Negative Electricity Prices as an Opportunity: 5 Reasons Why Techem Is Committed to Smart Metering

Negative Electricity Prices more common 

In 2025, there were more than 525 hours of negative electricity prices in Germany, while the amended EEG requires systems with zero net metering. However, the economic benefits remain untapped for many households. The main reason is the lack of technical infrastructure: without smart metering systems, dynamic electricity rates cannot be utilized. Only a nationwide rollout will unlock the savings potential for households.

The key issues and Techem’s proposed solutions:

Current situation

• Increasing Volatility Due to Increased Feed-in
  High feed-in of renewable energy combined with low demand is increasingly leading to negative electricity prices. In particular, the lack of expansion in storage facilities and solar energy infrastructure leads to supply surpluses in such situations, and the economic benefits of these surpluses cannot be fully realized across the country.

• Price signals barely reach end customers
  Despite significant price fluctuations, with electricity prices in some areas dropping as low as 500 euros per megawatt-hour, households have so far seen little financial benefit from this.

• Technological prerequisites are lacking
  The lack of smart meters prevents real-time consumption measurement and the use of flexible electricity prices. The benefits of dynamic electricity rates do not reach the end user. In particular, controllable applications such as heat pumps or e-mobility cannot be used in a way that meets demand.

Smart Metering by Techem: The key to flexible and cost-effective electricity use

• Targeting Savings Potential
  With smart metering, Techem and Inexogy enable the use of dynamic rates—and thus direct access to periods of low or negative electricity prices. The housing industry also benefits from the increased appeal of the property to future residents.

• Relieving the burden on grids through intelligent control
  Intelligent metering and control technology allows consumption to be shifted to economically advantageous time windows. Peak loads on the grid are reduced, and generation peaks can be specifically utilized to the financial benefit of consumers—which helps stabilize the power grids.
  
  
• Flexibility for Heat Pumps and Electric Mobility
  Smart meters lay the groundwork for the targeted integration of flexible applications such as heat pumps or charging infrastructure for electric vehicles—a crucial step toward the energy transition. Techem is driving this initiative forward with over 4,000 charging points currently being installed and operated across Germany.
  
  
• Transparency Through Automation
  Smart meters automatically collect billing-relevant energy data and transmit it directly. Tenants gain transparent insights into their energy consumption and can therefore better understand when negative electricity prices occur and how they can benefit from them. Property management companies can apply for smart meters directly through Techem, thereby creating efficient energy management for residents. Private customers, meanwhile, can switch to smart meters via Inexogy.
  
  
• Scalable Platform for the Energy Transition in Buildings
  Together with inexogy, Techem is making targeted investments in the smart meter rollout and in digital platform solutions. The goal is to establish smart metering systems nationwide, even beyond mandatory installations.
  

Techem’s solution for smart metering contributes to an infrastructure that enables dynamic pricing and grid control, allowing consumers to benefit from lower electricity prices.

👉 For more information, click here (German product page).

Image information: Without smart metering systems, dynamic electricity rates cannot be implemented. Together with inexogy, Techem is making targeted investments in the smart meter rollout and in digital platform solutions (Image source: Techem).