From 1 January 2027, the remuneration for solar power fed into the grid will no longer be based on the quarterly average but on the spot price in day-ahead trading at the time of feed-in – unless you have agreed otherwise with your grid operator. For systems under 150 kW, the minimum remuneration remains as a safety net (6.0 Rp./kWh up to 30 kW). A smart meter is required; systems without a smart metering system will continue to be billed at the quarterly value until one is installed. Several utilities will continue to offer fixed prices in 2027, such as AEW with 8.2 Rp./kWh. (As of: October 2026)
Key points in brief
- New basic rule from 1.1.2027: remuneration is the day-ahead spot price for Switzerland in the quarter hour in which you feed in – no longer the reference market price averaged over the quarter.
- The minimum remuneration remains: 6.0 Rp./kWh for systems under 30 kW, 6.2 Rp./kWh for larger systems without self-consumption. However, it protects the average of all solar systems, not your personal feed-in profile.
- Grid operators may continue to offer their own models: AEW (fixed price 8.2 Rp./kWh incl. GO) and Stadtwerk Winterthur (contract model, 9.00 or 11.70 Rp./kWh) are doing so in 2027, while EKZ pays the spot price.
- Initial model calculations by Swissolar show losses of a few per cent of total revenue for small systems that make no adjustments – the lower the self-consumption, the greater the impact.
- Self-consumption remains the most effective lever: shift consumers into the midday hours, control a battery correctly (charge at midday instead of in the morning) and check whether your energy manager can process dynamic prices.
What changes on 1 January 2027?
Until now – since January 2026 – grid operators without their own offer have paid the so-called reference market price: for this, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy averages the exchange prices of an entire quarter, weighted by the feed-in of all solar systems. Every kilowatt hour fed in during a quarter receives the same value, regardless of whether it flowed into the grid on a Sunday at noon in June or on a December evening.
From 2027, this averaging no longer applies. The Federal Council adopted the corresponding ordinance amendments on 27 May 2026 (Art. 15 para. 1bis Energy Act, Art. 12 Energy Ordinance). If the producer and grid operator cannot agree on a remuneration, the market price at the time of feed-in now applies – specifically the price on the spot market in day-ahead trading for the Swiss market area. This price is set the day before in an auction, per quarter hour, and converted at the Swiss National Bank's daily exchange rate.
| 2026 | from 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of remuneration | Reference market price, quarterly average (SFOE) | Day-ahead spot price at the time of feed-in |
| Time resolution | one value per quarter | one value per quarter hour |
| Minimum remuneration (under 150 kW) | yes | yes, as a premium on a quarterly basis |
| Requirement | – | smart metering system (smart meter) |
| Utilities' own models (fixed price etc.) | allowed | still permitted |
As of: October 2026. Sources: Federal Council (27.5.2026), Swissolar, EKZ feed-in tariffs 2027.
The idea behind it: solar power should flow into the grid when it is needed. On sunny middays, all systems feed in at the same time, and exchange prices then regularly fall towards zero, in some quarter hours even below it. In the evening and in winter, electricity is worth considerably more. The new model passes this price signal directly on to system owners.
Does the minimum remuneration remain?
Yes. For systems with an output of under 150 kW, the statutory minimum remuneration remains in place. The values under Art. 12a Energy Ordinance, as shown by EKZ in its 2027 tariff sheet:
| System | Minimum remuneration |
|---|---|
| Photovoltaics under 30 kW | 6.00 Rp./kWh |
| Photovoltaics from 30 kW, with self-consumption | 180 ÷ output in kW, i.e. 6.00 to 1.20 Rp./kWh |
| Photovoltaics from 30 kW, without self-consumption | 6.20 Rp./kWh |
Guideline values excl. VAT, as of: October 2026.
The mechanism is new: the minimum remuneration is not paid out as a fixed amount. First, every kilowatt hour is remunerated at the spot price. If the quarter's reference market price is then below the minimum remuneration, the grid operator pays the difference as a premium on every kilowatt hour fed in.
This is exactly the point many people overlook: the premium is calculated using the average of all solar systems, not your own profile. If your system feeds in mainly when everyone is feeding in – typical of a pure south-facing roof system without self-consumption around midday – your personal spot revenue is below average, and you end up below 6 Rp. despite the premium. Anyone who shifts part of their feed-in into the evening, on the other hand, ends up above it. The minimum remuneration therefore protects the average, not your roof.
