The Electricity Act – approved by voters in June 2024, in force in stages since 2025/2026 – redraws the rules for private solar producers: feed-in remuneration now follows a nationwide reference market price with a statutory minimum remuneration as a floor, solar power may now be sold to neighbours over the public grid (LEG), and the virtual ZEV has a legal entitlement. For homeowners it brings more options – and a few new obligations in the background. (As of: July 2026)
Key points in brief
- The Electricity Act is the "Mantelerlass": a package that amends several energy and electricity-supply laws at once.
- For feed-in remuneration, a uniform framework applies: a quarterly reference market price, backed by a minimum remuneration for small systems.
- Solar power may now cross the property boundary: the local electricity community (LEG) makes neighbourhood power possible.
- The virtual ZEV became a legal entitlement – grid operators must allow it.
- For an existing single-family home, the law brings no solar mandate; the mandate concerns large new builds.
What is the Electricity Act, exactly?
Formally it's called the "Federal Act on a Secure Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Sources" – in everyday use "Stromgesetz" (Electricity Act) has become standard, in expert circles "Mantelerlass". The second name explains the construction: it's not a single new law but an umbrella act that amends several existing laws at once – above all the Energy Act and the Electricity Supply Act.
Voters clearly approved the bill in June 2024; it came into force in stages from 2025, and the parts most important for solar producers – the new remuneration system and local electricity communities – have applied since 1 January 2026.
The stated goal: more domestic renewable electricity, especially in winter, and clearer rules for everyone producing their own. For you as a homeowner, the package can be sorted into three levels – what changes with the money, what new options arise, and what obligations are added. In order.
What's changing about remuneration for solar power?
The biggest practical change for system owners: since 2026, remuneration for fed-in electricity follows a nationwide uniform framework. Previously each utility set its feed-in tariff largely freely – the range was wide, the logic often opaque.
The new system consists of two building blocks:
The reference market price as the standard. The standard remuneration is based on the quarterly averaged market price, which the Federal Office of Energy calculates and publishes. Your solar power is thus worth as much as electricity on the market – transparent, but fluctuating. How this price comes about is explained in the article on the reference market price.
The minimum remuneration as a floor. So producers don't come away empty-handed in extreme low-price phases, the law guarantees a minimum feed-in remuneration – for PV systems up to 30 kWp it's 6.0 Rp./kWh. The details and special cases are covered in the article on the minimum feed-in remuneration.
Important for context: this is the statutory framework, not necessarily your tariff. Utilities may still offer their own products above it – and many do, as the region's tariff comparison shows. What hasn't changed underneath is the basis: the grid operator is obliged to take and remunerate your surplus electricity.
What new options does the law bring?
Three innovations noticeably widen the scope for private producers:
The local electricity community (LEG). The real system break: since 1 January 2026, solar power may be sold to neighbours over the public grid – at a reduced grid-usage fee, because the electricity only uses the lowest grid level. Until now, your own electricity world ended at the property boundary; now the whole roof can become a neighbourhood power plant. Requirements, limits and first offers: LEG explained.
The virtual ZEV as a legal entitlement. Several parties can share solar power without converting a single meter – the grid operator settles virtually via its smart meters and must allow this model. What used to depend on the utility's goodwill is now enforceable: vZEV in detail. Which model fits when is sorted out in the big comparison.
Dynamic tariffs and marketable flexibility. The law creates the framework for electricity tariffs based on the actual market price – hour by hour instead of flat. For households with a battery, heat pump or EV, the timing of consumption thus becomes something you can manage; the rules are in the article on dynamic electricity tariffs. And anyone with controllable devices can make their flexibility available to the grid – now with clear rules on who owns the flexibility: Marketing flexibility.
| Change | What it brings | Relevant for whom |
|---|---|---|
| Reference market price + minimum remuneration | a uniform, transparent remuneration basis | all feed-in producers |
| LEG | Selling solar power to the neighbourhood | large roofs, neighbourhoods |
| vZEV legal entitlement | sharing electricity without converting meters | apartment buildings, condominium ownership |
| Dynamic tariffs | managing consumption by market price | households with battery/heat pump/EV |
| Smart meter rollout | the data basis for everything above | all households (happens automatically) |
Simplified overview, as of: July 2026. The law, ordinances and your local grid operator's implementation are decisive.
Does the Electricity Act bring new obligations for homeowners?
Less than the debate suggested – for an existing single-family home, practically nothing changes on the obligations side.
No solar mandate for your own home. The mandate anchored in the law concerns large new builds: buildings above a certain size must have a solar system installed – the threshold is far above a single-family home. Who's affected, and what additionally applies cantonally (the Canton of Zurich has its own rules for new builds), is in the article on the solar mandate.
The smart meter is coming – on its own. The rollout of intelligent metering systems is running across the board; for you that means, at some point, a meter replacement by the grid operator, nothing more. It's also the technical prerequisite for vZEV, LEG and dynamic tariffs. What the new meter can do and what it costs: Smart meters in Switzerland.
In the background: winter electricity. The law sets expansion targets and eases large hydro, wind and alpine solar projects. That doesn't affect your roof directly – but it explains the direction: electricity is meant to be produced more when it's scarce. The same logic, incidentally, also rewards systems with good winter yield on your own home, for example via seasonal tariff models.
Bottom line, the Electricity Act is a law of possibilities for homeowners, not a law of obligations: it makes your own system more versatile to use, without imposing new conditions on existing ones.
Since the law came into force, one question in our consultations has changed above all: customers used to ask "What does the utility pay me?" – increasingly today they ask "What can I do with my electricity?" That's exactly the shift the law intended. Concretely, in 2026 we recommend three checks: classify your own feed-in tariff (market-price or fixed-price model?), submit the vZEV request for apartment buildings, and calculate LEG marketing for large roofs. Not every option pays off everywhere – but anyone who doesn't check at all is planning with the day-before-yesterday's rules.
Frequently asked questions
Do I as a homeowner have to do anything because of the Electricity Act?
No, there's no obligation to act – existing systems keep running, the meter replacement comes from the grid operator. Still, it's worth looking at the new options: check your tariff model, request vZEV for multi-party buildings, calculate LEG marketing if you have a lot of surplus.
Does my feed-in remuneration drop because of the new law?
That depends on the utility. The reference market price can be lower than earlier fixed tariffs, but the minimum remuneration sets a floor – and many utilities voluntarily pay more. What's decisive is your grid operator's specific model, not the law alone.
Does the solar mandate also apply to my existing house?
No. The federal mandate concerns large new builds above a floor-area threshold that's far above a single-family home. Cantonal rules can impose additional requirements for new builds – there's no retrofit obligation for existing buildings.
What's the difference between the Stromgesetz and the Mantelerlass?
None – they're two names for the same bill. "Mantelerlass" describes the legal technique (a package amending several laws), "Stromgesetz" was the ballot title. Both mean the Federal Act on a Secure Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Sources.
Do I need a smart meter for the new options?
For vZEV, LEG and dynamic tariffs, yes – they rely on the quarter-hourly values from intelligent metering systems. The rollout is running across the board and comes without any action from you; where a project is coming up, the replacement can be brought forward with the grid operator.
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What does the Electricity Act mean for your roof?
Tariff model, vZEV, LEG potential: with every quote, we check which of the new options actually pay off at your address – using your grid operator's terms.
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Sources: Federal Act on a Secure Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Sources (Mantelerlass) including ordinances (as of 2026), Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) (reference market price), ElCom FAQ on the energy strategy under the Mantelerlass (as of 2026).
Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team
