Germany’s multi-family housing sector has a large amount of unused potential for rooftop solar power. Many apartment buildings do not yet have photovoltaic systems, while property owners and residents can face regulatory, technical and administrative hurdles when trying to use locally generated electricity. VREY works within this gap by providing the metering, billing and project services needed to distribute solar power within residential buildings.

VREY is an energy technology company that develops energy supply solutions for multi-family buildings. It works with property owners, homeowners’ associations, cooperatives and solar installation partners. The company provides smart metering, billing, project planning and services for communal building energy systems.

Solar Power Within the Building

VERY’s Community Building Supply model, known in Germany as Gemeinschaftliche Gebäudeversorgung (GGV), allows solar electricity generated on a shared residential roof to be supplied to participating tenants or owners. Residents can use electricity generated by the building's photovoltaic system while obtaining any remaining electricity from an energy supplier of their choice.

This structure differs from traditional tenant electricity models because the building does not have to provide a full electricity supply. Solar power is supplied locally, while residents keep their existing contracts for electricity they need beyond the building's solar generation. The arrangement can give property owners an additional source of income while allowing residents to purchase locally generated solar electricity at a lower price.

Metering and Billing for Multi-Family Buildings

Smart metering is an important part of communal building energy supply. VREY provides metering technology and billing software that measure and allocate electricity generated by the photovoltaic system. The company also acts as a billing partner and metering point operator, handling communication with the network operator during operation.

The system is designed to work without major changes to the building's existing infrastructure. VREY says its measurement technology can cost less than €200 per residential unit, avoiding the need for more expensive transformer measurement in applicable projects. Smart meters also prepare buildings for developments such as dynamic electricity tariffs, heat pumps and bidirectional electric vehicle charging.

Solutions for Owners and Cooperatives

For property owners, communal building supply can create additional income from electricity generated on the roof while giving tenants access to locally produced solar power. A typical example presented by VREY involves a nine-unit residential building with a 29.7 kWp photovoltaic system and 20 kWh of storage. The example shows €5,100 in additional annual income and an increase of €71,337 in property value, based on the assumptions in the company's calculation.

Homeowners’ associations can use a similar structure to reduce electricity costs for participating owners. Solar electricity generated on the shared roof is first allocated to participating units, while surplus electricity can be fed into the public grid. VREY also works with cooperatives, allowing members and tenants to use solar electricity produced by their residential buildings without requiring the cooperative to act as a full electricity supplier.

Connecting Solar Installers with Building Owners

VREY also works with solar installation companies that want to enter the multi-family housing market. Under the partnership structure, the installation company builds the photovoltaic system and, where applicable, the battery storage system. VREY provides the smart meters, billing software, and project planning needed for communal building supply.

The company also handles communication with the network operator and billing during operation. Property managers can access automated billing information and electricity production data through the VREY.app, while also helping with contract discussions and resident communication. Through this structure, VREY provides the energy and administrative infrastructure around shared solar projects, allowing different parties involved in a multi-family building to participate without each having to manage the entire electricity supply process.

ABOUT | JULIUS PAHMEIER

Julius Pahmeier, co-founder, is the CEO of VREY, a Berlin-based energy technology company developing solar and energy solutions for multi-family buildings. He brings experience in strategy consulting, solar energy, and sustainable building solutions to his role at VREY.

Pahmeier is a TÜV-certified specialist in photovoltaic and storage technology. He holds three master's degrees, including a Master of Management from Cornell University and a master's degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Esade. Before founding VREY, he worked in strategy consulting at Roland Berger.

At VREY, Pahmeier works on solutions that allow owners of multi-family buildings to generate and use solar power on-site. He has also been involved in the company's expansion of communal building supply, smart metering, and software for solar power billing.