle/vzevLEG
Local electricity community (from 2026)
Within a single municipality, up to grid level 5, same grid operator. Tariff freely agreed between participants. Reduced grid usage fees (40 % discount, 20 % at transformer grid level). LEG participants remain end-customers of the grid operator. Governed by StromVG.
lokalerstrom.ch/betriebsmodelle/legPraxismodell
Grid-operator billing solution
The grid operator offers billing as a service. Participants remain customers of the grid operator. Governed by ElCom's «Praxismodell Eigenverbrauch» bulletin. Check availability with your local grid operator.
Comprehensive neutral information, sample-contract downloads, and a directory of billing providers are available on the official platform lokalerstrom.ch (joint initiative by EnergieSchweiz, VSE and Swissolar).
What changes in 2026?
The omnibus law and revised Energy Ordinance bring three major innovations directly affecting apartment-building setups.
vZEV is newly anchored in law
The virtual self-consumption association (vZEV) is explicitly regulated in the Energy Ordinance (Art. 16 EnV) since 1.1.2026. Self-consumption can now be settled across multiple connections at the same coupling point (distribution cabinet, transformer station) — no private metering needed, the grid operator's smart meter suffices.
Grid operator obliged to offer a measurement tariff
With the vZEV rules in force, the grid operator must offer a standardised measurement tariff for vZEV setups. This removes the previously common hurdle of tariff negotiation — the grid operator may no longer charge arbitrarily high rates.
LEG extended to neighbourhood and municipal level
The Local Electricity Community (LEG) allows electricity trade within a municipality up to grid level 5, with reduced grid-usage charge (40 % discount, 20 % at transformer grid level) since 1.1.2026. Tariffs between participants are freely negotiable — participants remain end customers of the grid operator.
Practice — what to consider before deciding
Three questions that regularly come up in apartment-building advisory practice.
Condominium (Stockwerkeigentum)
For condominiums, an owners' assembly resolution is needed to join a ZEV/vZEV/LEG — usually with qualified majority per regulations. Clarify legal form and ownership early, otherwise a technically finished project hangs on a single vote.
Tenant tariff
Under ZEV: tenant tariff capped at 80 % of the supplier's standard product (EnG, Art. 17a). The incentive for tenants is clear. vZEV has the same cap. For LEG, tariffs are freely negotiable — which makes the models more responsive to consumption patterns.
Entry and exit rights
Tenants in a ZEV/vZEV generally have no free supplier choice while below the 100,000 kWh/year free-market threshold — joining is part of the property. Early, transparent communication at contract start avoids conflicts.
Tenant wallboxes in the underground parking
As soon as the first tenants drive an EV, charging infrastructure becomes strategic. Bergler recommends a unified plan over piecemeal installations.
Tenant wallboxes in the underground parking
- Install a load-management system (LMS) before the second wallbox is mounted — otherwise concentrated charging load overwhelms the building connection.
- Automate per-tenant billing via the LMS (kWh readout, monthly invoice) — eliminates manual lists and disputes.
- Scalable infrastructure: size the underground distribution so future wallboxes can be added without upgrading the building connection.
- Self-consumption coupling with PV: if the property has PV, the LMS can prioritise charging when PV produces — optimising the ZEV tariff.
- Pre-wiring obligation: some cantons require new apartment buildings to include wallbox pre-installation (conduits, connection) — check cantonal rules.
Practical note
Retrofitted LMS is significantly more expensive than pre-installed. Every PV plan for an apartment building should at least sketch the charging concept — even if the first wallbox is two years away.
Heating replacement in apartment buildings
Oil heating is being phased out by 2030 in many cantons. Three pathways are realistic for apartment buildings.
Heating replacement in apartment buildings
- Central brine-water heat pump with borehole field: high upfront cost, highest efficiency (SCOP 4.5–5.5), suits well-insulated buildings. Boreholes need permits and space.
- Central air-water heat pump with inverter: significantly lower upfront cost, moderate efficiency (SCOP 3.0–4.0). Placement (sound, distance to neighbouring property) is critical.
- Apartment-level heat pumps: one unit per flat, sensible for very heterogeneous floor plans or strongly varying heat demand. Higher total cost, no central distribution riser.
- District heating / anergy network: in larger developments or neighbourhoods — the property becomes heat consumer rather than producer.
FAQ — apartment-building setup
Do I need a ZEV or is a vZEV enough?
ZEV requires a physically connected grid connection point (typical: one apartment building on one connection). If your project covers a single building, ZEV is simpler. vZEV applies when multiple connections are involved (e.g. multiple buildings of the same owner at the same coupling point) — no private metering needed, the grid operator's smart meter suffices.
Source: Art. 17a EnG (ZEV); Art. 16 EnV (vZEV)
Is LEG useful for a single apartment building?
Mostly no. LEG is designed for neighbourhood and municipal level and unfolds its value (reduced grid-usage charge) only with multiple properties. A single building is more pragmatic under ZEV or vZEV.
Source: Art. 17–17b StromVG; lokalerstrom.ch
Can a tenant object to the ZEV?
Existing tenants must consent — ZEV inclusion cannot proceed without their agreement. New rental contracts can specify ZEV inclusion as standard. Importantly: tenants retain the right to switch to the grid operator's standard supply if the ZEV is dissolved or they exceed the free-market threshold.
Source: Art. 17a para. 4 EnG
What does the grid operator's measurement tariff cost under vZEV?
Since the vZEV regime came into force, the grid operator must offer a measurement tariff — the amount is capped by ElCom rules and is transparent. In practice, costs are significantly below the previously common private metering solutions. Concrete tariffs are to be requested from the local grid operator.
Source: Art. 16 EnV; ElCom communications
Is Praxismodell an alternative for my apartment building?
Praxismodell is an ElCom concept for bundling small producers without formal ZEV/LEG structure. It can be useful when the formal ZEV setup seems too involved or participants want short-term flexibility. However: grid operators are not obliged to offer Praxismodell — talk to the local grid operator first.
Source: ElCom — Praxismodell communication, newsletter 12/2025
How does the ZEV tariff react to the hourly spot price from 1.7.2026?
Internal ZEV tariffs remain decoupled — they may not exceed 80 % of the grid operator's standard product. If the spot price becomes more volatile, the standard product itself may shift, which indirectly affects the ZEV tariff. Direct spot-market coupling of the tenant tariff is not foreseen under current law.
Source: Art. 17a EnG; UVEK consultation 16.9.2025
For homeowners (single/two-family)
Residential guide
If you own a single- or two-family home: compensation calculator, minimum-compensation schema, storage simulator and self-consumption.
For SMEs, workshops, halls
Commercial & industrial
Cut electricity costs through self-consumption, peak-shaving storage, employee wallboxes and e-fleets — including electric trucks.
Live electricity prices and market mechanics
Swiss electricity market 2026
Hourly day-ahead prices — plus explainer on negative spot prices and legal classification.
Authoritative sources
Only official state sources. The decisive texts are the laws and ordinances currently in force on fedlex.admin.ch.
Legal basis
- Energy Act (EnG, SR 730.0), Art. 17a (ZEV)
- Energy Ordinance (EnV, SR 730.01), Art. 16 (vZEV, effective 1.1.2026)
- Electricity Supply Act (StromVG, SR 734.7), Art. 17–17b (LEG)
- Omnibus law (Mantelerlass), referendum 9.6.2024, staged entry into force from 1.1.2025
- ElCom — Praxismodell communication (newsletter 12/2025)
Information as of: May 2026. This information does not replace individual technical or legal advice.
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