When does this apply to my system?
It depends on the meter. Dynamic remuneration requires a smart metering system that records feed-in per quarter hour. This results in three cases:
1. System with smart meter: unless otherwise agreed, the new model applies from 1 January 2027. 2. Existing system without smart meter: it will continue to be remunerated at the quarterly reference market price until one is installed (as expressly stated in the EKZ 2027 tariff sheet). By 1 January 2028 at the latest, the grid operator must also offer these systems dynamic remuneration (Art. 80c EnV); smart meters for systems that feed in must be installed by the end of 2027. More on this: Smart meters and feed-in. 3. Plug-and-play systems (balcony power plants up to 600 W) without smart meter: some utilities pay a flat rate here – EKZ, for example, CHF 27 per year.
What will grid operators in the region pay in 2027?
Utilities had to publish their electricity tariffs for 2027 by the end of August; the feed-in tariffs sometimes follow later. Among those already known, there are two camps: some pass on the spot price, the others continue to offer a predictable fixed price.
| Grid operator | Model 2027 | Values 2027 (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| EKZ | Spot price + GO remuneration | Basis: day-ahead spot price · GO up to 3.00 Rp./kWh (Jan.–March, Oct.–Dec.) or up to 0.50 Rp./kWh (April–Sept.), suspended when prices are negative |
| AEW | Choice: fixed price or spot price | Fixed price 8.20 Rp./kWh incl. GO (systems 2–30 kW) · alternatively spot price without GO, plus the difference to the minimum remuneration · from 30 kW automatically spot price |
| Stadtwerk Winterthur | Contract model (fixed price incl. GO) or federal model | under 100 kW with self-consumption: 11.70 Rp./kWh (Q1/Q4) · 9.00 Rp./kWh (Q2/Q3), around 10 per cent lower than in 2026 |
| ewz | 2026: stable average tariff | 2026 on average 12.91 Rp./kWh · decision for 2027 not yet available at the editorial deadline |
| WWZ, EKS, Thurplus, Glattwerk, Werke am Zürichsee, EW Höfe | Feed-in tariff sheet 2027 not yet available at the editorial deadline | without their own offer, the federal model applies (spot price + minimum remuneration) |
As of: 15 October 2026. Sources: EKZ feed-in tariffs 2027, AEW product sheets «Rücklieferung Fixpreis» and «Rücklieferung Spotmarktpreis» 2027 (August 2026 edition), Stadtwerk Winterthur «Produktblatt Einspeisevergütung Photovoltaik 2027» (October 2026). Your utility's current tariff sheet is always decisive – we are adding the missing utilities on an ongoing basis.
Details for each utility: EKZ · AEW · Stadtwerk Winterthur · ewz · all utilities at a glance.
How much will my system's revenue fall?
Less than the headline «spot price» suggests – but not equally for everyone. Initial, still provisional model calculations by Swissolar show losses of a few per cent of total revenue for small systems that make no adjustments. For a system with around 30 per cent self-consumption, the feed-in remuneration in these calculations falls by about 15 per cent, but total revenue by only around 4 per cent – because the electricity you use yourself is not affected by the new model at all.
Systems with low self-consumption that feed a large part of their electricity into the grid around midday are hit harder. And there is one case that is surprising at first glance: systems with a battery that is already full in the morning. They feed in precisely during the cheapest hours. With the right control, this is reversed – more on that shortly.
This is how the figures should be put into perspective: a tariff is no reason to build or not to build a solar system. For a single-family home, profitability comes largely from the electricity you no longer need to buy, the one-off feed-in incentive and the tax deduction. Feed-in is the second pillar – and it is exactly this pillar that becomes more variable from 2027.
Fixed price or spot price – which is better?
Where you can choose, for example at AEW or Stadtwerk Winterthur, it pays to take a sober look at your feed-in profile.
In favour of the fixed price:
- Your system feeds in mainly around midday (south-facing roof, little self-consumption during the day).
- You have no battery and no energy manager that responds to prices.
- You want to be able to plan. At AEW, the fixed price of 8.20 Rp./kWh including guarantee of origin is well above the minimum remuneration of 6 Rp., which remains the floor in the spot model without GO.
