Everything for metering point operation from a single source

Neugemacht presents end-to-end smart metering solutions for municipal utilities, property operators and solution providers.

neugemacht GmbH , founded by Gridspertise and Cuculus in November 2023, will be presenting its newly created range of solutions for the development of integrated smart metering infrastructures from a single source at E-world (Hall 2, Stand D112). The added value of bundling all solution modules required for basic and competitive metering point operation under one roof enables the rapid rollout of fully end-to-end integrated and comprehensively function-validated smart metering solutions. Target customers include municipal utilities, property operators and solution providers in the energy industry who require holistic solutions for metering point operation from a single source, which neugemacht provides as a service or optionally rolls out as part of individual framework agreements and ensures their availability during ongoing operations. Providers can thus concentrate on developing new offerings, for example to offer new dynamic tariffs to industrial, commercial and private consumers. The offer ranges from the: – equipping buildings, energy generators and consumers with smart meters and smart meter gateways (SMGW),
– creating a grid-oriented, controllable bidirectional smart metering network and IT infrastructure, and
– highly differentiated smart meter data management (MDM) solutions including aEMT integration and end customer portal, as well as
– integrating these into existing business IT infrastructures. The company undertakes installations for individual residential quarters of property operators as well as complete rollouts for municipal utilities and solution providers.

Municipal utilities and municipal energy suppliers

It is important for municipal or urban energy supply companies to achieve the government’s rollout targets for smart metering in accordance with Section 45 MsbG – by the end of 2028 (20 %), the end of 2030 (50 %) and the end of 2032 (95 %). However, most smart metering providers only provide individual components of an end-2-end solution, meaning that small and medium-sized municipal utilities and local energy suppliers in particular have had to invest too much effort, expertise and time in the individual configuration of their smart metering architecture – especially when it comes to integrating active external market participants (eAMT). Neugemacht GmbH resolves this complexity by providing complete end-to-end solutions for metering point operation with all elements and function modules – for example for dynamic tariffs – which makes the rollout of comprehensively integrated smart metering points much easier.

Property operator

Property operators are also among neugemacht GmbH’s target customers. Since the 2021 amendment to the EEG, they can now sell the electricity they generate from photovoltaic systems to tenants themselves. The difference between the feed-in tariff and the basic supply tariff of the local energy supply company (less 10% in accordance with Section 42a) can thus significantly accelerate the amortization of investments in renewable energies. Investments in the construction industry are now also much more profitable again, as tenants’ energy consumption can now contribute to the improved earnings situation in addition to the rent for a building: On average, tenants pay around EUR 0.91 in electricity costs [1] and EUR 1.67 for heating based on an average rent of EUR 10.09 per square meter [2]. This means that even without a heat pump, electricity costs account for 0.9% of the rent. The higher the proportion of self-generated energy sold to tenants, the higher the return on a property can be. The average rental yield in major cities is only between 2 and 3 percent [3] – both for existing apartments and for new-build apartments. An increase in yield of around 0.25 percentage points in relation to the rental yield (or around 15 % [4] in relation to the yield from photovoltaic systems) therefore appears possible, taking into account subsidies and previous amortization calculations.

Manufacturer and solution provider

Manufacturers and solution providers of heat pumps, photovoltaic systems or wallboxes and charging stations must design their systems to be remotely controllable in accordance with Section 14a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG). This obligation also offers new opportunities: secure and highly available access via the metering point infrastructure can replace the less reliable communication infrastructures of building users. Connectivity and controllability also offer the option of providing numerous new services, from predictive maintenance to the provision of solutions as-a-service, including metering point services. Even electric storage heaters could experience a renaissance thanks to the intelligent control algorithms gained through connectivity. Washing machine manufacturers could also sell the electricity for their machines and thus offer machine washing as a service without investment costs for the user. The same naturally also applies to e-mobility providers.

