Reduces the high energy costs – electricity meters could soon also run backwards

All of Germany wants to save electricity after energy costs skyrocketed last year. That’s why not only homeowners, but also more and more tenants are thinking about photovoltaic systems – these are now also available in small sizes for the balcony.

But the bureaucratic effort for this is currently too high for many. Most electricity meters in Germany have a backstop and are therefore not suitable for detecting when solar power is fed in, for example.

But Federal Minister of Economics and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (The Greens) wants that to change soon.

Also count backwards: digital electricity meters are to come

In neighboring European countries such as the Netherlands, it has long been possible for the electricity meter to run backwards when unused electricity is fed into the grid. In Germany, this would still be a criminal offense according to § 268 StGB.

Since this status quo is “absurd” according to Habeck, there are already efforts to change the laws accordingly. This means that electricity meters should also change when using Rotate photovoltaics or private wind turbines backwards.

However, this is only possible with old, analogue electricity meters without the said backstop. This means that the electricity network operators would also have to replace numerous devices after adapting the laws so that they can measure the electricity fed in at all and the users can also feel the savings.

After all, PV systems have become somewhat cheaper since 2023 thanks to the elimination of VAT.