ᐅ Experiences with photovoltaic systems on a house with five residential units?

Good day!

I am currently considering whether it might be more economical not to build another single-family house for my family on the remaining land, but instead to construct a building with five rentable units, each about 50 square meters (540 square feet). There is a high demand for smaller apartments in Berlin right now. The reason behind this is that the existing house is actually ideal for us, but it won’t generate adequate rent because it is tailored specifically to my professional needs (a recording studio in the basement).

I have a fundamental question: If I build something for myself, I would aim to make it as energy self-sufficient as possible. So, I would install a lot of photovoltaic panels on the roof to cover my own electricity consumption as much as possible, and some solar thermal panels to produce hot water in the summer. But if I build a property to rent out to five different tenants, is renewable energy still relevant? The tenants would probably be able to choose their own electricity suppliers, right? Does it even make sense to provide self-generated electricity? Or can I require tenants to take the electricity I produce?

As for heating, I would most likely just install a gas condensing boiler in the attic...

Matthias

Photovoltaic systems will most likely be cost-effective—especially if you sell the generated energy directly to your tenants through a tenant electricity model. They then pay less for the energy from the photovoltaic system than to their provider, and you receive more than the feed-in tariff. Everyone benefits. Remember to consider tax regulations!

Utilize the roofs of all residential units fully. Use the electricity yourself, sell the surplus, but not to the tenants, as that is too complicated. Heat pump for you, gas for the tenants, as that is simpler.

The tenant electricity model is very complex. Make sure to research thoroughly whether this is the right choice for you.

Pianist schrieb:

but a building with five rentable residential units, each about 50 square meters (540 square feet).

Is constructing a multi-family house even permitted? That should be the first question you need to answer.

Photovoltaic systems are unrelated to the building itself. However, they only make sense from an effort standpoint if you sell the electricity externally, not to the tenants.

In my case, the buildability is determined according to §34. I know exactly where the continuously developed part of the locality ends. Within a radius of 50 meters (55 yards), there are mainly houses with one full floor and a converted attic, but there is also a house with two full floors and a converted attic. The structural use of the property would allow for that as well. So why shouldn’t it be possible?

My main concern is actually a different question: whether it is fundamentally advisable to start such a project and then bring four tenants onto the property. In terms of income, it might be better than other investment options, but it can also cause a lot of problems...