Overview: Why Custom Electricity Tariffs?
In addition to the standard electricity tariffs predefined by Eturnity, you can create custom electricity tariffs for consumption and export in Eturnity Expert. This allows you to tailor profitability calculations precisely to your customers' local tariff situation — regardless of whether their energy supplier is included in the Eturnity tariff database.
Business benefit: With custom tariffs, you can accurately map complex tariff structures such as peak/off-peak tariffs, seasonal price differences, or commercial special tariffs. The result: more professional quotes with realistic payback periods and return on investment calculations that build your customers' trust.
In Eturnity Expert, three tariff types are available; in the project, you select them in the Tariff type field:
Standard tariffs: Predefined tariffs from the Eturnity database, based on the common energy suppliers in your customer's country (what counts is the customer's main address).
Custom company tariffs: Tariffs created by your company in the settings that can be used in all of your company's projects.
Project-specific tariffs: One-time tariffs created directly within a project variant that apply only to that variant — ideal for special cases of individual customers.
This article explains how to create and manage custom company tariffs in the settings, how to select them in projects, and how to create project-specific tariffs when needed.
Prerequisites
Creating and managing tariffs (in the settings): Requires the Administrator role and a licence with photovoltaics. Other users do not see the Consumption tariffs and Export tariffs pages in the settings.
Selecting tariffs in projects: All user roles can select custom tariffs on a project's Tariffs page, provided at least one consumption and one export tariff have been created and activated. The page only exists in variants in which photovoltaics is active.
Important: To use custom company tariffs in a project, there must always be at least one active consumption tariff and one active export tariff. If either is missing, Custom company tariffs cannot be saved under Tariff type in the project.
Creating Consumption Tariffs
Consumption tariffs define the costs your customer pays for drawing electricity from the grid. These prices feed directly into the calculation of self-consumption savings.
Step-by-Step Guide
Open Settings and, in the left side menu, in the Projects section, select the Consumption tariffs page (older navigation: Settings > Electricity tariffs > Consumption tariffs).
Above the overview table, click Add consumption tariff.
In the Tariff Settings section: Enter a descriptive name under Tariff name (e.g. "Double tariff 2026") and select the Validity year. Optionally, under Peak power tariff amount, enter a demand charge excluding VAT in your currency per kW and month if the tariff includes a demand component.
Click Continue. The Electricity Costs (excl. VAT) section opens with the following fields.
Use the Split into summer and winter segments toggle to decide whether to map seasonal price differences or apply the same prices year-round.
In the Default tariff field, enter the price per kWh excluding VAT. It applies to all hours to which you do not assign a tariff step. Not to be confused with the tariff type Standard tariffs in the project.
Click the Plus icon to add additional tariff steps. For each step, fill in the Tariff step name, Amount and, optionally, Colour fields. You can create up to 6 additional tariff steps.
Click in the row of the desired day in the time scale on the right and select the tariff step. Eturnity then creates a one-hour time slot at the first free position from 00:00, not at the hour you clicked; adjust it to the right time with the handles in the next step. A tariff step can only be assigned once a name has been defined.
Drag the handles on the left and right of the time slot to extend the tariff step across multiple hours. You can assign as many time slots to each tariff step as needed. To delete a single time slot, select it and click the Delete button. To remove an entire tariff step, use the three-dot menu next to the step name.
Click Save in the bar at the bottom.
Note: Each tariff step must be assigned at least once in the time scale before the tariff can be saved.
Creating Export Tariffs
Export tariffs define the compensation your customer receives for surplus solar electricity fed into the grid. These values affect the yield calculation and therefore the payback period of the PV system.
Step-by-Step Guide
Open Settings and, in the left side menu, in the Projects section, select the Export tariffs page (older navigation: Settings > Electricity tariffs > Export tariffs).
Above the overview table, click Add export tariff.
In the Tariff Settings section: Enter a name under Tariff name, select the Validity year, and define the kWp range (Lower kWp value and Upper kWp value). The kWp range specifies which system sizes this export tariff applies to.
Click Continue. The Export Prices section opens with the following fields.
Use the Split into summer and winter segments toggle to decide whether seasonal price differences should apply.
In the Default tariff field, enter the compensation per kWh excluding VAT that applies to all hours not otherwise assigned.
Add up to 6 additional tariff steps via the Plus icon (Tariff step name, Amount, optionally Colour).
Click in the row of the desired day in the time scale and select the tariff step. The new one-hour time slot is placed at the first free position from 00:00, not at the hour you clicked.
Adjust the time slots with the handles and add further time slots as needed.
Click Save in the bar at the bottom.
Tip: You can create multiple export tariffs for the same validity year and the same kWp range — for example, to map different compensation models. When selecting in the project, you can then specifically choose the appropriate tariff.
kWp Range in the Overview Table
The export tariff overview table shows the kWp range as a dedicated column between Validity year and Applied to projects. This gives you a clear overview of which tariff applies to which system size.
Managing Tariffs
Via the overview tables on the Consumption tariffs and Export tariffs pages in the Settings, you can manage existing consumption and export tariffs. The available actions are found in the three-dot menu at the end of each tariff's row.
Duplicate Tariff
The Duplicate action creates a complete copy of the selected tariff — including year, kWp range, tariff steps and time slots. The copy is called "<Name> - Duplicate" and is always active, even if the original is deactivated. This function is particularly useful when you want to create a similar tariff with slightly different prices or for a different year.
Edit Tariff
The Edit action is only available if the tariff is not currently used in any project. When editing, the tariff configuration page opens. If you make changes and want to leave the page, an unsaved changes dialog appears, alerting you to unsaved changes.
