Electricity and gas for property managers — less administrative work

Manage electricity and gas – with fewer individual processes

Many common-area electricity meters with small individual consumption volumes, gas supply points for the buildings and ongoing changes in the property portfolio: the workload arises mainly from the number of supply points. Your property management company needs a supplier that can reliably handle this portfolio. OPTUM EBA supports your company in procuring electricity and gas at fixed prices. We group supply points and contract terms and specifically select suppliers whose processes fit your property management company. High consumption per meter is not the starting point for this approach.

Between owners' meetings, appointments with tradespeople, and property handovers, your property management needs clear processes. We provide you with a concrete basis for decision-making: suitable fixed-price offers, transparent costs per delivery point, and clearly defined responsibilities. Before you sign, you'll know exactly which tasks we'll handle and which approvals you'll need to give.

Your advantage lies not only in the energy price. A utility company specializing in real estate portfolios can consolidate supply points, contract changes, and billing into streamlined processes. We leverage our ongoing market knowledge and experience with utility companies to achieve this. We assess their suitability for numerous individual supply points before comparing offers for your portfolio and prepare data and responsibilities with you before finalizing the contract.

Bring properties and contracts together

For each supply point, record the address, contract holder, supply point ID, energy type, annual volume, contract term and notice period. Keep electricity for communal areas, heating gas and other uses separate. A common reference period makes later comparisons easier.

When grouping supply points, existing contracts and possible supply dates must align. We compare the grouped solution with your previous terms and show, for each property, where an advantage arises and which costs are fixed.

A framework agreement for the portfolio

Instead of processing each property individually by postal code and current supplier, we are considering a consolidated tender. A framework agreement can establish common pricing and service conditions. Which delivery points will participate and which components will apply across the entire area will be documented in advance. Network charges, levies, and actual consumption can still vary for each property.

Your property portfolio grows. Your framework agreement can grow with it.

If you take on the management of additional properties, it should ideally be possible to include their gas and common-area electricity supply points in the same framework agreement with the same supplier, using the same portal and a direct contact person. During the offer comparison, we clarify under which conditions the agreed terms continue to apply to new supply points. These include volume and property limits, deadlines for inclusion and rules for setting prices; market developments and supplier terms also play a role. This does not promise unlimited inclusion at identical prices.

Equally important are clear procedures for properties leaving the portfolio, relocations, changes of ownership, and vacancies. Who reports which change, what confirmation is required, and when does it take effect? These processes should be defined before the start.

From overview to tender

1. Organise the portfolio: Assign contracts, bills and information still to be clarified to each property.
2. Assess demand: Take known changes, vacant properties and consumption patterns into account.
3. Set the framework: Agree on the fixed-price commitment, suitable contract terms and the scope of the price guarantee.
4. Select suitable suppliers: Check their experience with property portfolios, supply point administration, billing and how easily their service team can be reached.
5. Compare offers: Compare the available comparable offers from these suppliers by price, contract term, portal and service functions, rules for adding or removing supply points, and billing dates.
6. Coordinate implementation: Record decisions, responsibilities and confirmed dates.

The available working methods depend on the documents, authorizations, and the contractual partners involved. You will receive a structured basis for decision-making in consultation with owners. We will jointly document the necessary approvals and the next steps.

A basis for decision-making for your owners

We prepare the available comparable offers in such a way that you can clearly present the differences to your owners or clients. This includes not only the costs but also the scope of services, deviations, and outstanding conditions. The number and comparability of offers depend on the market, portfolio, and scope of work requested.

One portal for many delivery points

A low energy unit price is of little use if your team has to track every change individually. Therefore, the tools and processing capabilities of the utility provider are crucial for the initial selection: Can numerous delivery points be managed and maintained collectively? Can you quickly locate meters, invoices, and contract statuses? Can you export data, assign permissions, and report changes with a traceable status?

We compare ease of use, bulk data processing, reliable billing processes and access to a direct contact person. Your property management team must be able to answer owners’ questions; careful selection and the agreed support are intended to reduce follow-up questions and rework. Portal access is provided by the selected energy supplier; its scope and setup are agreed with that supplier.

Document meter readings and consumption in a traceable manner

Note the meter reading date, meter number, and reading. If the meter is being replaced, the final reading of the old meter and the initial reading of the new meter must be recorded separately. Check whether the billed values were read or estimated.

For gas, the gas conversion calculator helps convert cubic metres into kilowatt-hours using the gross calorific value and volume conversion factor. The floor-area estimate provides only initial guidance and does not replace billing based on measured consumption.

Internal cost allocation, heating cost billing, and potential compensation payments must be distinguished from energy supply. Responsibility and scope of services for these must be explicitly defined.

Shared billing cut-off dates instead of scattered billing dates

Billing on a common date wherever possible simplifies annual planning. We will check whether the utility company can offer uniform meter reading and billing dates for your portfolio and what adjustments are necessary. Existing contract terms, metering methods, and the market participants involved may require transitional arrangements. You should document the agreed-upon procedure before it begins.

Keep track of deadlines and decisions

A central list of deadlines prevents individual delivery points from being overlooked. Check the contract end date and notice period separately. In case of changes, the responsible persons should know which confirmation is still missing and what the agreed delivery start date is.

For property management companies, OPTUM prioritizes the fixed-price model: agreed-upon price components and contract durations simplify planning and communication with owners. However, a fixed price does not guarantee a fixed total bill. Consumption, taxes, fees, or other non-guaranteed components can still affect the costs.

Reduce the workload beyond energy

Property management companies don't just deal with energy contracts. Inquiries, documents, deadlines, and property changes consume time every day. We start by listening: Which processes are repetitive, where does information need to be recorded multiple times, and which steps could be organized more reliably? Energy is a concrete starting point; a meaningful reduction in workload can also apply to other administrative processes.

When personnel support is needed: OPTUM Personal accompanies the employee search through direct placement and temporary staffing.

Your next step

Tell us which tasks in your property management company are particularly time-consuming. For an energy inquiry, please first specify the energy type, the number of supply points, the desired timeframe, and your request. If already known, please indicate your desired billing date, any planned new properties and other portfolio changes, and the need for a central supplier portal. A property list with consumption and contract end dates will help with the initial clarification. Before any individual analysis or supplier inquiries, we will explicitly agree on the scope of services and fees; your inquiry itself does not yet constitute a chargeable order.

Prepare a fixed price inquiry for your property management company →