Act on the development of a building-integrated charging and line infrastructure for electromobility – GEIG

• Germany

• Real estate
• Energy and infrastructure
• ESG

01-12-2021

What obligations apply to “building owners”?

On 25 March 2021, the new Act on the development of a building-integrated charging and line infrastructure for electromobility – (“GEIG”) - came into force in Germany. The act implements the provisions of the European Buildings Directive (EU) 2018/844 and aims to accelerate the expansion of electromobility infrastructure in the building sector.

Obligations towards „building owners”

The GEIG is explicitly aimed at the “building owner”, not the owner of the plot of land. In principle, all types of residential and non-residential buildings are affected. It applies also to mixed-use buildings. Only non-residential buildings owned by small and medium-sized enterprises, which are also predominantly used by them, do not fall within the scope of application of the GEIG.

Obligation for new construction or renovation as of 2021

In case of a new construction or „major renovation” the GEIG obliges owners of residential and non-residential buildings with at least five parking spaces to equip them partly with charging points and line infrastructure.

Obligation for existing buildings as of 2025

From 2025, the owners of existing non-residential buildings with more than twenty parking spaces will also be obliged to equip them with at least one charging point.

Scope regarding building owners and project developers

| Major renovations within the meaning of the GEIG are only those in which more than 25% of the surface of the building exterior is renovated. Building owners should therefore check in each individual case whether mere renovations of the interior or extensions trigger obligations under the GEIG as.

| The obligations of the GEIG only affect the owner who owns both the building and the parking spaces. Sale-and-lease-back constellations may therefore prevent the application of the GEIG in individual cases.

| A spatial separation of building and parking spaces (e.g. by a street) may also prevent the application of the GEIG in individual cases.

| Building owners and developers can enter into agreements with energy supply companies and/or each other for buildings in a spatial context (neighbourhood) in order to coordinate their obligations under the GEIG.

| Owners of several already existing non-residential buildings can, if appropriate, also construct the infrastructure to be built from 2025 onwards for several of their buildings on a single property.

| For charging infrastructure fed by photovoltaic systems operated by the building owner, it may be possible to achieve a reduction in the obligation to pay the EEG levy if the electricity generated by the photovoltaic systems is consumed by electric vehicles whose registered owner is the building owner.