What can speak in favour of the spot price:
- A battery with an energy manager shifts a relevant part of the feed-in into the evening hours.
- Your system produces above-average amounts in winter or in the morning and evening (east-west layout, façade, steep modules).
- You can sell the guarantee of origin elsewhere at a good price (selling GOs).
For the typical single-family home system without a battery, the fixed price is the safer choice in 2027 wherever it is offered. Note the deadlines: at AEW, registration for the fixed price as of 1 January 2027 must be made in the customer portal by 7 December 2026; at EKZ, a switch with or without GO remuneration as of 1 January must be notified on «myEKZ» by 15 November 2026.
What should system owners do now?
Four steps, in this order:
1. Check your bill and meter. Which model is stored with your utility, is a smart meter installed, is the guarantee of origin remunerated? The answer is on your last feed-in statement or in the customer portal. 2. Clarify model choice and deadlines. Where there is a fixed price, choose in good time (AEW: 7.12.2026). Where there is not, the federal model applies automatically. 3. Shift self-consumption to midday. Heat pump, water heater, dishwasher and above all the electric car are the big levers – the more of them run during the day, the less depends on the spot price. Practical tips: Optimising self-consumption. 4. Use battery and energy manager correctly. A battery should no longer be full in the morning but absorb the midday peak and release it in the evening. An energy manager does this automatically – provided it can process dynamic prices. Check this for an existing system; for a retrofit, it belongs in the specification. More on this: Retrofitting a home battery and Energy managers compared.
An alternative to feeding into the grid is selling in the neighbourhood: in a local electricity community (LEG), your surplus goes to the neighbours at an agreed price instead of to the exchange at the midday spot price.
Since the Federal Council adopted the new model, we hear two questions particularly often: «Is my system no longer worth it?» and «Do I have to buy a battery straight away?». The answer to both is usually no. For existing systems, we first look at the bill and the load profile: how much is fed in around midday, which consumers can be shifted, can the existing inverter take a battery? Better control of the heat pump and water heater often achieves more than any new hardware. Only then do we calculate the battery – and then with a control system that charges at midday.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to do anything as a system owner?
Not necessarily. Without any action on your part, your grid operator's model applies from 2027 – depending on the utility, a fixed price or the spot price with minimum remuneration. You should act if your utility offers a choice (note the deadlines) or if you feed in a lot around midday.
Can the remuneration become negative?
In individual quarter hours, the spot price can fall below zero, and with it the base remuneration for that quarter hour. For systems under 150 kW, the minimum remuneration premium compensates over the quarter, provided the reference market price is below the minimum remuneration. EKZ also suspends the GO remuneration when prices are negative.
What applies to systems without a smart meter?
They will continue to be remunerated at the quarterly reference market price until a smart metering system is installed. Grid operators must equip systems that feed in with smart meters by the end of 2027.
Is a home battery now more worthwhile?
Tendentially yes, because electricity that is used yourself or fed in during the evening is worth more than feeding in around midday. What matters, however, is the control: a battery that charges fully in the morning and feeds in at midday makes the problem worse. Whether the investment pays off for your household depends on consumption and system size – Is a home battery worth it?
Does the new rule also apply to ZEV and LEG?
The same remuneration rules apply to the surplus that a self-consumption community feeds into the grid. Within a ZEV or LEG, the participants set the price themselves – this is one of the reasons why Swissolar names these models as an answer to low midday prices.
Where can I find the current spot prices?
The day-ahead prices for Switzerland are published by the EPEX SPOT power exchange for the following day. For system owners, this is mainly relevant for control – an energy manager with a price interface reads them in automatically.
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Existing system check 2027: what the new model means for your roof
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Sources: Federal Council, media release of 27.5.2026 (revision of the Energy Ordinance); Swissolar (Abnahmevergütung; «Neues Vergütungsmodell schafft Marktanreize», 27.5.2026; webinar on dynamic purchase remuneration, 29.9.2026); VSE (media release 18.8.2026); EKZ, Rückliefertarife 2027; AEW, product sheets Rücklieferung Fixpreis and Spotmarktpreis 2027; Stadtwerk Winterthur, Produktblatt Einspeisevergütung Photovoltaik 2027; Solarmarkt GmbH (1.10.2026).
Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team
