Remote-readable meters by the end of 2026: what landlords must retrofit now

The short answer

By 31 December 2026, all heat meters, heat cost allocators and hot water meters in rented buildings with central heating in Germany must be remotely readable – that is, readable without entering the flat. Landlords who do not retrofit give every tenant the right to cut their share of the heating and hot water costs by 3 per cent.

The deadline is set out in section 5(3) of the Heizkostenverordnung (HeizkostenV, German Heating Cost Ordinance), but it is easily overlooked next to gas price letters and the CO₂ cost split. Seven weeks before it expires, it is worth checking your own meters.

Which devices fall under the retrofit obligation?

The HeizkostenV applies to buildings in which a central heating or hot water system or a commercial heat supply serves several users (section 1 HeizkostenV). For the metering devices, section 5 distinguishes three vintages:

Installed	Requirement	Deadline
up to 1 December 2021, not remotely readable	retrofit or replacement with remotely readable, interoperable equipment	31 December 2026
up to 1 December 2022, already remotely readable	additionally smart meter gateway connection and interoperability	after 31 December 2031
since 1 December 2022	remotely readable, gateway-capable and interoperable across manufacturers only	applies immediately on installation

Under section 5(2) sentence 2, a device is remotely readable if it can be read “without access to individual units of use”. Radio devices read in the stairwell or outside the building usually meet this. A special rule applies to replacing single devices: if the rest of the system is not yet remotely readable, a single meter may also be replaced with a device that is not remotely readable – this does not change the year-end deadline.

What does missing the deadline cost?

The regulation does not threaten a fine; it bites on the bill. Section 12(1) HeizkostenV has two levels:

Breach	Tenant’s right to deduct
No remotely readable equipment contrary to section 5(2) or (3)	3 % of their cost share
Missing or incomplete information under section 6a	3 % of their cost share
No consumption-based billing at all	15 % of their cost share

Important for owners’ associations: the right to deduct does not apply between an individual flat owner and the owners’ association (section 12(1) sentence 4). Between a letting flat owner and their tenant, however, the regulation does apply (section 1(2) no. 3). From which billing period the 3 per cent deduction for a missed retrofit first applies should be checked legally in case of dispute; this guide is not legal advice.

Worked example: what 3 per cent means in an apartment building

Take an apartment building with 10 flats, gas central heating and gas consumption of 150,000 kWh a year. The price used is the average paid by private households with annual consumption above 200 gigajoules in the first half of 2026: 10.92 cents per kilowatt hour (Destatis, 30.09.2026).

Item	Value
Fuel costs per year	150,000 kWh × 10.92 ct = €16,380
Average share per flat	€1,638
3 % deduction per flat	≈ €49
3 % deduction for the whole building	≈ €491 per year
For comparison: 15 % without consumption billing	≈ €2,457 per year

Only fuel is counted. Under section 7(2), the allocable heating costs also include operating electricity, maintenance, metering equipment and billing – so the actual deduction is higher. The sum looks small, but it recurs every year, while the costs of renting and using remotely readable meters are themselves allocable via the heating costs (section 7(2)).

What changes for tenants with remote reading?

More than the reading. As soon as remotely readable devices are installed, the owner must give users monthly consumption information under section 6a(1) no. 2 HeizkostenV. It contains at least the previous month’s consumption in kilowatt hours, a comparison with the previous month and the same month of the previous year, and a comparison with an average user (section 6a(2)). The annual statement adds information on the energy mix, taxes and levies, the costs of the metering equipment and a weather-adjusted comparison with the previous year (section 6a(3)).

For landlords this means: retrofitting alone is not enough. Anyone with remotely readable meters who does not provide monthly information is back at a 3 per cent deduction right – this time under section 12(1) sentence 3. If you handle this through your metering service provider, make sure the contract explicitly covers it.

When does the obligation not apply?

The regulation has exemptions that are narrower than many owners hope:

• Two-flat building with the landlord living in it: here the parties may agree to deviate from the regulation (section 2).
• Technically impossible or disproportionate: section 5(3) sentence 2 exempts from retrofitting if it is technically impossible in the individual case or means undue hardship. The owner must be able to prove this.
• Special buildings: care homes and homes for the elderly, student and apprentice residences, and buildings with a heating demand below 15 kWh per square metre and year are exempt from consumption metering under section 11. How heating costs are split in care homes is covered in the care home guide.

With commercial heat supply the obligation remains. If the supplier bills users directly by share, it bears the owner’s obligations (section 1(3)); otherwise the owner remains responsible. Anyone switching to heat contracting should regulate the metering equipment explicitly in the contract.

What landlords should do before the end of the year

1. Take an inventory of devices: establish the year of installation and type of every heat meter, heat cost allocator and hot water meter, most easily from the metering service’s last statement.
2. Ask the metering service in writing: obtain confirmation that all devices will be remotely readable by 31.12.2026 and fix a date for any devices still missing.
3. Check interoperability: for new devices, look for smart meter gateway capability and readability across manufacturers, so that switching metering service later remains possible.
4. Commission monthly consumption information: clarify who delivers it to tenants and in what form, so that section 6a does not trigger the next deduction.
5. Document exemptions: anyone relying on technical impossibility or undue hardship should keep expert reports or quotes.
6. Keep the billing deadline in view: the heating cost statement must reach the tenant no later than twelve months after the end of the billing period (section 556(3) BGB, German Civil Code), otherwise a back-payment claim is generally excluded. For a calendar-year 2026 billing period, that means by the end of 2027.