Submitting Your Electricity Meter Reading in Cologne: How RheinEnergie and RheinNetz Handle It
In Cologne you send your electricity reading to RheinEnergie through its OnlineService with your customer number, meter number and the value under "Bezug Gesamt" or 1.8.0, and RheinEnergie says no photo is needed. You are asked for it when you move in or out, when a billing period ends, when you change tariff or cancel, and once a year otherwise; only a smart meter (intelligentes Messsystem) sends it for you. RheinEnergie accepts a reading up to four weeks after the fact, and new or moved customers have six weeks to correct a wrong value, as long as no bill has been issued. If you send nothing and the readers of the grid operator RheinNetz cannot get in, the bill may be based on an estimate, which the law allows but requires the bill to flag.
Who Needs Which Number in Cologne
Three parties handle your electricity, and it helps to know which does what:
- Your supplier sells you the electricity and sends the bill. In Cologne, most newcomers start with RheinEnergie, see our page on first electricity registration.
- The grid operator owns the lines and is responsible for the meter reading. According to RheinEnergie’s blog, in Cologne and the surrounding area this is RheinNetz GmbH or Westnetz GmbH, depending on the address. Both have asked RheinEnergie to collect the readings for them, which is why RheinEnergie staff sometimes ring your doorbell.
- You are the only one who sees the meter every day. The supplier needs your reading at the start and end of every billing period. If you give it, the bill is based on a real number.
RheinNetz runs an online form for readings as well and gives the phone number 0221 4746-0 for problems with it. Its address is Parkgürtel 24, 50823 Köln.
How to Read the Meter
RheinEnergie’s HilfeCenter describes the two usual meter types:
| Meter | What you write down |
|---|---|
| Analog meter with rolling dials | The black digits of the counter and the meter number ("Nr."), ignoring the digit in the red frame |
| Digital meter | The value under "Bezug Gesamt" or 1.8.0 on the display, which shows different values in turn or lets you scroll |
| Double-tariff meter (heat pump, night storage heater) | Two values: "Bezug HT" (1.8.1) and "Bezug NT" (1.8.2) |
| Smart meter (intelligentes Messsystem) | Nothing, the system reports the reading itself |
Meters are often in the cellar next to the fuse box, in the hallway and rarely in the flat itself. In an apartment building, meters are often marked with the floor, for example “1.OG links”. If you cannot tell which one is yours, RheinEnergie suggests switching off the main fuse for your flat and checking whether your power is off. Ask the landlord or Hausverwaltung if you cannot find the meter.
How to Submit It
- Have three things ready: your customer number, the meter number and the reading.
- Open the OnlineService of RheinEnergie, enter customer and meter number, then the reading.
- Save the confirmation. RheinEnergie says you get one when the submission succeeds, and a photo is not required.
- Be current. You may report a reading up to four weeks later, but RheinEnergie asks for a reading of the day so that it can bill your consumption precisely.
If a reader came and found nobody home, you will find a card. The second card is a self-reading card on which you can give your value by phone or through the QR code to RheinNetz’s online portal, with your meter number and reading.
When a Reading Is Needed
RheinEnergie says it needs a reading whenever a billing period starts or ends. In practice:
| Occasion | What to do |
|---|---|
| Moving in | Read on the day you get the keys, put it in the handover protocol and report it |
| Moving out | Read on the day you hand back the keys, note it in the protocol, report it for the final bill |
| Annual bill | Report a reading when the billing period ends, or when the reader or card asks |
| Tariff change or cancellation | Report the value of the last day with the old tariff to old and new supplier |
| Price change | RheinEnergie lists price adjustments as an occasion, so check the letter |
On moving day, RheinEnergie asks you to note meter number and reading of all meters of the old and the new flat, and a photo of both readings is a good backup. If you did not manage on the day, ask the old and new landlord, because the readings are often in the handover protocol. Our page on the Wohnungsübergabeprotokoll explains how to fill it in. If you do not report in time, RheinEnergie says it asks the grid operator for the reading, and if that is not possible, it estimates the reading at move-out.
Registering, Moving and Notice Periods
Two rules matter for newcomers:
- Only for the future. RheinEnergie says that since 6 June 2025 registrations and cancellations of electricity are no longer possible retroactively. A cancellation to “yesterday or today” is excluded, and for a move a period of 14 days applies. If you do not register in time, you may land in the usually more expensive basic supply, and if you do not cancel in time, you pay for the electricity until the supply contract ends.
- Notice in the basic supply. According to RheinEnergie’s moving page, a notice period of two weeks always applies in the basic supply, including when you move. For a special tariff, the page names a special termination right on moving, with periods that depend on whether the minimum term has run out, and it requires that you inform RheinEnergie before moving out and give the meter number and reading from the key handover. The page does not give one single period for every case, so check your contract and the page for the exact one.
You need the move-out and move-in dates, old and new meter number and the new address to move your contract. RheinEnergie notes that the old contract is usually not cancelled automatically.
If You Skip the Reading: Estimates
RheinEnergie explains that standard meters are not connected to the internet, so without your reading, or if the grid operator’s reader could not get in, it has to estimate the consumption. The legal basis is Section 40a EnWG:
- A supplier may use readings from the grid operator, read the meter itself, or require self-reading by the customer. Household customers may object to self-reading in individual cases if it is not reasonable for them, and then the supplier has to read the meter itself and may not charge extra.
