Project INNOnet - FAQ

The INNOnet project is testing dynamic electricity grid fees for end consumers in three demonstration areas in Austria (the grid areas of Netz Oberösterreich GmbH, Linz Netz GmbH, and Energienetze Steiermark GmbH). We aim to test during the demonstration period from autumn 2024 to autumn 2025 whether and how end consumers change their electricity consumption behavior due to altered, dynamic grid fees. Our demonstration participants will have different electricity grid fees calculated on their electricity bills – however, we ensure that these fees cannot be higher than in the previous grid fee scheme. Participants in the demonstration can therefore save money, but they will pay at most their previous fees. Additionally, the grid fees have been approved by the regulatory authority E-Control (Regulatory Sandbox).

In Austria, the electricity bill consists of 3 components: Energy costs (these are the pure costs for electricity), grid fees (these cover the costs for the construction, renewal, expansion, and operation of the electricity grids), and taxes and levies (e.g., charges for promoting green electricity or value-added tax). In the INNOnet project, we are changing the grid fee component: We are dynamicizing the grid tariff (to incentivize end consumers to avoid peak loads and promote the consumption of locally produced electricity). In our mobile INNOnet project app, we display the energy costs and an estimated value of taxes and levies, but we do not alter these components.

1. Households eligible for participation in the demo will receive an email from their respective grid operator (either Netz Oberösterreich GmbH or Linz Netz GmbH).
2. In this email, you will be asked to fill out a survey regarding your household data (e.g., whether you have a PV system, a heat pump, or an electric car). Filling out the survey is essential for participating in the project.
3. The survey will then guide you directly to download the mobile INNOnet project app from the App Store/Google Play Store using a QR code. After downloading the INNOnet project app, you will be prompted to enter the registration code from the grid operator's email, as well as your metering point number(s), grid operator, energy supplier, and energy tariff.
4. To allow us to use your consumption data from your smart meter devices, as a final step, you must give your consent for data processing and transmission ("Consent Management") in the grid operator's portal (Link eService-Portal Netz Oberösterreich oder Serviceportal Linz Netz). The exact process of this will be explained below.
5. You will find out within 2 months of registration whether you have been selected for demo participation.
6. If you are not selected for the demo, you will be assigned to the control group (you will not receive different grid fees, but you will have the opportunity to track your energy consumption via the INNOnet project app and participate in an attractive prize draw – see question below).

1. Households eligible for participation in the demo will be encouraged to participate through workshops organized by the respective grid operator (Energienetze Steiermark GmbH).
2. During the workshop, you will be asked to fill out a survey regarding your household data (e.g., whether you have a PV system, a heat pump, or an electric car). Filling out the survey is essential for participating in the project.
3. There will be another workshop where the mobile INNOnet project app will be introduced, and each demo participant will download it. After downloading the INNOnet project app, you will be prompted to enter a registration code, which you will receive during the workshop for the mobile INNOnet project app, as well as your metering point number(s), grid operator, energy supplier, and energy tariff.
4. To allow us to use your consumption data from your smart meter devices, as a final step, you must give your consent for data processing and transmission ("Consent Management") in the grid operator's portal (Serviceportal Energienetze Steiermark). The exact process of this will be explained below.

The demo period is set from autumn 2024 to autumn 2025.

To participate in the demo, you will be contacted directly by the grid operator via email. In the email, you will be directed to fill out a survey that is required for participation. At the end of the survey, you will be guided directly to download the mobile INNOnet project app from the App Store/Google Play Store using a QR code. You will then need to download the app.

The app can generally be found in the App Store/Google Play Store under the name "Projekt-INNOnet"; however, for demo participation, you must have completed the household data survey and enter the registration code (included in the email from the grid operator).

To participate in the demo, you will be directly invited to workshops by the grid operator. In the summer, a workshop on how to use the INNOnet project app will take place. During the workshop, you will be assisted in downloading the mobile INNOnet project app from the App Store/Google Play Store using a QR code.

The app can generally be found in the App Store/Google Play Store under the name "Projekt-INNOnet"; however, for demo participation, you must have completed the household data survey and enter the registration code (included in the email from the grid operator).

The mobile INNOnet project app is required for demo participation (without the app and a completed survey, unfortunately, you cannot participate). The mobile INNOnet project app will display the grid fees for the next day at 4 PM (depending on the grid fee scheme), provide you with current information on your electricity costs, and also show your energy consumption. There are no costs associated with using the app.

You can find the registration code needed for demo participation in the email sent by the grid operator. If you have not received an email from your grid operator (and have not received the registration code during a workshop), you have not been selected for demo participation.

