January 19, 2022
◼ Solar electric hot water in apartment buildings?
How a solar-electric hot water supply is possible in apartment buildings and without the landlord becoming the electricity provider.
Again and again we receive questions like this: Is it permissible for a landlord, as the operator of the photovoltaic system on the roof, to use solar power to operate electric heating elements in the apartments? Does the landlord then become an electricity supplier? Does he have to implement a tenant electricity project as an alternative? What does the law say about this?
The short answer is: Yes, it is possible!
my-PV hot water concept beneficial for landlords and tenants
Our concept involves installing a heat storage tank in each residential unit to provide hot water. The water in the storage tank is heated by an electric heating element, which is supplied to the greatest possible extent directly by the photovoltaic system on the roof. This can be done either directly, by allocating a portion of the solar system to each apartment, or indirectly, by supplying the electricity from the entire photovoltaic system to the heating elements in the apartments via power controllers.
The Clearing House EEG and the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi) in Germany agree that it is possible to implement such a concept without the landlord becoming the electricity supplier.
Electric heating elements consume general electricity
The final consumer in this concept is the landlord himself, because he covers the general electricity consumption with the solar electricity. This includes not only the operation of the house lighting and elevator, but also those consumptions in the individual residential units that cannot be controlled by the residents. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that tenants must not be able to use the solar power to operate any electrical device other than the electric heater.
The Clearing House has also pointed out criteria that landlords can use to prove they are indeed the ultimate consumer. By the way, you can find this and other helpful information at the following link from our partner Solar Age.
Would you like to learn more? Sign up for one of our webinars and ask questions that particularly interest you!
By the way, you can also find a collected and detailed report about the possibilities of a solar electric hot water supply on our website (only in German).