Simple and economical way to solar power in apartment buildings

23.04.2026

Source: E & M powernews

The Berlin-based climate tech start-up "VREY" (RE Joule GmbH) has successfully completed a seed financing round of 3.3 million euros.

According to Vrey, Rubio Impact Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds HTGF and Kopa Ventures participated in the financing round. As a certified metering point operator and billing partner, Vrey specializes in the implementation of tenant electricity models and shared building supply (GGV) - a new regulatory option that significantly simplifies the use of solar power in apartment buildings.

With the completed financing, Vrey plans to expand its current team of around 20 people in a targeted manner and further develop its platform. "Most property owners want to make their buildings fit for the future. Until now, however, there has been a lack of practicable solutions. For the first time, we are making solar in apartment buildings simple and economically viable," promises Julius Pahmeier, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Vrey.

While the supply of solar power to multi-family homes is certainly politically desirable, it is regulatory and operationally complex and often economically unattractive. The role of the operator as a full energy supplier, expensive metering technology and complex billing processes have long been considered key hurdles. The introduction of shared building supply reduces complexity. Vrey is convinced that this will open up a market of more than 20 million residential units that was previously almost impossible to develop economically.

Focus on community building supply

Vrey's approach: an integrated solution consisting of smart meter infrastructure and automated billing, positioning itself as "EnergyOS" for the apartment building - a central infrastructure for measuring, billing and controlling energy flows. This allows property owners to sell solar power directly on site to their tenants and thus generate additional income - while at the same time reducing electricity costs for residents. The solution also enables the integration of storage systems, heat pumps and e-mobility.

For the installation, Vrey works with local, freely selectable installation companies. According to the company's calculations, a typical 30 kW system on a ten-party house can generate around EUR 5,500 in additional income per year. At the same time, tenants pay up to 20 percent less for electricity.

"Rented residential buildings were long considered one of the segments of the housing market in which solar was practically impossible to implement. Vrey has developed a quickly scalable solution for this," says Helmer Schukken, Partner at Rubio Impact Ventures. The decisive factor in the decision to lead this financing round was not only the business model, but above all the speed and clarity with which it was implemented.

Jan Kätker, Investment Manager at HTGF: "Solar in apartment buildings should be on the roadmap of every property owner today. The decisive factor is a solution that can be implemented without great effort. Vrey closes this gap and creates the basis for broad scaling in existing and new buildings."

"The introduction of community building supply represents an important regulatory breakthrough in Germany and creates a new market environment that requires expertise and implementation. This is precisely where the Vrey team impresses with its expertise, pragmatism and speed," says Marius Weckel, Principal at Kopa Ventures. His experience in the real estate sector tells him that there will be strong demand in this area.

Author: Günter Drewnitzky