The concept first
An energy community is simply a group of neighbours who agree to share their solar power with each other.
Normally, if you have solar panels and produce more electricity than you need, the extra goes far away to the big energy company. And if you do not have solar panels, you buy all your electricity from that same big company.
An energy community changes this. It keeps the electricity local. Producers share their extra power directly with consumers in the same neighbourhood. Everyone benefits.
House A
Directly shared power
House B
What is our role?
We are the gestionnaire โ the manager of the energy community. We take care of everything behind the scenes so you do not have to.
We gather the members. We set up the legal structure. We notify the authorities. We handle the agreements with the grid operator. We calculate each member's consumption and production. We determine how much shared energy each person receives. We manage the internal billing so producers are paid and consumers pay the right amount.
In short: we make the community work. You simply enjoy the benefits.
An important point: you keep your supplier
You do not need to change your electricity supplier. Nothing changes with your current contract. Your supplier still provides the electricity that is not covered by the community. The shared energy simply reduces how much you need to buy from them.
You keep your supplier. You keep your contract. You just pay less.
Now, let us look at some examples
Example 1: Two neighbours
House A has solar panels. On a sunny day, it produces more electricity than it needs. House B has no solar panels. It needs electricity.
Before: House A's extra power went far away. House B bought from the big company.
After: House A shares directly with House B. House B buys less from the big company. Both save money.
We manage the sharing automatically. You do nothing. And you keep your existing supplier.
Example 2: You do not have solar panels
You can still join. You simply receive shared energy from neighbours who do have panels. You pay them a fair price โ usually lower than what the big company charges. You save money without installing anything on your roof.
We calculate exactly how much you receive and what you owe. You do not need to track anything yourself. And your electricity supplier remains exactly the same as before.
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Both are better off than before. No one loses. That is the power of sharing locally.
These numbers are fictional and for illustration only. Actual prices depend on your community's agreement.
The simple summary
Before you join
After you join
You buy all your electricity from your supplier
Your neighbour's extra solar power goes far away
You buy some from neighbours, some from your supplier
You pay your supplier's full price
Your neighbour's extra power stays nearby
You are on your own
You pay your supplier less + a lower community price
You have to figure everything out yourself
You are part of a team
Your supplier contract is your only option
We manage everything for you
Your supplier contract stays exactly the same
One last thing
Nothing changes inside your home. Your lights still turn on. Your appliances still work. The electricity comes through the same wires. You still receive a bill from your regular supplier. The only difference is that you now also receive some electricity from your neighbours – and you pay less because of it.
Saving and gaining at the same time
The consumer pays less. The producer earns more. Here is why that works.
The answer is simple. Before the community, both sides had a bad deal.
The consumer paid the supplier's full price โ let us say 30 cents per kWh.
The producer sold surplus to the grid for a low price โ let us say 5 cents per kWh.
The community changes this.
The consumer and producer agree on a fair internal price – let us say 15 cents per kWh.
Now the consumer pays 15 cents instead of 30. They save 15 cents per kWh.
The consumer saves.
The producer earns 15 cents instead of 5. They gain 10 cents more per kWh.
The producer gains.