Nevertheless, you can still use the mobile INNOnet project app with limited functionality.

You have received an email from your grid operator for demo participation (either Netz Oberösterreich GmbH or Linz Netz GmbH). If you live in Styria, you may have been invited to participate in a workshop (grid operator: Energienetze Steiermark GmbH). End consumers from other grid areas cannot participate in the project.

Your metering point numbers were included in the email from the grid operator. Alternatively, you can find your metering point number on your electricity bill (or grid bill): The metering point number consists of 31 digits and starts with the two letters "AT". You may have multiple metering point numbers (e.g., one for consumption and one for your photovoltaic feed-in). Please enter all metering point numbers for your household during the registration process on the mobile INNOnet project app.

The metering point number (also known as "Zählpunktbezeichnung") is shown on the sample invoice from E-Control (see graphic) in the red box under Number 1.

Source example invoice: https://www.e-control.at/konsumenten/rechnung/rechnungsgestaltung-rechnungslegung

You can find the name of your electricity supplier on your electricity bill, unless you have recently switched. A list of electricity suppliers operating in Austria can be found on the website of the regulatory authority E-Control: https://www.e-control.at/konsumenten/strom/lieferanten-uebersicht/oesterreichweit

The name of the electricity supplier is shown on the sample invoice from E-Control (see graphic) in the red box under Number 2.

Source example invoice: https://www.e-control.at/konsumenten/rechnung/rechnungsgestaltung-rechnungslegung

You can find the name of your electricity tariff on your electricity bill (see on the sample invoice from E-Control in the red box under Number 3).

Source example invoice: https://www.e-control.at/konsumenten/rechnung/rechnungsgestaltung-rechnungslegung

If you have signed up for your electricity tariff a long time ago, it may not be available in our database. In this case, we kindly ask you to send an email (Subject "INNOnet: My electricity tariff is not available in the app") with a photo or scan of your latest annual electricity bill to tounify (tariff(at)tounify.io).

Here you will find a detailed guide for Netz Oberösterreich: LINK

Here you will find a detailed guide for Linz Netz: LINK

Here you will find a detailed guide for Energienetze Steiermark: LINK

Here you will find a general guide: LINK

Thanks to neoom and KEM Naturpark Almenland for preparing the guide for data transmission and processing!

Unfortunately, no. We limit our project to primary residences.

Clever-PV is a cloud-based energy management system that is linked to the dynamic electricity grid fees as part of the INNOnet project. What does that mean? By connecting your generation and/or consumption units to the internet with the clever-PV app (another app, not to be confused with the "Project-INNOnet app"), you can automate their control with just a few settings. For example, you can integrate your photovoltaic system, electric car, or heat pump. As a demo participant, you will receive free access to clever-PV for the entire demo period, so there are no costs associated with using it during the demo.

If you use clever-PV as a demo participant, you can automate the control of your generation and/or consumption units based on the new dynamic grid fees with the click of a button. For instance, your heat pump would then prefer to operate during times of low grid fees, saving you costs automatically.

You can download the clever-PV app for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and register.

App Store | Playstore

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If you are using or want to use clever-PV as an energy management system, refer to the question "What is clever-PV and what do I get from using it as a demo participant" or "How can I register for clever-PV".

Congratulations! You are one of 50 demo participants who have been selected. A customer interface allows you to almost real-time monitor your electricity consumption. When you install the customer interface, which will be sent to you by mail, you can track your consumption data not only for the previous day but almost in real-time using the mobile INNOnet project app!

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We attempt to capture and sum up your energy costs, grid fees, and taxes/levies in your mobile INNOnet project app. However, there may be instances where we do not fully capture certain taxes/levies, or where specific electricity suppliers offer special promotions such as free electricity days that we cannot reflect. Therefore, the mobile INNOnet project app can only provide an approximate representation of your total electricity costs. You will receive the correct total electricity costs on your electricity bill.

No. Within the demo, we are obligated to not charge end consumers higher grid fees than those existing (according to the System Use Fee Regulation). As a demo participant, you can save on grid fees, but under no circumstances will you pay higher grid fees. However, our project does not have any influence on your energy tariff.

If you wish to participate in the project, have filled out the survey, downloaded the mobile INNOnet project app, and provided data sharing consent in the service portal of your grid operator, the 15-minute electricity consumption data from the previous day will be automatically sent via the EDA portal to our database developer HAKOM, where it will be stored for the duration of the project. The mobile INNOnet project app from the FH Oberösterreich accesses your consumption data from there and provides it to you. Additionally, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology accesses this data to calculate grid tariff windows for the following day. The survey data (e.g., household characteristics) will only be made available to research partners (Energy Institute at JKU and AIT Austrian Institute of Technology) for impact analyses.

