# Virtual ZEV (vZEV): Everything About the New Self-Consumption Community

A virtual self-consumption community (vZEV) has allowed businesses since 1 January 2025 to share solar electricity across several plots and grid connections that hang on the same service line below 1 kV, without using the distribution grid. The grid operator's smart meters handle the allocation, so no private metering is needed. A contract on the internal price is required. Economically, the vZEV replaces feed-in at 5-12 Rp./kWh with internal allocation at 15-22 Rp./kWh.

The virtual ZEV since 2025: how businesses share solar electricity across several plots on the same grid connection, with requirements, set-up steps and economics.

Kanonische Seite: https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/virtual-zev/
Veröffentlicht: 2026-02-11

**Key Takeaways**

- The virtual ZEV (vZEV) has been possible since 1 January 2025 (Mantelerlass, Energy Act Art. 16 ff.): solar electricity can now be shared across several grid connections.
- No private cabling needed: vZEV participants do not have to be in the same building, but on the same service line below 1 kV. A vZEV may not use the public distribution grid (Art. 14 EnV).
- ZEV-internal price between 15 and 22 Rp./kWh: lower than grid electricity (20-30 Rp./kWh), higher than feed-in (5-12 Rp./kWh).
- Smart metering systems are mandatory for all participants, the technical precondition for recording consumption.

The [virtual self-consumption community (vZEV)](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/vzev/) fundamentally changes the solar economics for commercial businesses. Since 1 January 2025, companies can share solar electricity across several plots and grid connections without private cabling between the buildings. What used to be possible only behind a single grid connection with private meters now applies to entire company sites whose buildings hang on the same service line. The distribution grid draws the line: anyone who wants to share electricity across it needs a [LEG](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/leg/). Which of the three models fits which site is compared in the article [ZEV, vZEV or LEG](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/zev-vzev-leg-comparison/); this guide covers the vZEV in detail. The economic effect: one company's surplus, previously fed into the grid, becomes the [self-consumption](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/eigenverbrauch/) of the next, at 15-22 Rp./kWh instead of the 5-12 Rp./kWh feed-in tariff.

## Who can join a vZEV?

> **vZEV since 1 January 2025: smart meters mandatory**
>
> The virtual self-consumption community (vZEV) has been possible since 1 January 2025 (Art. 16 Energy Act, Art. 14 Energy Ordinance). The place of production may include further plots, provided the electricity can be consumed there without using the distribution grid. Below 1 kV, the service line and the local infrastructure at the grid connection point may be used for this. Metering is done with the grid operator's smart metering systems.
>
> Source: [Energy Ordinance (EnV), Art. 14 para. 2 and 3 (Fedlex, German)](https://fedlex.data.admin.ch/filestore/fedlex.data.admin.ch/eli/cc/2017/763/20260101/de/html/fedlex-data-admin-ch-eli-cc-2017-763-20260101-de-html-3.html)

Participation in a virtual ZEV is tied to three clearly defined requirements.

First, all participants must hang on the same service line, at the voltage level below 1 kV. The solar electricity must be able to reach every participant without using the distribution grid. In practice that means every property behind the same distribution cabinet. The grid operator provides information on the connection situation. An existing [ZEV](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/zev/) can be extended to the neighbouring plot this way; if it joins a vZEV, the two legally merge into one association.

Second, the grid operator's smart metering systems must be installed at all metering points. They replace the private meters of a classic ZEV and deliver the quarter-hourly values for the computational allocation of the jointly produced electricity. In many municipalities the smart meter roll-out is still under way. The grid operator provides information on the status.

Third, the participants must conclude a contract on the internal ZEV price. This price must stay within the legally prescribed range: below the local grid electricity tariff but above the feed-in tariff.

- **5-12 Rp./kWh** — Feed-in tariff (KEV reference price, BFE)
- **15-22 Rp./kWh** — ZEV-internal price (legal range: between feed-in and grid electricity)
- **20-30 Rp./kWh** — Grid electricity price for commercial customers (ElCom 2025)

For a property that has so far fed its surplus into the grid at 8 Rp./kWh and now passes that electricity to the neighbouring business via a vZEV at 18 Rp./kWh, the difference is 10 Rp./kWh. Multiplied over thousands of kilowatt-hours a year, that is a substantial improvement in economics.

## How to set up a vZEV, step by step

**Setting up a vZEV: the structured path**

1. **Identify participants and check eligibility** — Establish which properties and metering points hang on the same service line. The grid operator provides information on the connection situation and checks whether smart meters are already installed.
2. **Register the vZEV with the grid operator** — The vZEV operator (typically the owner of the solar system) registers the association with the local grid operator, which coordinates the metering point registration and billing infrastructure.
3. **Install smart meters at all metering points** — Where not yet present, the grid operator installs its smart metering systems at all participants. The vZEV does not need private meters as in a classic ZEV. Costs vary by grid operator.
4. **Set the internal ZEV price and allocation rules** — The participants agree on an internal price (within the legal range) and on the allocation logic: proportional to consumption, by fixed share, or by another agreed key.
5. **Set up the billing infrastructure** — An EMS or a specialised metering service provider records the quarter-hourly consumption data and produces the monthly ZEV statements for all participants. In some regions, grid operators already offer standardised vZEV billing services.
6. **Start joint self-consumption** — From commissioning, the grid operator automatically allocates the jointly produced solar electricity to the vZEV participants. Surpluses that cannot be allocated internally continue to be fed into the grid and remunerated.

## What does the vZEV deliver economically?

The economic logic of the vZEV is simple: every kilowatt-hour allocated internally instead of being fed into the grid earns 2-4 times more. With a feed-in tariff of 5-12 Rp./kWh and an internal ZEV price of 15-22 Rp./kWh, the difference per kWh is around 8-12 Rp.

The BACHMANN GROUP reference project (see the [reference page](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/references/bachmann-forming/)) shows what is possible: 2'809 kWp of solar capacity, a 96% self-consumption ratio with 24/7 production. That figure was reached without a vZEV, thanks to the ideal load profile of a production business with continuous night operation. For businesses with less favourable load profiles or several buildings, the vZEV can raise the self-consumption ratio to 70-90%, a range that EnergieSchweiz also reports for optimised systems.

The economic consequence for payback: without self-consumption optimisation, solar systems pay back in 7-9 years. With ZEV and self-consumption optimisation, the payback period typically falls to 4-6 years (Ampere Dynamic estimate from internal project data; the main driver is the higher self-consumption share). The vZEV is therefore not an optional add-on but a central lever for economic viability.

For the next level of optimisation (battery storage, load shifting and energy management system), read the article [Self-consumption from 30% to 90%](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/optimise-self-consumption/). An overview of all storage solutions is on the page [Commercial storage in Switzerland](https://www.ampere-dynamic.ch/en/knowledge/commercial-battery-storage-switzerland/).

## Frequently asked questions

**Does a vZEV need its own meters?**

No. The vZEV uses the grid operator's smart metering systems at every metering point and one virtual metering point for the allocation. The 15-minute values of the smart meters are enough for the computational distribution of the solar electricity; the private meters of the classic ZEV are not needed. Where smart meters are missing, the grid operator installs them, at costs that vary by grid operator.

**Who can join a vZEV?**

All participants must hang on the same service line, in practice behind the same distribution cabinet of the grid operator, so that the solar electricity reaches them without using the distribution grid. Each metering point needs a smart meter from the grid operator, and the participants conclude a contract on the internal ZEV price, below the grid electricity tariff and above the feed-in tariff.