Sharing energy within the same building

It is now possible to share your energy production with all the residents of a building or co-owned property.

Energy sharing in an apartment building

If your building or co-owned property produces electricity, e.g. via photovoltaic panels, these panels are often linked to the building's communal meter.

Any surplus electricity not consumed by the community is then injected into the grid. Instead of losing this surplus by injecting it into the grid, you can now share it with everyone in the building.

This system of sharing energy in the same building is also referred to as 'active customers acting together'. To ensure that your real estate construction can be properly considered as the same building, please consult the Brussels Environment information sheet (only available in French and Dutch), where the conditions to be met are outlined in point 5, 'Qu’est-ce qu’un même bâtiment?'.

Who are the participants?

In the case of a building, the participants will essentially be:

  • the producer;
  • the communal meter(s);
  • the different homes;
  • and possibly shops. 

There are no restrictions as long as you are all part of the same building.

What is the price?

You set the price of the electricity you share. This price is fixed in an agreement between the two participants.

You can even share the electricity for free if you want to. But please note, however, that network charges still apply.

Would it be beneficial for me?

First, make sure you consume as much as possible of your photovoltaic panels' output directly. It is always better to consume the energy you produce yourself. 

Next, make sure that the consumers of your surplus energy are using it at the same time as you inject. Sharing will be less beneficial if all the participants have the same profile of consumption hours.

The Brussels Environment Facilitator will provide tools to help you with all your considerations and procedures.

I am interested

Conditions

  • The shared electricity must come from a renewable source.
  • Exchanges can only be made between active customers (minimum of 2).
  • Participants must be located in the same building. They must prove to Sibelga that it complies with the property definition.
  • The production installation is located in or on the building where the active customers are located.
  • Every participant customer must have a smart meter or have one installed.
  • The customer who owns the injection point (or the third party they designate) is the DNO's single point of contact (SPOC) and must notify Sibelga of this.
  • If there are several producers, they designate a single point of contact (one of them or a third party).
  • An agreement is signed between the customers to regulate the sharing arrangements.
  • The terms and conditions with regard to Sibelga are defined in the provisional technical regulations.

Obtaining a smart meter

Replacing your electricity meter with a smart meter is free if no reinforcement is required. You can request one here.

Good to know

  • Not everyone in the building needs to participate (they can decide once sharing is underway).
  • You do not need to create a legal entity to organise the sharing.
  • The owner of the installation may be a third-party investor, but only if the contract stipulates that the customer owns their injection.
  • You can delegate sharing management (data processing, billing, etc.) to a third party, without this third party being considered an active customer.

Please consult the regulator Brugel's pages on energy sharing in the same building.