Electricity and heat from a mini power plant in your own home? An in-house, low-cost electricity tariff? What sounds like the distant future to most people is already a reality for tenants of the new-build apartments in Joachimstrasse in Köpenick. In order to ensure a cost-effective, climate-friendly and intelligent energy supply, the owner degewo has installed a combined heat and power plant (CHP) and remotely readable electricity meters, so-called smart meters, in a residential building for the first time. The project partner is the energy service provider GETEC ENERGIE, which is responsible for electricity supply, energy data management and billing. The joint pilot project is now evaluating experiences with the new technology and its use by tenants.

The newly built apartment buildings at Joachimstrasse 8 in Köpenick are supplied with a natural gas CHP unit that produces both heat and electricity and is highly efficient. The use of this technology is nothing new for Berlin's leading housing company. In recent years, several large plants have been built in Mariengrün and Köpenick, among others. What is new, however, is that degewo and GETEC ENERGIE are offering tenants in Joachimstrasse their own in-house electricity tariff. Customers can find out about their individual consumption at any time in a protected area on the Internet.

In addition, the company subsidiary degewo Wärme GmbH has installed such a mini power plant directly in a residential building for the first time and operates the system by means of remote monitoring. "Our aim is to try out new possibilities and approaches. This is the only way we can improve the service for our tenants," says Ulrich Jursch, Managing Director of degewo Wärme GmbH. The CHP unit in our own building creates a low-cost and, above all, environmentally friendly alternative to the large energy networks. "Our tenants can save money and do something for the environment at the same time," says Jursch.

In addition to the rental agreement, tenants have the option of concluding an electricity supply contract with GETEC ENERGIE. The offer is worthwhile for tenants, as the tariff for "home-made electricity" is cheaper than the tariff of the local basic supplier. Depending on household size and consumption, savings of up to 100 euros per year are possible. Tenants are completely free to choose whether they want to obtain their electricity from their own CHP unit. "Thanks to the decentralized supply solution from the in-house CHP unit, tenants make an active contribution to the energy transition and reduce their electricity costs at the same time. The tenants know where their electricity and heat come from and that the energy is generated efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way," says Moritz Matthies, Head of Business Development at GETEC ENERGIE.

This is particularly practical for tenants: They can keep an eye on their consumption at all times via an internet portal. This is made possible by so-called "smart meters", which read the electricity meters electronically from a distance. "The system automatically reads the electricity meters and then transmits the values to the portal," explains Jursch. The specific project is also a pilot in that GETEC ENERGIE's services are standardized and energy data management is fully automated, adds Matthies.

Unlike electricity production in large power plants, there is no need to travel long distances via public grids when using a CHP unit, as it is located on site. The heat generated is not lost, but can be used directly in the connected house. In addition to the advantages mentioned above, the environmentally friendly energy supply model in Joachimstrasse provides for the unused electricity to be fed into the Berlin grid.

degewo is the leading housing company in Berlin. With around 75,000 apartments under management and around 1,200 employees, we are one of the largest and most efficient housing companies in Germany. Our properties are located in all districts of Berlin and we are constantly improving our services to meet the diverse needs of our customers. As a municipal housing company, we take responsibility for the city of Berlin and its people.

GETEC ENERGIE AG is an independent, internationally oriented energy services company headquartered in Hanover. GETEC ENERGIE AG develops individual and needs-based energy concepts for its customers. As a member of the GETEC Group, it currently employs almost 235 people together with its subsidiaries and associated companies and generates annual sales of around 460 million euros.