Note: If a tariff is already used in projects, you cannot edit it directly. In this case, you can duplicate the tariff, adjust the copy, and then deactivate the old version. Projects do not switch automatically and keep calculating with the old tariff: select the copy in each affected variant on the Tariffs page, save and update the simulation.
Delete Tariff
The Delete action permanently removes the tariff. This option is only available if the tariff is not used in any project. A confirmation dialog is shown before deletion.
Activate and Deactivate Tariffs
Using the Activate and Deactivate actions, you control whether a tariff is available for selection in projects.
Important: For destructive actions such as Delete and Deactivate, a confirmation dialog is always shown. Actions such as Duplicate and Activate are executed immediately and confirmed with a success banner.
Selecting Custom Tariffs in a Project
Once at least one consumption and one export tariff have been created and activated in the settings, all users can use these tariffs in projects.
Step-by-Step Guide
Open a project and, in the left side menu, in the Financials group, select the Tariffs page (older navigation: Photovoltaics > Tariff library).
In the Tariff type field, select Custom company tariffs.
In the Consumption tariff dropdown, select the desired tariff. Tariffs are displayed in the format
[Year] [Tariff name]and sorted in descending order by year (most recent year first).In the Export tariff dropdown, select the desired tariff. Tariffs are displayed in the format
[Year] [Tariff name] [kWp range].Click Save to apply the tariff selection.
Click Update simulation. Until then, the simulation is considered outdated; only afterwards do the key figures and the offer use the new tariff.
Warning: No Active Tariffs Available
If you select Custom company tariffs under Tariff type but no active consumption or export tariff exists, the system displays an information message. The message is role-dependent:
Administrators receive a prompt to create the missing tariffs under Settings > Electricity tariffs (in the new navigation: Settings, Projects section, Consumption tariffs and Export tariffs pages).
Project managers and users are asked to contact their administrator.
Note: Both tariffs — consumption and export — must be selected before saving is possible. If an active tariff is missing, the system displays a role-dependent information message: administrators are directed to the settings page, while project managers and users are asked to contact their administrator.
The selected tariff is saved for this variant. The simulation is then considered outdated; only after Update simulation do the key figures and the offer use the new tariff. It is then used consistently in:
Simulations and profitability calculations
Project reports and quotation documents
Copied variants and duplicated projects
Creating Project-Specific Tariffs
If a customer's tariff situation is not covered by the company tariffs stored in the settings, you can create a project-specific tariff directly within the project. This tariff only applies to the variant in which you create it; it is not available for selection in other variants and projects.
Step-by-Step Guide
In the project, open the Tariffs page and set the tariff there that is to serve as the template (under Tariff type: Standard tariffs or Custom company tariffs).
Click the Add project specific tariff button.
Adjust the consumption tariff: Navigate through the configuration pages using the Continue button and change the values as needed (tariff steps, time slots, Peak power tariff amount).
Adjust the export tariff in the same way. For project-specific tariffs, no kWp range is required. Only here is there also the Activate step change of export tariff toggle with the Change after field (in years).
Save the project-specific tariff. Afterwards, Tariff type shows the entry Project-specific tariffs. Use Reset tariff configuration to remove the project-specific tariff again.
Tip: Use this feature when a single customer has a special tariff that is not relevant as a company tariff for all projects — such as an individually negotiated commercial electricity contract.
Warnings and Validations
When starting a simulation, the system performs automatic checks to alert you to potential tariff issues. These warnings appear in the update simulation dialog as yellow notices but do not block the simulation — you can still start the calculation.
Warning: kWp Range
If the current PV system size is outside the kWp range defined in the selected export tariff, the following warning appears:
"The current PV system size is outside the valid kWp range for the selected export tariff."
To resolve this warning, you can either select an export tariff with a matching kWp range or adjust the PV layout.
Warning: Deactivated Tariffs
If the currently assigned consumption and/or export tariff has been deactivated in the settings, the following warning appears:
"The currently selected consumption and/or export tariffs are deactivated."
In this case, contact your administrator to reactivate the tariff, or select a different active tariff on the Tariffs page.
Best Practices
Efficient Tariff Management
Update tariffs annually: Create new tariffs at the beginning of each year with the current validity year and the latest prices. New tariffs do not take effect on their own: new projects start with the tariff type Standard tariffs, and existing projects also keep their tariff. Select the new tariffs in the projects under Custom company tariffs.
Use the duplicate feature: If a tariff changes only slightly (e.g. a price adjustment at the start of the new year), duplicate the existing tariff and adjust only the differing values. This saves time and reduces errors.
Stagger kWp ranges sensibly: Create export tariffs with kWp ranges that cover your typical system sizes (e.g. 0–10 kWp for residential properties, 10–100 kWp for commercial, 100–1000 kWp for large installations). Both limits belong to the range: a system with exactly 10 kWp matches 0–10 kWp and 10–100 kWp.
Deactivate tariffs you no longer need: Deactivated tariffs can no longer be selected in projects but remain in the projects that already use them. Only a tariff that is not used in any project can be deleted.
Practical Examples
Scenario | Recommended approach |
Single-family home with flat tariff | Consumption tariff with a single default price and no seasonal split. Export tariff with the compensation of your local energy supplier and kWp range 0–10 kWp. |
Single-family home with peak/off-peak tariff (HT/NT) | Consumption tariff with 2 tariff steps (peak tariff during the day, off-peak tariff at night/weekends). Assign time slots according to the local utility. |
Commercial operation with demand tariff | Consumption tariff with a demand charge (Peak power tariff amount field, per kW and month) and optional seasonal split. Export tariff with kWp range 10–100 kWp. |
Large installation with time-variable export | Export tariff with multiple tariff steps for peak hours (midday) and off-peak hours. kWp range 100–1000 kWp. Activate seasonal split for summer/winter differences. |