Self-Consumption Optimisation

Increase your self-consumption ratio from 30% to 70–90% — turnkey with ZEV, vZEV or LEG.

Key Takeaways

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1. Triple your electricity revenue Without ZEV, 60–70% of solar electricity is fed in at 5–12 Rp./kWh. With ZEV, that same electricity is used internally at 15–22 Rp./kWh, adding up to six-figure CHF amounts over 20 years.
2. Halve your payback period Self-consumption ratio rises from a typical 30–40% unoptimised to 70–90% with ZEV/LEG and intelligent load management, reducing payback from 7–9 to 4–6 years.
3. ZEV and vZEV available now ZEV (since 2018) unifies consumers on a single site. vZEV (since 1 January 2025) connects properties across multiple locations digitally, with no physical cabling required.
4. LEG expands the community LEG (since 1 January 2026) enables neighbourhood-wide energy communities with reduced grid fees, the most powerful instrument for commercial estates in existing buildings.
5. Turnkey, one contact Legal structure, metering, billing, and ongoing operations delivered from a single source with no interface risk.

Solar electricity from your own roof is significantly cheaper than grid power — but only a high self-consumption ratio makes your PV installation truly economical. Feed-in tariffs typically stand at 5–12 Rp./kWh, while grid purchases cost 20–30 Rp./kWh. The Self-Consumption Association (ZEV) and the Local Electricity Community (LEG) are proven legal instruments that allow property owners and facility managers to achieve self-consumption ratios of 70–90% — instead of the typical 30–40% in unmanaged operations.

ZEV, vZEV and LEG — three levels of self-consumption optimisation

Swiss energy law has established binding frameworks for energy communities through the Mantelerlass (in force 1 January 2025) and the second regulatory package (1 January 2026). The classic ZEV (since 2018) allows multiple consumers within a building or property to pool together and share solar electricity directly — without passing through the grid and without grid charges. The virtual ZEV (vZEV, since 1 January 2025) extends this concept across locations: digital meters and smart meters connect properties via the local distribution grid — physical co-location is no longer required. The LEG (Local Electricity Community, since 1 January 2026) goes further still, enabling neighbourhood- or municipality-wide energy communities with reduced grid charges for locally traded electricity volumes.

5–12 Rp./kWh

Grid operator feed-in tariff — reset annually, no planning certainty

15–22 Rp./kWh

ZEV internal price — stable returns over the full plant lifetime

70–90 %

Achievable self-consumption ratio with ZEV/LEG and load management

From 35% to 80% self-consumption — what the difference means in practice

Without optimised self-consumption, commercial estates feed 60–70% of their self-generated solar electricity into the grid at 5–12 Rp./kWh. With a ZEV or LEG, that same electricity remains on-site and is billed internally at 15–22 Rp./kWh — a revenue difference that adds up to six-figure CHF amounts over the 20-year plant lifetime. The Balteschwiler project (3’092 kWp, Canton Aargau) demonstrates how structured self-consumption optimisation works at scale: 1.9 GWh of annual surplus is actively channelled into marketing strategies rather than fed in uncontrolled.

Unoptimised PV Installation

• 30–40% self-consumption ratio — 60–70% fed in at 5–12 Rp./kWh
• No planning certainty over feed-in tariff revenues
• Tenants and users purchase expensive grid electricity
• No billing between individual consumers possible
• Payback period 7–9 years due to low self-consumption revenues

ZEV/LEG-Optimised

• 70–90% self-consumption ratio — electricity used internally at 15–22 Rp./kWh
• Long-term supply contracts with planning certainty over plant lifetime
• Tenants and users purchase affordable solar electricity instead of grid power
• Digital billing per consumer — transparent and fully automated
• Payback period reduced to 4–6 years through higher self-consumption ratio

35% → 80%

Self-consumption ratio before and after ZEV optimisation

Our approach: turnkey from analysis to operations

How we implement your ZEV, vZEV or LEG

1

Feasibility Analysis & Legal Review

We analyse your consumption, assess the legal suitability of your properties for ZEV, vZEV or LEG, and prepare a feasibility calculation with concrete self-consumption ratios and payback periods.

• Load profile analysis and self-consumption potential assessment
• Legal review of property structure (ZEV vs. vZEV vs. LEG)
• Feasibility calculation with payback period

2

Structuring & Contracts

We structure the ZEV or LEG in accordance with all legal requirements, manage communications with the grid operator, and draft the necessary supply contracts between plant operator and consumers.

• Contract drafting between property owner and consumers
• Grid operator registration and feed-in tariff clarification
• Smart meter requirements for vZEV and LEG fully coordinated

3

Technical Installation & Billing System

We install the necessary metering technology and a digital billing system — fully integrated, immediately operational, and compliant with grid operator requirements.

• Smart meter integration for per-consumer ZEV billing
• Digital billing portal for transparency and automated invoicing
• Real-time monitoring of energy flows and self-consumption ratio

4

Operations & Optimisation

After commissioning, we monitor your ZEV or LEG continuously and optimise the self-consumption ratio through intelligent load management and monthly reporting.

• Ongoing monitoring and self-consumption ratio optimisation
• Intelligent load management to maximise self-consumption
• Monthly reporting: self-consumption, revenues, economic performance

Your next step: have your self-consumption potential analysed

The optimal self-consumption strategy depends on your specific property structure, consumption profile, and legal suitability for ZEV, vZEV or LEG. We analyse your potential without obligation and develop the most economical solution together with you. Request a quote.

More on the foundation — your PV installation — can be found at Photovoltaics for Industry & Commerce. For self-consumption maximisation through storage, see our Battery Storage page. Information on marketing options for surplus electricity is available on our Energy Marketing page. Current information on ZEV, vZEV and LEG is available from EKZ — ZEV, vZEV and LEG.