- If no readings arrive despite an obligation, or the supplier cannot determine the consumption for reasons it is not responsible for, the bill may be based on an estimate that takes the actual circumstances into account, mainly your previous consumption or that of a comparable customer.
- The bill must flag an estimate with a highlighted note, the reason and the factors, and has to explain it in text form free of charge on request. A bill has to show how a used reading was determined.
If the estimate was too low or too high, RheinEnergie says it can show up as extra or lower consumption in the next billing year. The way to fix a bad estimate is to send the real reading and ask for a corrected bill. If you suspect that the meter itself is faulty, RheinEnergie says you can request an inspection (Befundprüfung) by an accredited test body or the calibration office through the meter operator, for example RheinNetz GmbH. Our page on meter reading disputes when moving covers the dispute side.
Bills, Credits and Deadlines
Section 40c EnWG sets the bill timing: the supplier has to make the bill available at the latest six weeks after the end of the billing period, and the final bill at the latest six weeks after the end of the supply relationship. Amounts and advance payments are due at the time named by the supplier, but not earlier than two weeks after you receive the payment request. A credit must be offset in full against the next advance payment or paid out within two weeks, and credits from a final bill within two weeks.
Spotting a Fake Reader
Readers come unannounced, RheinEnergie explains, to prevent people from posing as employees. Its page on fake staff says people acting for RheinEnergie can always identify themselves with a photo ID carrying the company logo and wear RheinEnergie clothing. The company publishes photos of its door-to-door sales partners for checking. The blog adds that its meter readers, including those of subcontractors, carry a photo ID and wear a RheinEnergie vest. If you are unsure, ask RheinEnergie before you let anyone in.
Compliance Note
This page explains how reading and submission work in Cologne as described by RheinEnergie and RheinNetz, together with the energy law as published on gesetze-im-internet.de, current as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Procedures, forms and notice periods can change, and the page for your tariff and your meter type is the final word. Confirm details with RheinEnergie or the Verbraucherzentrale NRW before you cancel or dispute a bill.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
Who reads my electricity meter in Cologne?
The grid operator is responsible for meter reading. RheinEnergie's blog explains that in Cologne and the surrounding area this is the RheinNetz GmbH or the Westnetz GmbH, and that both have commissioned RheinEnergie to collect the readings for them. Readers come unannounced. If nobody gets in, a card for an appointment is left after the first failed attempt, and a self-reading card after the second. In total RheinEnergie says there are three attempts.
How do I submit my reading?
Use RheinEnergie's OnlineService. Enter your customer number and meter number, then the value. You receive a confirmation, and RheinEnergie says a photo is not needed. For a digital meter, note the value under "Bezug Gesamt" or 1.8.0 and leave out the decimal places. If you receive a self-reading card from the readers, you can give the value by phone or through the RheinNetz online form, using the QR code on the card and your meter number. RheinNetz lists the phone number 0221 4746-0 for problems with the form.
I have a night-rate or heat pump meter. What do I read?
RheinEnergie explains that a double-tariff meter (for example for a heat pump or an older night storage heater) has two values, "Bezug HT" (1.8.1 on digital meters) and "Bezug NT" (1.8.2). Note both values, ignore the decimal digits, and submit both.
Do I have to submit a reading every year?
RheinEnergie says that as long as you do not move, become a new customer or change tariff, you only need to look at the meter once a year. It lists the cases where it needs a reading: moving, new registration, annual bill, tariff change, cancellation and price changes. If you have a smart meter (intelligentes Messsystem), you do not have to read and report the meter, because the system passes the value on automatically.
What if I enter the wrong number?
According to RheinEnergie you can correct it for up to four weeks. If you are new or have just moved, you have six weeks. Both only work as long as RheinEnergie has not issued a bill in the meantime. The system also checks whether the value is in the expected range to catch gross errors, and if the online correction does not work, you can send RheinEnergie a message.
What happens if I do not send a reading?
RheinEnergie explains that it then has to estimate the consumption, which can make the bill inaccurate. Section 40a paragraph 2 EnWG allows an estimate if you have not submitted readings despite being obliged to, or if the supplier cannot determine the consumption for reasons it is not responsible for. The estimate has to take the actual circumstances into account, in particular your previous consumption, and the bill has to show the estimate with a highlighted note, the reason and the factors used, and the supplier must explain it in text form free of charge on request. A wrongly estimated period can show up as extra or lower consumption in the next billing year, according to RheinEnergie.
How do I know the person at the door is a real meter reader?
RheinEnergie says its staff can identify themselves at any time with an ID that carries the company logo and a photo and wear RheinEnergie clothing. Its blog adds that subcontractors' staff also carry a photo ID, and for its door-to-door sales partners RheinEnergie publishes photos on a page for checking. If you are unsure, ask the supplier whose name the person uses before you let them in. Contracts signed at the door can usually be withdrawn within two weeks, according to RheinEnergie.
How do I register or cancel when I move?
Since 6 June 2025, RheinEnergie says, registrations and cancellations of electricity are only possible for the future, not retroactively. For a move it names a period of 14 days, and for the basic supply a notice period of two weeks. Use the OnlineService with your move-out and move-in dates, old and new meter number and new address. If you forget to cancel, RheinEnergie says you pay the electricity until the contract ends, whether you live there or not. If you forget to register at the new address, you can end up in the usually more expensive basic supply.