The first local energy communities go live. What actually happens now?
Registration opened in January. Since April, the first communities can actually start trading solar electricity locally. If you're already registered — or thinking about it — here's what to expect: your first bill, what the 40% discount looks like in real francs, and what happens when the sun isn't shining.
Upgrid EditorialApril 20268 min read
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Who is this article for? For anyone who has joined a local energy community (LEG) or is planning to — and wants to understand how billing actually works in practice. No theory, no glossy brochure. Just what you actually need to know.
On 1 January 2026, registration opened. But "registration open" didn't mean "electricity flowing." Swiss law mandates a three-month setup period — time to install smart meters, validate metering concepts, set up billing systems. Only now, in April, can the very first communities actually trade local solar electricity.
That's not a bureaucratic footnote. It's the moment you've been waiting for.
3
months setup time mandated by law — from registration to first activation. Anyone who registered in January can start in April. Register now and your earliest start is July 2026.
How the launch works — step by step
Before the first solar electricity flows through a LEG, several things happen behind the scenes. Not complicated — but worth understanding so you know why the three months are necessary.
1.
Step 1 — from 1 January 2026
Registration with the grid operator
The LEG representative (in your case: Upgrid) submits the complete application. All members are registered, meter point numbers are on file. From this moment, the statutory review period begins.
2.
Step 2 — Weeks 1–10
Smart meter installation & verification
Where not already in place, the grid operator installs smart meters for all members. This is a legal requirement: no smart meter, no LEG. Measurement in 15-minute intervals is the technical foundation for fair solar electricity allocation.
3.
Step 3 — Weeks 10–12
System integration & test run
Meter data flows via the standardised Swiss data exchange protocol (SDAT). Upgrid integrates the data into the billing system, validates allocations, ensures production and consumption are correctly matched.
4.
Step 4 — April 2026 NOW
Activation — the LEG goes live
Activation always happens on the first of the month. The first solar electricity officially flows within the community. From now on there's a LEG bill — in addition to the regular grid bill.
5.
Step 5 — Monthly
Ongoing billing
Upgrid issues the LEG bill. The grid operator separately bills for grid usage — with the discount already applied. You pay as usual, save automatically.
Two bills instead of one — what you need to know
Here's the thing that surprises most people: joining a LEG doesn't change who sends your grid bill. You stay a customer of your grid operator. What changes: a second bill arrives — from Upgrid — for the solar electricity from your community.
The key distinction
Your grid operator bills for network usage, metering and residual electricity supply. Upgrid bills for the LEG solar electricity. Both together make up your actual electricity costs — and the combined total is lower than before, because the grid discount and cheaper LEG price more than cover the difference.
What the grid discount actually means in real francs
40% grid discount sounds good. But 40% of what? This is rarely explained clearly. Here it is concretely.
The discount applies exclusively to the grid usage fee — and only on the share of electricity you actually draw from the LEG. Not on the energy component, not on levies, not on Swissgrid charges. Only on the grid portion of your local electricity.
💡 Your LEG bill — interactive
Choose a scenario and see how the bill breaks down. Based on ElCom 2026 medians (H4 profile, 4,500 kWh/year).
Energy tariff (residual grid supply)2’790 kWh × 12.11 Rp./kWh
CHF 338
LEG solar electricity (Upgrid bill)1’710 kWh × ~10.5 Rp./kWh incl. grid discount
CHF 101 saved vs. previous bill (without LEG: CHF 1’212)
Sources: ElCom 2026 median values (energy tariff 12.11 Rp./kWh, grid tariff 10.75 Rp./kWh). LEG price assumed between feed-in and grid tariff. Grid discount 40% on LEG share per StromVV Art. 19h. Individual figures vary by grid operator and production share.
What happens when the sun isn't shining?
This is the question everyone asks. And it's a fair one.
A LEG is not an island grid. You are and remain connected to the public electricity network. When your community isn't producing solar electricity — at night, in rain, in winter — you automatically draw grid electricity from your operator. At the regular tariff. With no interruption, no switching, nothing you need to do.
“The sun provides the savings. The grid provides the security. Both at the same time.”
How much solar electricity covers your usage?
Drag the slider and see how your savings change — depending on your community's production share.
Solar share of your consumption
40%
10% (Winter)40–60% (Annual avg.)90% (Midsummer)
From LEG solar
1’800 kWh
Residual from grid
2’700 kWh
Saved per year
CHF 310
Basis: 4,500 kWh/year. LEG price assumed at ~10.5 Rp./kWh incl. grid discount. Regular grid tariff 27.7 Rp./kWh (ElCom median 2026). Individual figures vary by grid operator and community. Note: savings are calculated here as the difference between the LEG price and the total tariff — in practice, savings come from a combination of cheaper energy component and grid discount, and will vary by operator.
Who manages what — and who is responsible for what?
