More than 1,000 new shared energy use arrangements in just three days: between 5 and 7 October 2026, more than twice as many new arrangements were registered in Austria as during the whole of August. (Source: EDA Energiewirtschaftlicher Datenaustausch GmbH).
Many of these are likely to be linked to the new peer-to-peer (P2P) contracts, which have been available for practical implementation since October. Individuals, businesses and municipalities can use these contracts to share self-generated electricity without setting up a separate legal entity.
The figures show that interest in local and community energy sharing is already there. For energy suppliers, this opens up a growing product market, spanning P2P contracts, Renewable Energy Communities and Citizen Energy Communities, as well as collective generation and self-supply models.
Leading Austrian energy suppliers already use exnaton to digitise and scale existing energy-sharing models. The exnaton platform is also designed to support the new models enabled by the ElWG, including P2P.
The key question, then, is not just how to implement one P2P contract. Energy suppliers need a shared technological foundation on which they can configure, operate and scale a range of citizen energy products.
Under a peer-to-peer contract, an active customer makes self-generated electricity available to one or more other active customers.
For example:
Unlike a traditional energy community, a P2P model does not require a joint legal entity such as an association, cooperative or limited liability company. The arrangement is based on a contract between the parties involved.
The existing electricity supply contract remains in place. Shared energy supplements the regular supply, since it generally does not cover the participants’ entire consumption at all times.
The ElWG’s new provisions on citizen energy came into force on 1 October 2026. The market processes required for practical implementation have been available since 5 October 2026.
During the initial implementation phase, P2P models can only be set up between metering points within the area of the same distribution system operator. Implementation across distribution areas—and therefore nationwide energy sharing—is expected to become possible from April 2027.
Reduced network charges are also subject to a transition period. Based on current plans, the amended regulation is due to come into force on 1 January 2027. Only then are the planned reductions expected to extend to additional local and regional energy-sharing models.
Peer-to-peer energy sharing is receiving particular attention at the moment. However, the ElWG establishes a broader framework for several forms of shared energy use.
As described above, electricity is shared under a contract between active customers, without setting up a separate legal entity. This is particularly suitable for straightforward arrangements, such as one generating party supplying one or more consuming parties.
Under the new rules, a natural or legal person can use self-generated energy across multiple sites. This is particularly relevant for businesses and municipalities that want to use surplus electricity from their own generation facilities at other locations.
A Renewable Energy Community enables individuals, municipalities and businesses to jointly generate, use, store and sell renewable energy within a local or regional area of proximity.
An EEG requires its own legal entity, such as an association, cooperative or limited liability company.
Citizen Energy Communities can generally operate nationwide. The new ElWG also makes local and regional BEGs more attractive by providing for reduced network charges when electricity is shared within the relevant area of proximity.
A collective generation facility enables several participants—for example, residents of an apartment building—to use electricity from a shared generation facility.
The ElWG expands the options available for these models and brings them more fully into the broader framework for shared energy use.
The rapid rise in registered shared energy use arrangements shows that citizen energy is no longer a niche topic in Austria. Customers want to share, locally market and use self-generated electricity more flexibly.
The opportunity for energy suppliers is therefore not limited to responding to new demand for P2P. They can position themselves as product providers, organisers and long-term partners for prosumers, municipalities and businesses.
With exnaton, energy suppliers can continue to scale existing energy-sharing models while introducing new P2P and citizen energy offerings on the same technological foundation.
Those who build this foundation today can turn a regulatory change into a flexible, expandable product portfolio.
