Model for consumption-based energy and water cost billing (VEWA) from SwissEnergy
In centrally supplied apartment buildings, the energy and water consumption of the apartments varies greatly. In the case of heating, consumption in comparable units varies by a factor of 3, and in the case of water by as much as a factor of 8. Consumption-based billing of energy and water costs creates transparency, equity and an incentive for the careful use of resources.
This billing model was created with the aim of standardising and simplifying the billing methodology and adapting it to the new building standards. From 2018, it replaces the previous billing model for consumption-dependent heating and hot water cost billing (VHKA) and the billing model for consumption-dependent water cost billing (VWKA) in the application. The present, new model for consumption-dependent energy and water cost accounting (VEWA) combines these two older industry guidelines and contains contemporary adaptations (e.g. integration of cooling energy, handling of contracting). Likewise, due to the good thermal insulation of new buildings, the previously applied location compensation has been dispensed with.
As a significant extension, the billing of associations for self-consumption (ZEV) was integrated into VEWA. This is because, since 1.1.2018, in the case of multi-party buildings with consumption of self-produced electricity (from photovoltaics or other energy sources), the owners or their management can be responsible for the measurement and billing of electricity consumption.
In the VEWA billing model, emphasis was placed on supplementing the billing recommendation with easy-to-understand graphics and key figures that provide residents with a quick overview and create an incentive to save.
The model for consumption-based energy and water cost accounting (VEWA) was created by the Swiss Association for Energy and Water Cost Accounting (SVW) on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). It is also supported and recommended for use by all important stakeholder groups whose representatives participated in the working group of this project. The obligation and the scope for the installation of measuring devices and for the consumption-based billing of energy and water are regulated differently in the cantons.
Whether or not billing for a particular type of expense is mandated, this downloadable PDF brochure shows how to create a professional billing statement.