Rollout and Submetering for the GWG Group

In partnership with KALORIMETA GmbH (Kalo), a full-service provider for the housing industry, PPC is equipping the entire portfolio of the GWG Group with smart meter gateways (SMGW) and CLS adapters. In approximately 1,000 buildings, Kalo will take over competitive metering operations for common-area electricity through the end of 2021. Kalo will also handle submetering for approximately 5,500 residential units. This marks the first time that smart meter gateways will be installed across the entire portfolio of a nationwide housing company.

In the future, Kalo and the GWG Group will use digital technology to link the recording of heating energy consumption with the measurement of general electricity consumption. This will allow metering and submetering to be intelligently and efficiently consolidated via the SMGW, thereby avoiding duplicate systems. It will also be possible to connect the remaining electricity meters in the properties at a later date, since, according to the “property model” (Section 6 of the Metering Point Operations Act), starting in 2021, the property owner will have the right to choose the metering point operator if, through the installation of smart metering systems, at least one additional service—in this case, submetering—is bundled via the SMGW in parallel with the electricity supply.

Andreas Engelhardt, CEO of the GWG Group, sees above all the diverse opportunities and added value that this will bring to his company and its tenants, and therefore decided very early on to equip the GWG Group’s entire portfolio with SMGWs. “Smart meter gateways are the future of the industry. Our partnership with Kalo enables us to establish the same modern standards across our entire portfolio and generate widespread added value for both us and our tenants.”

Dr. Dirk Then, CEO of Kalo and Managing Director of the noventic group, emphasizes the project’s relevance to the company’s strategy: “The project impressively demonstrates how the expertise pooled within the noventic group interlocks, thereby paving the way for climate-smart real estate. Kalo recognized the potential of modern SMGW technology early on and built up the necessary expertise. This has enabled us to position ourselves at the forefront of the digitalization movement in the building sector. We will continue to pursue this path consistently in the future.”

Stephan Kiermeyer, managing director of Kalo, who worked closely with Andreas Engelhardt on the project, is enthusiastic about its forward-looking nature: “The highly secure communications infrastructure being implemented throughout the entire portfolio provides the GWG Group with numerous benefits and opportunities and ensures that the housing company can confidently meet future challenges.”

Modern Wireless Infrastructure

To track heating, hot water, and cold water consumption, Kalo installs AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) wireless meters from QUNDIS, which automatically transmit consumption data to SMGW via data collectors. On-site meter readings are therefore no longer necessary—eliminating the need for time-consuming appointments with tenants. The meters used are OMS-compliant (Open Metering System) and thus utilize open transmission standards. Data sovereignty for the GWG Group remains consistently guaranteed.

Benefits for Tenants and Landlords

The installation of the SMGW infrastructure will provide the GWG Group with numerous benefits in the areas of smart buildings and smart homes in the future. Furthermore, the digital infrastructure can be used to regularly provide residents with transparent information about their consumption. This will become mandatory for property owners anyway as part of the “intra-year consumption information” (UVI) requirement under the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). Last but not least, the networked infrastructure enables faster billing. This is because end-to-end electronic data transmission and cleverly integrated data validation prevent errors throughout the entire meter reading process and shorten data transmission times.

Integration of Third-Party Providers

The use of the interoperable SMGW and the ability to connect via the CLS channel not only enable the integration of additional applications but also of various providers. These providers use the SMGW’s data highway for data transmission. The gateway administrator then coordinates and provides the collected data to the respective authorized parties in a highly secure manner. This prevents data manipulation or misuse while allowing a wide variety of service providers to use the digital communications infrastructure. This represents real added value for tenants and building owners.

About the GWG Group

The GWG Group, founded in 1950, is a subsidiary of the R+V Insurance Group that specializes in residential real estate. Headquartered in Stuttgart, the group operates as a property owner, project developer, and real estate developer, as well as a service provider for third parties, and currently manages approximately 15,000 residential and commercial units nationwide. With a consolidated balance sheet total of approximately €1.3 billion, the GWG Group ranks among the leading medium-sized housing companies in Germany.