For demo participants who install a customer interface, these near-real-time data will also be stored on the HAKOM data platform and retrieved by FH Oberösterreich for display in the Project-INNOnet app.

All your data will be deleted after the end of the project (no later than August 2026).

If you have changed your electricity supplier after app registration, we kindly ask you to adjust this in the mobile Project-INNOnet app.

Demo participants in the network area of Netz Oberösterreich GmbH are billed with the following modified electricity grid tariffs (you can generate savings, and there will never be higher grid costs than in the old tariffing scheme):

Based on daily network simulations for the following day, there are hours where the following three cases can occur:

1. Uncritical hours for the electricity grid,
2. Potentially hours with high voltage or transformer load in the grid with an increased expected local renewable input, or
3. Potentially hours with low voltage with high expected consumption.

From this, the grid tariff windows are derived, indicating when Case 1, Case 2, or Case 3 will occur for the following day. These specific grid tariff windows and grid tariff levels are communicated through the app at 4 PM the day before. The grid tariff levels for the three cases are shown in the following table:

These grid tariff levels allow you to potentially save on electricity costs based on your consumption behavior during different times of the day.

Demoteilnehmende im Netzgebiet der Linz Netz bekommen folgende geänderte Stromnetztarife in Rechnung gestellt (Sie können dabei Einsparungen erwirtschaften, es kommt nie zu höheren Netzkosten als im alten Tarifierungsschema):

In diesem Tarifschema soll eine leistungsbasierte Tarifgestaltung Anwendung finden. Dabei soll die jeweils täglich auftretende höchste 15-Minuten-Last mit 25 ct/kW/d bepreist werden.

Ausgenommen von der Spitzenlast-Ermittlung und damit dieser Bepreisung sind gewisse Zeitfenster („Sonnenfenster“): Aufgrund von vermehrter erneuerbare Stromeinspeisung (z.B. zur sonnigen Mittagszeit) würde vermehrter Verbrauch das Stromnetz entlasten, deshalb soll während dieser Stunden keine Bepreisung der Spitzenlast stattfinden. Diese „Sonnenfenster“ werden über die mobile Projekt-INNOnet-App um 16 Uhr am Vortag für den kommenden Tag kommuniziert. Ebenso werden Sie über die aufgetretene 15-Minuten-Lastspitze des Vortages informiert.

Sie können potenziell Stromkosten sparen, indem Sie Ihren Spitzenverbrauch senken und/oder den Verbrauch in die "Sonnenfenster" verschieben.

Demoteilnehmende im Netzgebiet der Energienetze Steiermark bekommen folgende geänderte Stromnetztarife in Rechnung gestellt (Sie können dabei Einsparungen erwirtschaften, es kommt nie zu höheren Netzkosten als im alten Tarifierungsschema):

Basierend auf täglich durchgeführten Netzsimulationen für den Folgetag ergeben sich Stunden, in denen die folgenden drei Fälle vorliegen können:

1. Unkritische Stunden für das Stromnetz,
2. Potenziell Stunden mit zu hoher Spannung oder Transformatorauslastung im Netz bei vermehrt erwarteter erneuerbarer lokaler Einspeisung bzw.
3. Potenziell Stunden mit zu niedriger Spannung bei hohem erwartetem Verbrauch.

Daraus leiten sich die Netztariffenster ab, wann Fall 1, Fall 2 oder Fall 3 für den Folgetag vorliegt. Diese konkreten Netztariffenster und Netztarifhöhen werden um 16 Uhr am Vortag über die App kommuniziert). Die Netztarifhöhen für die drei Fälle sind in folgender Tabelle dargestellt:

Diese Netztarifhöhen ermöglichen es Ihnen, potenziell Stromkosten zu sparen, abhängig von Ihrem Verbrauchsverhalten zu verschiedenen Tageszeiten.

A Regulatory Sandbox allows for exceptions to be created in the regulated area of the energy sector for the purpose of research and development. In Austria, a corresponding framework for Regulatory Sandboxes was established as part of the Renewable Expansion Act package. Exceptions from grid fees for research and demonstration projects can be requested (see § 58a ElWOG in the electricity sector).

All results from the project will be published here on the project homepage.

During the demo period, the project team hosts webinars every two months where questions from demo participants can be asked. The dates for the webinars and registration information will be published here on the project homepage.