In a LEG there are several actors. Here's the clear breakdown:
Task
Grid operator
Upgrid (LEG operator)
Grid connection & supply security
✓
–
Smart meter installation & operation
✓
–
Grid usage & residual supply billing
✓
–
Calculating the grid discount (40% / 20%)
✓
–
Solar electricity allocation in 15-min intervals
–
✓
Issuing the LEG bill
–
✓
Paying out producer compensation
–
✓
Member list & new member onboarding
–
✓
As an Upgrid LEG member, you don't have to deal with any of this. That's the point. You receive two bills — and the combined total is lower than before.
40% or 20% grid discount — what determines it?
Not every community gets 40%. The discount depends on the grid topology — specifically how many transformer stations the electricity passes through within the LEG.
The rule
40% discount: All members are connected to the same transformer station — electricity flows on a single grid level.
20% discount: Multiple transformer stations are involved — the electricity crosses an additional grid level.
What this means for you
You don't need to figure this out yourself. Upgrid checks the grid topology before registration and communicates clearly which discount applies to your community. Many buildings in urban areas get 40% — because neighbours often share the same transformer station.
20%
minimum grid usage discount — even with unfavourable topology. The law guarantees this minimum. Swissolar is pushing for an increase to up to 60% — politically still open.
The most common questions — answered
No. You remain a customer of your grid operator. Your contract doesn't change. You receive LEG solar electricity in addition — as a supplement, not a replacement. This is enshrined in law: LEG members are and remain customers of their distribution grid operator.
Surplus energy that the community can't consume is fed into the public grid and compensated by the grid operator — at the applicable reference market price, with minimum compensation protection from 2026 (from 6 Rp./kWh for installations under 30 kW). For producers in your LEG this means: they earn in any case — either better through the LEG price or at the reference market price for surplus.
Proportionally by consumption in 15-minute intervals. The smart meter continuously measures how much electricity each member uses in each quarter-hour slot. The available solar electricity is divided in that ratio. Members who consume more in a slot receive a larger share of the solar electricity produced. The allocation is transparent and automated — no manual intervention needed.
Yes. You can leave, but you need to give at least 3 months' notice — and exit is only possible on the first of a month. The LEG itself continues for the remaining members. If you leave, your consumption data simply returns entirely to the grid operator. No complications, no penalties.
To join as a consumer: No. You are the contracting party with the grid operator — not your landlord. Joining a LEG is your personal right as an electricity customer. You need neither permission nor notification from your landlord. This is one of the most important aspects of the new law: tenants have full decision-making autonomy.
After the first full billing month. With activation on 1 April, the first bill comes in early May — for April. Upgrid issues the bill separately from your grid bill. Both bills together make up your total electricity costs — which are lower than your previous grid tariff alone.
What this looks like in practice — a real example
Take a family of four in Baar (Canton Zug), 5-room flat, annual consumption around 5,500 kWh. They're part of a LEG with 12 households and one producer with a 15 kW installation on the roof of the same building. All connected to the same transformer station: 40% grid discount.
Previous annual billFull grid tariff, no LEG
CHF 1,524
Solar share from LEG~35% of annual consumption, 1,925 kWh
−CHF 84
Grid discount on LEG share40% on grid component for 1,925 kWh
−CHF 83
Residual grid electricity3,575 kWh at standard tariff
CHF 990
New annual bill
CHF 1,357
CHF 167 saved per year — no panels, no cancellation, no switching
Example calculation. Basis: Zug grid tariff 23.01 Rp./kWh (ElCom median 2026), grid component 10.75 Rp./kWh (CH median). LEG electricity price assumed at ~10 Rp./kWh. Individual savings depend on grid operator, production share and specific grid topology.
What comes next — for the LEG movement in Switzerland
April 2026 is not an ending. It's a beginning. The first communities starting now are pioneers — their billing data, their experiences, their questions shape how the system works for everyone who follows.
Swissolar is pushing politically to unlock the maximum legally permitted grid discount of 60% — currently it's 40% or 20%. The more LEGs are active, the more data shows that local consumption genuinely relieves grid pressure, the stronger the argument becomes. Every community that starts now makes the next one easier.
What you can do next
Already registered? Upgrid will contact you directly about your activation date and first bill — no follow-up needed.
Not yet registered? Registration is open. Sign up now and your earliest start is July 2026. Calculate your savings in 30 seconds — link below.
Ready when the sun shines over your neighbourhood?
Calculate in 30 seconds how much your community can save. No call. No consultation. Just the numbers.
Sources and basis: EKZ LEG page (ekz.ch), BKW LEG information (bkw.ch), Elektra LEG billing (elektra.ch), StromVG Art. 17d and 17e, StromVV Art. 19h, ElCom tariff data 2026 (elcom.admin.ch). Information without guarantee — for binding tariffs always consult the relevant grid operator.
