About us

The E.V.V.E. is an independent and Europe-wide politically active interest group whose activities aim at the promotion of systems to save energy and water in buildings.

Members

Within their membership, you can find prominent companies that specialize in creating and manufacturing systems for the allocation of heating and water expenses, in addition to providing services for billing energy and water costs based on consumption, not only within the European Union but also in other regions.

Today, the E.V.V.E. is represented by 13 companies in 8 member states of the enlarged European Union.

Further companies of other member states will join.

Company Members

E.V.V.E. Presidency and Board

President

Nicolai Kuß
Eschborn, Germany

Vice President

Prof. Dr. Christoph Schmucker
München, Germany

Member of the Managing Committee

Oliver Geer
Hürth, Germany

Member of the Managing Committee

Dr. Dirk Then
Hamburg, Germany

Member of the Managing Committee

DDr. Helmut Gradischnik
Graz, Austria

Member of the Managing Committee

Dr. Hagen Lessing
Essen, Germany

Member of the Managing Committee

Kristian Voldby Olsen
Herlev, Denmark

E.V.V.E. Management

Chief Executive Officer

Markus Weidling
Berlin, Germany

Managing Director

Sofia Lettenbichler
Brussels, Belgium

Policy Officer

Guillaume Février
Brussels, Belgium

Office Manager

Brigitta Bod
Brussels, Belgium

E.V.V.E. Administrative office

Avenue des Arts 56
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2 280 11 395
office@evve.com

Chief Executive Officer
Markus Weidling

Your contact person
Sofia Lettenbichler (Managing Director)

Policy Officer
Guillaume Février

Constitution

0. Preamble

Considering the idea of a further improvement of the economical and efficient energy use in Europe the companies undersigned join together to an European Interest Grouping. In this connection the Europe-wide introduction of the consumption-based billing of energy costs is to the fore.

The members are obliged to put the common spirit of the association over national interests.

The working language of the association are German, English and French. The language in which a document is originally written, is regarded as the obliging version.

1. Name, headquarters, business year

1.1 Upon entry in the Register of Associations the association bears the name
“E.V.V.E. – European Association for the consumption-based billing of energy costs – e.V.”,

short term: „E.V.V.E.“

The association’s name will bear at the same time the addition „The Association for Energy Cost Allocation“

1.2 The association has its headquarters in Bonn.

1.3 The association will be registered with the district court of Bonn.

1.4 The business year is the calendar year.

2. Subject of the Association

2.1 Subject of the association is the representation and promotion of the common interests of its members

2.2 The individual tasks of the association are:

a) Representation of the interests of its members at all institutions of the European Community, as well as in its member states in consultation with the national members in each state.

b) Giving solution to questions and problems specifically arising in this branch to the economic, juridical and technological benefit of all the members.

2.3 Economic and commercial transactions are excluded. The association does not aim at making profits for itself.

3. Membership

3.1 Membership is voluntary.

3.2 Members of the association can become natural persons, unincorporated firms and legal entities placing technical equipment for the registration of the consumption of heating systems, air conditioning as well as warm-water- and cold-water-heating plants to determine the real consumption and the consumption-based bill of the energy costs on the market.

3.3 Membership expires with:
a) resignation which has to be declared to the Presidency (managing committee) by a letter recorded delivery with a period of four months to the end of a calendar year;
b) Unability to continue fulfilling the admission conditions;
c) Expulsion for important reason. An important reason can be given for instance then if a gross offence is known against the interests of the association, or if in spite of repeated written request for payment contributions are not paid or not fully paid within a period of three months after they have become due. In the expulsory proceedings a right to be heard is granted to the member concerned by the Presidency (managing committee). The decision on the expulsion is taken by the General Meeting.
d) death, if a member is a natural person.

3.4 The association can admit associated / extraordinary members. These associated / extraordinary members do not obtain a voting right in the General Meeting. In case of admitting associated / extraordinary members, the General Meeting unanimously decides on their cooperation in the association.

3.5 The application for admission may be formless. The managing committee, called presidency will decide. The presidency’s decision of the application will be made in writing.

The membership is valid for a limited period of twelve months (membership on trial). If the presidency does not take another decision after this period the member gets its final admission.

4. Rights and duties of the members

5. Membership dues

6. Bodies according to the Constitution

7. General Meeting

7.1 The General Meeting consists of all the members.

7.2 It takes the decisions and defines the directives for the work of the association.

7.3 A General Meeting is convened by the Presidency (managing committee). The invitation has to contain the agenda and to be sent off by post at least four weeks before. Applications for supplements to the agenda, arriving at the Presidency two weeks at the latest before the General Meeting takes place, have to be included.
The Presidency (managing committee) has to convene an extraordinary General Meeting if one quarter of the members applies in written form for the calling, mentioning the purpose, to the Management.

