Billing rates within the RCP context

Nicolas Vodoz Updated by Nicolas Vodoz

As part of an RCP, the Owner (or the PPE) becomes the electricity supplier for the building's residents, assuming the responsibilities usually assigned to the Distribution system operator (DSO). This includes investment, energy supply, installation maintenance, as well as consumption metering and billing services.

Article 16 of the Energy Ordinance (OEne) specifies how to calculate the prices charged to consumers. The objective is to ensure a return on the investments made by the owner while protecting tenants from potential abuses. Within a PPE, co-owners are free to apply the tariffs they choose.

Here are the 4 cost elements to consider in pricing:

1. Grid (standard) electricity

The costs of electricity withdrawn from the grid include all items billed by the DSO to the RCP: energy, grid usage, taxes, and the subscription for the input meter.

These costs are re-billed to consumers identically, without a margin for the owner.

However, in the case of a microgrid where several buildings are connected to the same grid connection point, the owner establishes a tariff to cover investments as well as maintenance costs related to the connection of the buildings (cabling, transformers, etc.). In this case, the price charged to consumers is determined according to the actual cost method for solar electricity, as explained below.

2. Solar electricity

The costs of internally produced electricity are covered by the sale of photovoltaic electricity to consumers and by the resale of the injected surplus to the DSO. Regulations offer two methods for setting the tariff for solar electricity sold to consumer members of the RCP:

  1. The flat rate: The tariff is a maximum of 80% of the standard electricity tariff (without the concept of peak / off-peak hours) of the DSO, which the consumer would pay if they were not a member of the RCP. In this case, the tariff does not need to be justified to the tenants.
  2. Actual costs: The tariff is calculated from the actual production costs of electricity after deducting the revenue from the sale of the surplus. If the calculated tariff is lower than the standard product tariff, the difference is shared between the owner and the tenant. If the calculated price is higher than the standard tariff, the tariff must be equal to the standard tariff, as the owner is not allowed to charge more.

Actual costs include:

  • Amortization of relevant investments (photovoltaic panels, inverters, cabling to the electrical panel, installation costs, including mounting and scaffolding)
  • Interest on amortization, calculated according to the production WACC (weighted average cost of capital) (set at 3.98% for 2025)
  • Operating and maintenance costs (maintenance, repair and replacement of the installation, control and monitoring of the installation, periodic maintenance, OIBT inspections, cleaning of the installation, administrative fees, etc.)

Climkit recommends the flat rate method for obvious simplification reasons. Once this method is selected by the owner, Climkit updates the Solar tariff every year based on changes in local DSO tariffs.

3. Administrative fees

Administrative fees include all costs related to RCP management, such as meter reading and data transmission, preparation of statements, consumer billing, and collection processing, as well as payment of the grid withdrawal invoice.

With a provider like Climkit, the administrative costs for metering and billing are billed directly to consumers. Climkit offers meter reading and the generation of statements (3.50 CHF/month) and, optionally, billing and collections (6.50 CHF/month). See the details of Climkit services for more information.

4. Meter subscription

When the owner finances the meters, these investments must be treated like those of the production facilities. The lifespan of electronic meters is 10 to 15 years. The annual costs of the meters are calculated via a constant annuity over the amortization period, to which the interest defined by the production WACC is added.

If the installation of a meter costs between 200 and 250 CHF for a lifespan of 10 years and 4% interest is added, the owner can collect a "meter subscription" of 2.00 to 2.50 CHF per month and per meter from consumers. Consequently, the purchase of meters by the owner does not increase costs, but rather their investment, without altering their return.

Climkit offers, in its billing service, to directly collect the meter subscription from consumers on behalf of the owner.

See Billing rates

References:

  • Energy Ordinance (OEne) of 01/02/2024
  • Self-consumption of electricity, David Sifonios, Propriétaires Services SA editions, 2023.

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