28.07.2026
Energy Club has sent an official appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC), and other competent authorities regarding the readiness of state and municipal budgetary institutions to transition to full-fledged hourly commercial electricity metering from January 1, 2027.
The appeal was prepared following an expert online discussion held on the Energy Club platform with the participation of representatives of NEURC, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, electricity suppliers, member companies of the Club, and industry experts.
The document was addressed to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and NEURC. Copies were also sent to the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the State Treasury Service of Ukraine, NPC Ukrenergo, the Association of Ukrainian Cities, regional military administrations, and the Kyiv City Military Administration.
In its appeal, Energy Club emphasizes that the issue of readiness of budgetary institutions for the transition to hourly metering has gone beyond bilateral relations between electricity suppliers and budgetary institutions. Addressing it requires systemic coordination at the level of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, NEURC, central executive authorities, regional and municipal authorities, local self-government bodies, NPC Ukrenergo, distribution system operators, commercial metering service providers, and the budget holders themselves.
Starting January 1, 2027, a general procedure for forming hourly schedules using incentive coefficients will apply to non-ready group “A” metering points of budgetary institutions.
During the expert discussion, it was noted that approximately 7,000 metering points of budgetary institutions currently do not ensure proper hourly metering. Across all consumer categories, there are about 27,000 such points.
Participants also highlighted that since the beginning of 2026, around 5,000 metering points have transitioned to hourly metering, but only 63 of them belong to budgetary organizations. This indicates significantly slower progress in the public sector.
Energy Club stresses that proper commercial metering requires more than just installing a meter. It is necessary to ensure equipment compatibility, modem installation, data reading configuration, validation, and stable transmission of hourly data.
The appeal outlines several key risks in the absence of systematic preparation.
These include financial risks for budgetary institutions due to potential increases in the weighted average cost of electricity for non-ready metering points, procurement risks due to the lack of reliable hourly data, risks of supply interruptions or switching to a supplier of last resort, as well as uneven readiness across communities and sectors of the public sphere.
Energy Club also draws attention to the fact that delayed procurement of electricity for 2027, lack of funding, or failed procedures may result in the loss of a commercial supplier. In such cases, switching to a supplier of last resort would only ensure temporary continuity of supply, typically at a higher cost, and would not solve budget shortfalls.
The appeal emphasizes that Energy Club does not propose an automatic general extension of the transition period.
The primary objective should be the actual readiness of relevant metering points by January 1, 2027. This requires a formal directive from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to chief spending units, regional military administrations, the Kyiv City Military Administration, and local self-government bodies to ensure preparation of relevant metering points of budgetary institutions by the end of 2026.
Energy Club has proposed a set of priority measures, including:
The appeal also proposes indicative milestones: August — completion of inventory; September — planning and financing; October–November — procurement and installation; mid-December — testing and confirmation of stable data exchange.
A separate section of the appeal is devoted to the economic feasibility of upgrading commercial metering.
According to the discussion, the estimated market cost of one compatible smart meter with a modem ranges from UAH 10,000 to 14,000 per metering point. The monthly cost of services for data reading, validation, processing, and transmission may range from approximately UAH 100 to 1,000 depending on the distribution system operator or another commercial metering service provider.
The appeal provides an indicative calculation showing that for a consumer with monthly consumption of 100,000 kWh, the additional financial burden from applying an incentive schedule could amount to approximately UAH 59,300 (excluding VAT) per month, or over UAH 711,000 (excluding VAT) per year.
With 15 metering points, modernization costs may amount to around UAH 222,000. According to this estimate, such investments could pay back within approximately four billing months.
Energy Club notes that for each specific facility, it is necessary to additionally consider the number of metering points, the technical condition of metering units, the need for installation, design, and commissioning works, as well as the actual cost of services provided by the relevant distribution system operator or commercial metering service provider.
Energy Club believes that the proposed approach will allow achieving not a formal extension of deadlines, but a real, measurable result by January 1, 2027: each relevant metering point of a budgetary institution should be identified; its governing body and funding source determined; necessary procurements and works completed; hourly data stably read, validated, and transmitted; and electricity procurement for 2027 carried out without disruptions or forced transition to a supplier of last resort.
Energy Club is ready to provide a platform for further coordination, participate in preparing guidance materials for budgetary institutions, conduct specialized webinars, and align a practical roadmap with NEURC, central executive authorities, NPC Ukrenergo, the Association of Ukrainian Cities, distribution system operators, commercial metering service providers, and electricity suppliers.