7.4 The Annual General Meeting of the members takes place once a year. The agenda is to be enclosed with the invitation. All the resolutions adopted at the Annual General Meeting are binding.

7.5 A General Meeting is leaded by the President (chairman) or another member of the Presidency (vice-president or a member of the managing committee).

7.6 The General Meeting especially takes decisions on the following points:
a) election of the President (chairman),
b) election of the Vice President,
c) election of the other members of the Presidency (members of the committee),
d) acceptance of the annual settlement of accounts,
e) decision on the budget,
f) fixing of the amount of the basic fee for the annual membership dues according to item 10.1,
g) approval of the Presidency and of the Managing Director,
h) election of auditors,
i) alterations of the Constitution,
j) matters of basic importance,
k) admission of associated / extraordinary members and their powers.

7.7 A General Meeting is competent to decide by vote if more than half of the members – taking their voting rights as a basis – are present or represented by proxy.
If a General Meeting does not have a quorum, then the General Meeting to be convened thereupon is competent to decide by vote with no consideration for the number of the members present or represented by proxy.

7.8 Each ordinary member has one basic vote.

7.9 Additional votes:

a) According to the number of housing units or industrial units for which a consumption-based bill of energy costs was placed on the market each member gets additional votes in accordance with the distribution code fixed in item 7.9. b).
On the basis of this provision no member can obtain the majority of votes or a blocking minority.
The establishment of the basic data for the calculation of the additional votes is made (in connection with the calculation of the contributions according to item 5.2) by the Managing Director who has to maintain silence about this to the other members.
b) Distribution code for additional votes
Each ordinary member gets additional votes according to item 7.9 a):
Up to 50.000 housing units/ industrial units:
1 additional vote,
50.001 to 250.000 housing units/industrial units:
1 additional vote,
250.001 to 500.000 housing units/industrial units:
1 additional vote,
from 500.001 to 2 million housing units/industrial units:
1 additional vote,
more than 2 million housing units/industrial units:
1 additional vote.

7.10 The General Meeting decides by the simple majority of its votes. In exceptional cases decisions can also be taken in written form.

8. Managing Committee (Presidency)

8.1 The managing committee, called Presidency, consists of the President (chairman), the Vice President as well as up to six other Presidency members (members of the managing committee).
The balance of the single countries has to be taken into consideration as much as possible.

The Presidency is elected for the period of two years. Re-election is permissible.

8.2 The managing committee according to
§ 26 BGB consists of the president (chairman) or the vice-president together with another member of the presidency (member of the managing committee).

8.3 The association is led by the Presidency in an honorary capacity.

8.4 The President and the Vice President are separately elected by secret ballot. If there is only one candidate each time, this candidate is elected who gets two thirds of the basic votes valid. If there are several candidates, the one is elected that collects the majority of valid votes.

8.5 The Presidency (managing committee) has the following tasks:
a) representation of the association outwards,
b) preparation and calling of the General Meeting,
c) implementation of the resolutions adopted by the General Meeting,
d) establishment of working groups,
e) admission of new members,
f) fixing of the admission fee,
g) appointment of the managing director.

8.6 Each member of the Presidency (member of the managing committee) has one vote. The presidency (managing committee) takes decisions by simple majority.

9. Management

9.1 The Management has its headquarter in Bonn (Germany).

9.2 On the basis of a particular agreement and in coordination with the President and the Vice President, the Managing Director has to run the current affairs of the association in an unbiased way.
He participates in the meetings of the constitutional bodies of the association in an advisory capacity.

The Managing Director may do business obligating the association within the limits of the budget or after consulting the presidency (managing committee).

Spezific authorisations may be vested with the Managing Director based on a resolution of the General Assembly.

10. Contributions

10.1 On each 31st March of every year the members inform the Management of the number of the housing units or industrial units for which a consumption-based bill of energy costs was placed on the market in the last year.

On this basis the Managing Director calculates the number of the additional votes according to item 7.9 and charges – taking the basic fee as a basis (in accordance with item 7.6 f) – the membership dues for one year in EURO in relation to the votes (basic vote and additional votes).

10.2 For contributions coming in more than thirty days after the date fixed in the bill, an interest by default is charged according to the base interest rate of the European Central Bank.

