Germany · Gebäudeenergiegesetz (GEG)
GEG: Germany's building energy law, met with real data.
The Gebäudeenergiegesetz is Germany's national transposition of the EPBD. It sets energy performance, heating, and building automation rules for commercial buildings. Rhino delivers the audit-grade utility data those obligations run on.
What GEG stands for
Gebäudeenergiegesetz, the German Building Energy Act. The national law that transposes the EU EPBD into German rules, merging the former EnEG, EnEV, and EEWärmeG into one framework. In force since 2020, amended in 2024.
Scope and applicability
What the GEG covers and who it applies to.
The GEG governs energy use across new builds, renovations, and existing commercial buildings. One clause, the building automation rule in §71a, is where the data obligation bites hardest.
At a glance
290 kW
Heating or air conditioning output. Non-residential buildings above this threshold must have building automation under §71a.
Jan 2025
The §71a automation obligation for existing buildings is in force. The deadline of December 31, 2024 has passed.
70 kW
By end of 2029, the threshold drops to 70 kW, pulling far more of the portfolio into scope.
Office buildings
Non-residential offices where the combined heating, ventilation, or air conditioning output exceeds 290 kW. The automation rule applies to both new builds and existing stock.
Logistics and industrial buildings
Warehouses, distribution centers, and production sites with HVAC above 290 kW. Large-footprint logistics assets cross the threshold quickly.
Retail, hospitality, and healthcare
Shopping centers, hotels, and clinics above the HVAC threshold. Residential buildings sit outside §71a, though other GEG rules still apply to them.
Educational and public buildings
Schools, universities, and government buildings that meet the threshold. Public owners are often first in line for enforcement review.
Is your building in scope?
If your non-residential building has HVAC above 290 kW, the §71a automation obligation already applies. Talk to us about the data side of it.
The obligations
What the GEG asks of commercial buildings.
The law sets four main obligations for owners and operators. The last one, building automation, is the one that depends on continuous utility data.
Energy performance standards
Minimum efficiency levels for new builds and major renovations, set as a share of a reference building. The benchmark tightens over time toward a near-zero-energy standard.
65% renewable heating
New heating systems must run on at least 65% renewable energy, phased in across new-build areas first and existing buildings later. The rule reshapes how buildings source heat.
Energy certificates
The Energieausweis rates a building's energy performance and must be issued on sale or lease. Accurate consumption data underpins a defensible rating.
Building automation (§71a)
Non-residential buildings above 290 kW HVAC must run building automation that monitors, logs, and analyzes energy use continuously. This is the data-heavy obligation, covered in detail below.
§71a in focus
The building automation rule, in detail.
§71a is the German counterpart to the Dutch GACS obligation, both drawn from the same EPBD article. It spells out what a building automation and control system must do.
Monitor, log, and analyze
The system must continuously monitor, record, and analyze energy consumption, and allow that consumption to be adjusted. Not a one-off audit: a live, ongoing record of how the building uses energy.
Benchmark and flag losses
It must benchmark the building's energy efficiency, detect efficiency losses in technical systems, and give the person responsible for building management the information to act on them.
Communicate across systems
It must communicate with connected building systems and be interoperable across devices and manufacturers. Vendor lock-in that blocks data exchange does not meet the requirement.
Automation grade B and enforcement
New builds must reach at least automation grade B under DIN EN ISO 52120-1. Missing the obligation is an administrative offense under §108 GEG, with fines of up to 5,000 euros per building.
Rhino's role
Rhino delivers the data §71a runs on.
A building automation system needs a complete, continuous record of energy use. That is exactly what Rhino produces, across every utility and every meter.
Continuous monitoring per carrier and system
Rhino collects electricity, gas, water, and heat data at meter level, updated every 15 minutes. Meters map to systems, zones, and floors, so consumption breaks down the way §71a expects.
Efficiency loss detection with alerts
Rhino's alarms flag consumption that drifts from expected patterns and notify the operator by email or in-platform alert. Deviations are logged with timestamps, so nothing slips past building management.
Interoperable across meters and systems
Rhino reads P1 smart meters, WMBus devices, and BACnet and Modbus systems. It works across manufacturers, so it fits the interoperability §71a demands rather than locking data into one vendor.
Benchmarking and periodic reports
Rhino generates automated reports on a schedule you set, with consumption per carrier, period-over-period comparisons, and efficiency trends. The data supports both §71a and the Energieausweis.
Full history, exportable and API-ready
All metered data is stored in Rhino's cloud with no retention limit during your subscription. History is available in the dashboard, exportable to CSV, and reachable via the Utility Data API for external systems.
How Rhino connects to your building
Software-only: for buildings with smart meters, Rhino connects via the meter's data port. No extra hardware, active within days.
Own hardware: for older gas, water, or heat meters without a digital connection, Rhino installs compact access points alongside the existing meter. No meter replacement.
WMBus / BACnet / Modbus: for buildings with an existing BMS or wireless meter network, Rhino reads the signal directly, without additional hardware.
Low CAPEX: Rhino connects to what is already installed. No rewiring, no rip-and-replace. For most German commercial buildings, the only spend is hardware for meters that do not yet communicate digitally.
Common questions
GEG compliance, answered.
The GEG (Gebäudeenergiegesetz) is Germany's Building Energy Act, the national law that transposes the EU EPBD. It merged three older laws (EnEG, EnEV, and EEWärmeG) into one framework in 2020 and was amended in 2024. It sets energy performance standards for new builds and renovations, a 65% renewable requirement for new heating systems, rules for the Energieausweis energy certificate, and a building automation obligation for large non-residential buildings under §71a.
§71a requires non-residential buildings with heating or air conditioning output above 290 kW to have a building automation and control system. The system must continuously monitor, log, and analyze energy use, benchmark efficiency and flag losses to building management, and communicate interoperably across systems and manufacturers. For existing buildings the deadline was December 31, 2024, so the obligation is already in force. By the end of 2029 the threshold drops to 70 kW, bringing many more buildings into scope.
They are two national versions of the same rule. Both §71a in Germany and GACS in the Netherlands implement the building automation requirement in the EPBD, and both apply to non-residential buildings above 290 kW HVAC. The technical obligations are near-identical: continuous monitoring, efficiency benchmarking, and interoperable communication. If you run a portfolio across both countries, the same data foundation covers both.
Failing to install a compliant building automation system on time is an administrative offense (Ordnungswidrigkeit) under §108 GEG. It can carry a fine of up to 5,000 euros per building. Beyond the fine, the same metered data §71a requires also feeds the Energieausweis and CSRD energy disclosures, so a gap here creates knock-on reporting problems. We recommend confirming building-specific applicability with your energy advisor.
Rhino delivers the energy monitoring, logging, and analysis layer that §71a requires. It records consumption per carrier at meter and zone level, alerts on efficiency losses, retains full history, and communicates across P1, WMBus, BACnet, and Modbus systems. Building automation also involves control of the technical systems themselves, which Rhino reads from and reports on rather than actuates. Most German buildings pair Rhino's data layer with their existing control infrastructure. We recommend confirming the full compliance picture with your energy advisor.
GEG compliance starts with the right data.
If your non-residential building in Germany has HVAC above 290 kW, the §71a automation obligation already applies. Rhino connects to your meters and delivers the continuous energy data the rule runs on.
Further reading
From the Rhino blog.
