Glossary
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.
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 the readings come from private meters behind the shared grid connection point; in a vZEV and in a 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 the role disappears entirely, because the grid operator bills everything.
The industry platform 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.
How billing differs across the four models is shown in the comparison table in ZEV, vZEV or LEG: which model fits your site.