11. Alterations of the Constitution

12. Liquidation

13. Taking minutes

14. Transfer of E.V.V.E.-EEIG into a newly-formed association

The pre-association E.V.V.E. – European Association for the consumption-based billing of energy costs – EEIG (E.V.V.E.-EWIV) passes into a registered association according to the unanimous resolution of the annual general meeting of 25.10.2001 by means of a special contract. Upon registration of the E.V.V.E.-e.V. the cancellation of the E.V.V.E.-EWIV shall be requested at the commercial register.
Constitution of "E.V.V.E. – European Association for the consumption-based billing of energy costs – e.V."

Constitution of "E.V.V.E. – Europäischer Verein zur verbrauchsabhängigen Energiekostenabrechnung – e.V."

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Member companies of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft take the initiative to found a European umbrella organisation

Translation of the article published in “Die Heizkostenabrechnung”, no.11 of November 1993

1993

On 24 November 1993 the “E.V.V.E. – European Association for the consumption-based billing of energy costs – EEIG” was founded in Copenhagen.

The internal European market has been established to promote and facilitate the trade and business relations between the European states for the benefit of the consumers.

In the year of the opening of the internal European market, the member companies of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Heizkostenverteilung (Working Group for Heat Cost Allocation) faced this new situation and jointly with 12 other companies from Denmark, France, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands founded the “European Economic Interest Group (EEIG)”. The inaugural meeting took place on 24 November 1993 in Copenhagen.

Das neu gewählte Präsidium v.l.n.r.: Andrew K. Brierley (Großbritannien); Ben Wiegers (Niederlande); Michael I. Klein (Deutschland); Peter Schultheiss, Präsident (Deutschland); Jens Peter Fischer Hansen (Dänemark); Jorgen Rahbek, Vizepräsident (Dänemark); nicht abgebildet: Hubert Walluf (Frankreich).

„In future we will have to intensify our efforts in view of the European competition. Technical innovations will be in demand as well as a quality of services to the benefit of the clients, thus the billing of costs for heating, hot and cold water. The German companies can and will provide plenty of experiences and know how. Especially the member companies of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft have a more than 30 year old tradition. Even the legislator has clearly pointed the way to the future for the whole of Europe by the introduction of the decree on heat cost allocation. Taking into consideration the recently passed new guideline of the EC to the SAVE programme we are on the threshold of the introduction of similar measures within the European Union. The EC-Commission attaches great importance to the Europe-wide introduction of energy cost allocation. It is considered an important contribution towards increasing energy efficiency and towards reducing CO2 emissions. Not only the intensification of competition within Europe will touch off further development in this sector.”

Michael I. Klein, Vorsitzender der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Heizkostenverteilung e.V.

Already the name “European Association for the consumption-based billing of energy costs”, with the abbreviation E.V.V.E., implies the activities and targets of the European umbrella organisation of this line of business. The association has been founded in the spirit and effort of further improving the economic and efficient use of energy in Europe. The presidency consisting of 7 members is international and represents the leading enterprises of this sector.

The President Peter Schultheiss, himself a successful business man and as predecessor of Michael I. Klein for many years chairman of the board of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Heizkostenverteilung, contributes a great deal of experience and know how: “I am seeing the European organisation as a logical and consistent evolution of our longstanding efforts on the subject energy services. Only those opening themselves to new markets, gain experience and can implement them in their enterprises. Finally, it is always the client who benefits. Especially in our sector practically every third consumer is our client.”

Peter Schultheiss, Präsident der Europäischen Vereinigung zur Verbrauchsabhängigen Energiekostenabrechnung E.V.V.E.

Not least because of the new programme of the EC-Commission called SAVE, being in force since 1991, and providing for measures to promote the energy efficiency of the Community was the E.V.V.E. founded. The programme disposes of considerable funds and permits the Commission to finance over a period of 5 years studies and demonstration projects. The results are to the benefit of the entire Community. Besides, guidelines and decrees are planned concerning the use of energy, such as the recently passed “guidelines of the Council of the European Community concerning the limitation of CO2 emissions by means of more efficient energy use”. This guideline will enter into force latest 1.1.1995 and schedules Europe-wide programmes, as for instance the implementation of the consumption-based billing of energy costs.

The E.V.V.E. has already been active in the preparatory phase and had talks in Brussels to assist the Commission as well as the national governments in their task to implement the so important energy saving measures in Europe.

The 19 members of the E.V.V.E. have taken up the cause of an organisation of short ways and constructive dialogues. It is therefore practical to centralise the management of the E.V.V.E. and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Heizkostenverteilung in one office. In future, both organisations will work in Bonn under one roof and be at your disposal as competent contact concerning the subject “energy cost allocation”.

Note:
The personal details refer to the situation in 1993. The presidency has changed in the meantime (see list of the Executive Committee).