[Press release] Cologne-based metering point operator and provider of dynamic electricity tariffs SpotmyEnergy will enable its customers to take advantage of the dynamic grid fees introduced by distribution network operators in Germany for the first time on April 1, 2025. What makes this special is that control is handled via the smart meter gateway and an integrated CLS energy management system using the new EEBUS industry standard.
From April 1, 2025, Cologne-based metering point operator and provider of dynamic electricity tariffs SpotmyEnergy will enable its customers to take advantage of the dynamic grid fees introduced by distribution network operators in Germany for the first time. What makes this special is that control is handled via the smart meter gateway and an integrated CLS energy management system using the new EEBUS industry standard.
If a customer shifts part of their electricity consumption—for example, when charging an electric car or a home storage unit—to time slots when the electricity price on the spot exchange is low, they will not only benefit from reduced energy costs for the electricity consumed, but also from reduced grid fees in accordance with Section 14a of the amended Energy Industry Act (EnWG).
A sample calculation based on actual consumption data shows that a customer who drives 15,000 km per year can save around €400 per year by switching to a dynamic electricity tariff. The introduction of dynamic grid fees and targeted load shifting when charging an electric car result in additional savings potential. For example, in the E.DIS AG grid, where a lot of wind energy ensures low nighttime prices, an additional €140 per year can be saved.
The processing of data signals into time-variable grid fees, which will be announced by German grid operators on October 15, 2024, is carried out via the energy management system and the smart meter gateway. The energy management system with integrated control box function, which SpotmyEnergy uses to control and optimize the various consumption units in the household, does not communicate separately with a cloud via an additional WAN connection, but directly with the smart meter gateway. This receives the current prices on the electricity exchange and the current level of grid fees. The use of the BSI-compliant communication standards LPC, MPC, and TOUT for uniform communication with the systems in the property, all of which are based on developments from the EEBUS initiative, ensures the highest possible level of data security currently available.
The elimination of a separate control box and WAN connection not only increases the system's resilience to potential cyber attacks, but also allows for greater independence in the choice of electricity supplier, as the customer is no longer tied to the technical cloud infrastructure of a specific energy management system provider. In addition, there are no costs or installation of a separate communication line for controlling the connected consumption units such as heat pumps, home storage systems, or electric cars.
The technical feasibility of Consolinno's one-box solution has already been demonstrated today with partners SpotmyEnergy and EEBUS and presented to industry experts at the EEBUS Summit 2024.
Consolinno Energy develops system services for the decentralized energy transition, including the Leaflet HEMS energy management system used in the test setup to control local plants. The system optimizes P-Lim (§14a EnWG) and tariffs across providers and manufacturers and enables flexible, local control that adapts to regulatory requirements.
The EEBUS standard plays a central role in communication between the devices involved and the control of consumption units from different manufacturers. With regard to dynamic grid fees, the standard also supports the time-of-use tariff (TOUT) application, in which price tables are securely transmitted to the property via the WAN interface and forwarded to the energy management system.
The intelligent control of systems based on dynamic tariffs and grid fees is a key factor in the ongoing transformation of the electricity grid towards the complete utilization of renewable energies.
Georg Gaiser, Vice President of Product at SpotmyEnergy, sees the advantage of the technical solution for both customers and the grid:
Time-variable grid usage fees not only enable cost savings for customers, but also improve the integration of fluctuating electricity generation from photovoltaics and wind power at the distribution grid level. This is because time-variable grid fees increase the incentive for load shifting that already exists with dynamic tariffs based on current spot market prices. In the future, hundreds of thousands of connected electric cars, heat pumps, and home storage systems could relieve the distribution grid like a giant battery if they are intelligently controlled. With the one-box solution presented, we and our partners have shown that technical and scalable implementation is possible and can now be rolled out."