How to Set Up an Energy Community
We’ll guide you through each step to successfully establish an energy community!
Starting an energy community isn’t an instant process, but with our help, it’s simpler than you might expect. You’ll need to be patient, as it typically takes at least two months from registering on our platform to fully running your community. This timeframe covers setting up legal structures and finalizing contracts with network operators.
Here’s how we’ll guide you through the process:
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Starting Points
Before starting the founding process, you should address the following questions:
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Who will participate, and where are the participants located?
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Are there existing generation facilities to include in the community, or are joint investments planned?
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Do all potential participants have smart meters installed?
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Do the generation and consumption patterns of the participants align?
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Do all participants have access to their network operator’s customer portal? To speed up the process after founding the energy community, we recommend that all participants set up access to their network operator’s customer portal from the beginning. Note that the network operator is not the electricity supplier!
Next you need to determine the type of the energy community: In Austria, there are four different types of energy communities. When deciding which type to set up, consider the following criteria:
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Location of Participants: GEAs and local and regional EEGs are geographically limited, meaning only participants from a specific area can join.
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Desired Savings on Network Costs: Depending on the type of energy community, you may be able to reduce network costs. For an overview, check here.
Additionally, consider the following points:
Electricity Pricing: How should the electricity price be structured?
Distribution Method: Will the electricity be distributed statically or dynamically within the community?
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Choose the type of the energy community
Creating the Legal Entity
Next, you’ll establish and formalize the legal structure, typically as an association (Verein) or a cooperative (Genossenschaft).
For GEAs, a specific legal entity is not required; only a "Founding and Operating Agreement" is needed.
When choosing the organizational form, consider the following:
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Founding Effort
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Costs
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Number of Participants
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Member Flexibility (Joining and Leaving)
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Liability Issues
For a comprehensive overview of the different legal forms and their advantages and disadvantages, refer to the "Legal Forms" brochure from the Austrian Coordination Office for Energy Communities.​
On our platform, "efy," we make founding an association or cooperative as easy as possible. Automatically filled forms are sent to the relevant authorities, and our "Builder" tool assists with drafting the statutes.
Next, you need to apply for a Market Partner ID for your energy community. This step is done through ebUtilities, not on our platform.
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Energy communities are official market partners in the energy sector, alongside network operators, energy suppliers, and service providers. Therefore, it's essential to register your energy community as a market partner on ebUtilities. Each energy community will receive a unique Market Partner ID, which is necessary for contract agreements with the network operator and for energy data exchange (EDA).
Register as a Market Partner
Drafting Contracts
By finalizing the contract with the network operator, your energy community is officially registered. There are two key components:
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Agreement Between the Energy Community and the Network Operator: This outlines the terms for grid access and the integration of generated electricity.
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Supplementary Agreement to Existing Grid Access Contracts: This is essential for transmitting individual generation and consumption data from the network operator to the energy community. This agreement must be completed through the network operator’s customer portal.​
Important: Each participant must confirm the supplementary agreement in the network operator’s customer portal. The exact steps for registration and completing the supplementary agreement may vary by network operator. For more information, click here.
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On our platform, "efy," you can send all necessary data and documents to the network operator with just one click to request the contract for operating the energy community.
In the final step, you’ll connect to market communication. This allows your energy community to participate in energy data exchange and handle tasks such as registering new measurement points.
Additionally, this connection provides information on the amount of energy generated within the community and how it’s allocated to individual consumers. This data is crucial for billing purposes.
At "energyfamily," we manage the market communication connection for you. A single click on our checklist initiates the process in the background.