# Billing service provider

Also known as: Abrechnungsdienstleister, ZEV-Abrechnungsdienstleister, ZEV billing, Metering service provider

A billing service provider (Abrechnungsdienstleister) handles meter data processing and invoicing for the shared solar electricity in a ZEV, vZEV or LEG and, depending on the model, for grid electricity as well. In a ZEV and vZEV it bills both to the participants; in a LEG only the community electricity, while the grid operator bills residual electricity and grid usage. The role can be taken by a specialised company, the grid operator itself or the system operator.

Canonical page: https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/abrechnungsdienstleister/

The task is the same in all three models: the meter readings determine how much solar electricity each participant drew, that share is billed at the agreed internal price, and the system operator receives the proceeds. In a [ZEV](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/zev/) the readings come from private meters behind the shared grid connection point; in a [vZEV](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/vzev/) and in a [LEG](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/leg/) they come from the grid operator's smart meters.

The division of work with the grid operator differs by model. In a ZEV and a vZEV, the billing service provider bills both the solar electricity and the grid electricity to the participants, because the association acts as a single end consumer towards the grid operator. In a LEG, the participants remain end customers of the grid operator (Art. 17e para. 4 StromVG): the grid operator bills residual electricity and grid usage, the billing service provider only the community electricity, and the grid operator itself can take on that role. In the [VNB-Praxismodell](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/vnb-praxismodell/) the role disappears entirely, because the grid operator bills everything.

The industry platform [lokalerstrom.ch](https://www.lokalerstrom.ch), run by VSE, Swissolar, EnergieSchweiz and Swisspower, has kept a register of billing service providers since May 2026. Selection criteria are the processing of 15-minute values, the interface to the grid operator and whether grid electricity is billed as well. Ampere Dynamic sets up the metering concept and billing system as part of its [self-consumption optimisation](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/solutions/virtueller-zev-leg/).

How billing differs across the four models is shown in the comparison table in [ZEV, vZEV or LEG: which model fits your site](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/zev-vzev-leg-comparison/).

## Related terms

- [ZEV](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/zev/)
- [vZEV](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/vzev/)
- [LEG](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/leg/)
- [Grid operator practice model (VNB-Praxismodell)](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/vnb-praxismodell/)