Heating Meters Must Be Remote-Readable by 2027: When Tenants Can Cut 3%

If you rent in a building with central heating, check the small meters on your radiators. By 31 December 2026, landlords must replace or upgrade heat cost allocators (Heizkostenverteiler), heat meters and hot-water meters that cannot be read remotely. This deadline is set in § 5(3) of the Heating Costs Ordinance (Heizkostenverordnung, HeizkostenV). “Remote-readable” (fernablesbar) means the device can be read without anyone entering your apartment.

If your landlord misses the deadline, the law gives you a right to cut your heating bill. You can reduce your share of the heating and hot-water costs by 3%. You can cut another 3% if you do not get the monthly consumption information the landlord owes you.

Here is what matters:

• Deadline: meters and heat cost allocators installed up to 1 December 2021 that are not remote-readable must be retrofitted or replaced by 31 December 2026. Anything installed since 1 December 2021 already had to be remote-readable.
• Who is affected: mainly tenants in buildings with central heating or central hot water and several apartments, where heating costs are billed by consumption.
• 3% cut: if the landlord has not installed remote-readable devices as required, you may reduce your share of the costs by 3% (§ 12(1) HeizkostenV).
• Another 3%: if remote-readable devices are installed but you do not get the required consumption information, or it is incomplete, the same 3% cut applies. The Verbraucherzentrale Bayern says both cuts can be combined.
• Exceptions: the replacement duty does not apply where it is technically impossible in the individual case, or would mean unreasonable cost or undue hardship.

A second step follows later: remote-readable devices installed up to 1 December 2022 must also be connectable to a smart meter gateway and interoperable after 31 December 2031 (§ 5(4) HeizkostenV). This does not change the 2026 deadline.

NOTE: For older devices, the 3% cut is about the time after the deadline. For most tenants with a calendar-year bill, the first statement where that can matter is the one for 2027, which usually arrives in 2028. Two cases apply already: if your devices are already remote-readable, the monthly consumption information has been owed since January 2022, and a missing one already allows the 3% cut. The same applies if devices installed after 1 December 2021 are not remote-readable.

How Do You Know if Your Meters Are Remote-Readable?

The simplest test: does someone still need to come into your apartment to read the meters, or do you get a note asking you to be at home on a reading day? If yes, your devices are probably not remote-readable.

Remote-readable heat cost allocators and meters send their readings by radio, so nobody has to enter your home. If you are unsure, ask your landlord or property manager (Hausverwaltung) in writing which devices are installed and whether they will be replaced by the end of 2026.

What Is the Monthly Consumption Information?

Once remote-readable devices are installed, the landlord must send you consumption information every month (§ 6a HeizkostenV). It must include at least:

• your consumption in the last month, in kilowatt hours (kWh)
• a comparison with the previous month and with the same month last year, where data exist
• a comparison with an average user in the same category

Many landlords provide this through an app, a web portal or by email. If you never receive it, that is the second reason for a 3% cut.

How Much Can You Save With the 3% Cut?

An example: if your share of the heating and hot-water costs on the annual bill is €1,000, a 3% cut is €30. If both reasons apply, the cut is 6%, or €60. These figures are only an example. The amount depends on your own bill.

The cut is a right you use yourself when you pay the bill. You do not need the landlord’s agreement first. Tell your landlord in writing that you are reducing the amount and why, so there is a record.

WARNING: The ordinance works differently in some cases. In a building with no more than two apartments where the landlord lives in one of them, the ordinance does not override your rental contract. Condominium owners cannot use the 3% cut against their owners’ association (WEG). If you are unsure whether your case qualifies, get advice before you withhold money.

What Should You Do Now?

• Look at the devices on your radiators and the hot-water meter. Note whether someone still comes in to read them.
• Ask your landlord or property manager in writing whether remote-readable devices will be installed by 31 December 2026. Keep their reply.
• If your devices are already remote-readable, keep the monthly consumption information you receive, or note that none arrives. Everyone else should start doing this from January 2027.
• When the bill arrives, check it. The Verbraucherzentrale Bayern reminds tenants that the bill must reach you no later than 12 months after the end of the billing period.
• If you plan to cut the bill, explain the reason in writing. A tenants’ association (Mieterverein) or your local Verbraucherzentrale can check your bill.

If a dispute about your bill escalates, legal insurance with tenancy cover can pay for a lawyer, but most policies have a waiting period and do not cover a dispute that has already started. Compare options such as ARAG* and WGV* in our guide to tenant legal insurance.

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