Customized solution packages

Neugemacht offers customized solution packages for all these different application scenarios for municipal utilities, property operators and solution providers from a single source. They form the foundation for all the new business models that can be derived from Section 14a of the Energy Industry Act and competitive metering point operation. Depending on the customer target group, this can result in a wide variety of solutions. They range from – simple G1 smart meter gateways with meter data management system for basic metering point operation and connection to existing ERP systems (target group smaller energy supply companies with limited resources during rollout) to
– solution offers including connection of existing submeters with supplementary billing system and customer portal (target group property operators) to
– customer-specific OEM solutions with individually adapted connection of the respective local controllers to the SMGW. Visitors to the neugemacht GmbH stand (Hall 2, D112) at E-world can find out more about the new range of solutions in a personal meeting and experience the first live demos of potential installation scenarios. Further information is also available at this link.

 

Anmerkungen:

[1] see https://www.wemag.com/energiesparberatung/stromverbrauch-single-2-3-4-personen-haushalt. Values of all apartment sizes averaged.

[2] see Institute of the German Economy. Source: https://www.iwkoeln.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Studien/Gutachten/PDF/2023/Wohnnebenkosten_in_D_2023.pdf page 20].

[3] According to Immoscout. Source: https://www.dasinvestment.com/mietrenditen-immoscout-analyse-wo-sich-der-immobilienkauf-lohnt/

[4] https://www.solarserver.de/wissen/basiswissen/mieterstrom/

About Neugemacht GmbH

Neugemacht GmbH is a joint venture of Gridspertise with a 100% focus on the German market. As a provider of end-to-end solutions, Neugemacht can serve all layers of the entire metering point operation so that customers, whether energy supply companies, property operators or solution providers, can concentrate on developing their new business models. The offering includes all components required for metering point operation, such as meters, smart meter gateways (SMGWs), communication, a software platform, installation services and even the operation of the respective solution as a service. Neugemacht provides energy supply companies with solutions for metering point operation in line with tenders or also supports companies in the development of completely customized solutions as required by manufacturers and solution providers. Of course, the integration of metering point operation into existing IT infrastructures is also part of Neugemacht’s range of services.

About Gridspertise

Gridspertise offers smart grid devices, end-to-end cloud edge platform solutions and services to accelerate the digital transformation of electricity distribution grids. The company’s portfolio is designed as an open ecosystem that can be easily integrated into the existing infrastructure of distribution grid operators. It combines intelligent and automated grid devices with ready-to-use modular applications that run both at the central level and at the grid edge. The company recently reached the milestone of 100 million smart meters with Gridspertise technology shipped worldwide, meeting the needs of various energy markets and regulations. The company was founded in 2021 as a spin-off from Enel and is now jointly controlled by the Enel Group and CVC Capital Partners. Gridspertise is headquartered in Italy and has subsidiaries in Spain, Brazil, India and the United States. Recently, the company acquired Aidon, a leading provider of smart metering in the Nordic countries, and financed the joint venture Neugemacht, which provides end-to-end metering services in the German market. Current target markets include Europe, Latin America and North America, expanding towards Asia-Pacific and Africa.

About Cuculus

Cuculus GmbH is a privately held German company providing its leading ZONOS IoT platform for critical infrastructure, including advanced meter management (AMM), meter data management (MDM) and smart payment systems, to a range of smart metering initiatives in the utility industry worldwide. The ZONOS platform is currently used by more than 20 smart metering infrastructure customers on 4 continents. Worldwide, 18 sales and project partners are supported by 3 offices in Germany as well as offices in Johannesburg/South Africa, Bangalore/India and Dubai/UAE. Cuculus’ products and services are characterized by the combination of a state-of-the-art technology solution with in-depth market and industry knowledge. Cuculus delivers open and scalable solutions with its ZONOS IoT platform to support the business processes of utility companies by consolidating different metering platforms and the associated communication networks. Through the ZONOS platform, we are helping around 16 million households worldwide to come a step closer to our vision: “Affordable energy and water for all”.