Czech apartment buildings sharing electricity must register with EDC by year-end

Apartment buildings whose residents share self-generated electricity must newly register with the Electricity Data Centre (EDC) by the end of the year. The Czech Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ) pointed this out today. Since the beginning of last year, buildings have been able to distribute electricity generated, for example, by a solar power plant on their roofs among individual households. Since this August, people interested in sharing energy have also been able to form energy communities.

According to ERÚ data, 154 groups of neighbours have made use of sharing in apartment buildings over the past year and a half. However, if they want to continue sharing electricity next year, they must register with the newly established EDC by the end of the year. When registering with the data centre, they must choose a group administrator and update, in particular, the allocation key used to distribute electricity among individual households, ERÚ said.

„For residents of apartment buildings, the most advantageous arrangement is sharing behind a single building switchboard, typically among apartments and non-residential spaces served by one entrance to the building. In that case, they do not use the distribution system, and therefore save not only on the commercial component of the price but also on regulated charges based on electricity consumption,“ explained ERÚ Council member Martina Krčová.

The office also noted that participants who do not use the distribution system can operate under a special regime: up to a thousand customers, or apartments, can share electricity without setting up an energy community. By contrast, an energy community is required when the distribution system is used and there are more than 11 delivery points.

Before registering an energy community or a renewable energy community with EDC, it must first be registered with ERÚ. According to the office, this requirement would apply to apartment buildings only if multiple entrances to the building were involved in sharing. Under the current model, however, this is generally not very advantageous, as the savings on regulated charges would not apply in that case.

„Not just anyone can register an energy community. The law limits the legal entities that can do so to associations, cooperatives or other corporations with similar internal arrangements. Homeowners’ associations (SVJ) cannot, by their nature, meet this requirement. If they want to share electricity across multiple entrances, they therefore need to set up an association and then apply to register it as an energy community. The legal requirements are also very difficult for housing cooperatives to meet, so we generally advise them to set up an association as well,“ noted ERÚ Council member Markéta Zemanová.

The creation of community energy in Czechia was introduced by last year’s amendment to the Energy Act. Energy communities can share locally generated electricity through the distribution grid. The amendment also allows self-generated electricity to be shared at another delivery point, for example, from a holiday cottage to an apartment. Interested parties have been able to register with EDC since August.