Meter calibration deadlines in 2027: when sampling pays off and how to plan the swap

Third floor, a bathroom, behind the access panel. The technician is there for the heat cost allocators but takes a quick look at the hot water meter with a flashlight. The metrology marking reads M21, for 2021. The device data says the meter was installed in 2022, so it is on the swap list for 2028. But its calibration period (Eichfrist) ends on 31 December 2027.

The same goes for every water and heat meter marked 2021, and for electronic electricity meters and small diaphragm gas meters marked 2019. For large lots of identical meters, mostly at utilities and metering point operators, the calibration period can be extended through sampling. Applications have been possible since the end of 2025. For meters in flats, it almost always comes down to a full swap, so someone has to get into every affected flat in 2027.

This post first covers the deadlines and the sampling procedure under Germany's Measurement and Verification Ordinance (Mess- und Eichverordnung, MessEV), as of June 2026. It then turns to planning and documenting the swap.

Calibration periods under Annex 7 of the MessEV

The periods are set out in Annex 7 of the MessEV. For the end of 2027, these rows matter most:

The eight years apply only to the electronic ancillary devices, not to the meter. An electronic heat meter with a battery has six years under No. 7.1. The ancillary device, too, only gets eight years if it runs on mains power, or on a battery that either lasts that long or can be changed without breaking any seals or marks. Otherwise the meter's period applies. Modules on water meters that only transmit data have no time limit (No. 5.5.5). Heat cost allocators are not in Annex 7 at all and have no calibration period.

Six years for hot water and heat meters too

Until 2 November 2021, hot water and heat meters had a calibration period of five years, cold water meters six. The Third Ordinance amending the MessEV brought them into line. Its explanatory memorandum gives the reason: water and heat meters can then be swapped together. The ordinance has been in force since 3 November 2021 (Federal Law Gazette, BGBl. I p. 4742, published on 2 November).

The amendment has no transition rule. All the fact sheets from the state calibration authorities (Eichbehörden) that we found simply add six years to the year marking, without distinguishing between meters marked before and after the change. Industry sources say this also applies to meters already installed. If you need written confirmation for individual meters marked before 3 November 2021, ask the calibration authority.

We think it is risky to count on longer periods. As far as we know, there is no federal draft ordinance (as of June 2026), only calls for an extension, such as the Bavarian state parliament's resolution of 28 April 2026.

The period ends on 31 December

Under § 37(1) of the Measurement and Verification Act (Mess- und Eichgesetz, MessEG), the period for new, conformity-assessed meters starts when they are placed on the market. For recalibrated meters (nachgeeicht, meaning legally re-verified), it starts on the day of calibration. Under § 34(2) MessEV, a meter is presumed to have been placed on the market in the year of its marking. A period of one year or more does not end on the calculated date but only at the end of that calendar year ("erst mit dem Ende des Jahres, in dem die Frist rechnerisch endet"). In short: the year marking (often called the "calibration year") plus the calibration period gives the expiry year, and the period ends on 31 December of that year. The installation year does not count.

As a rule, recalibrating after the period has expired gains you no time. The new period then runs from the end of the previous one ("mit Ablauf der vorausgegangenen Eichfrist", § 34(1) MessEV).

Who is responsible and what the installation company delivers

The Verwender is responsible. In law, this is the meter's "user": whoever operates it or keeps it ready for use in commercial or official dealings (§ 3 No. 22 MessEG). Often that is the landlord or the owners' association. Industry sources say that, depending on the contract, it can also be the metering service provider. For a building's main water meter, it is the water utility. Under § 31(2) No. 3 MessEG, the Verwender must make sure that the meter is not used without valid calibration. Ownership does not matter, and a contract cannot set the calibration obligation aside. As a rule, the installation company is not the Verwender.

Anyone who bills on the basis of the readings must, as far as possible, satisfy themselves that the Verwender meets its obligations and get the Verwender to confirm this (§ 33(2) MessEG). Under § 60 MessEG, fines go up to €20,000 or €50,000, depending on the offense.

The installation company provides the following records to the Verwender, or to its own client, such as the metering service provider:

• Swap reports with photos
• One data file per property that fits into the device master data without rework
• The list of flats it could not get into
• For sampling, the removal reports

The sampling procedure under § 35 MessEV

On application, the authority extends the calibration period of a lot, meaning a group of identical meters (§ 35 MessEV). The condition is that, by recognized statistical principles, at least 95% of the meters in the lot meet the essential requirements ("mindestens 95 Prozent der Messgeräte des Loses"). Further conditions:

• Identical design. All devices in the lot must be demonstrably identical in design. One testing body's application form says that, as a rule, their year markings are no more than one year apart.
• Notified in advance. The authority must be notified of the procedure before testing begins ("vor Beginn der Prüfungen angezeigt").
• Competent testing bodies. Testing must be done by bodies with the necessary expertise and equipment. In practice, the calibration authorities' fact sheet says, these are calibration authorities or state-approved testing bodies (staatlich anerkannte Prüfstellen). The authority must be able to supervise.
• Proper handling. Meters drawn for the sample must be handled and stored correctly, and the tests documented properly.
• In time. The procedure must start early enough that all meters in the lot could be replaced before the calibration period ends ("dass alle Messgeräte des Loses vor Beendigung der Eichfrist ersetzt werden könnten").
• Not too early. You can apply no earlier than two years before the period expires.

The details are in the authorities' administrative rule on sampling, GM-VA SPV (version of 7 November 2023). Meters in a lot that passes keep their old marking. How long the extension runs depends on the type of device. North Rhine-Westphalia's State Office for Metrology and Verification (Landesbetrieb Mess- und Eichwesen NRW) put the extension at three to five years in March 2023, before the current GM-VA SPV. For electronic electricity meters installed since 2019, the VDE's grid technology forum VDE FNN gives two years, as a rule.

It is not fully settled when the extension starts. A 2018 FAQ paper from a working group of the calibration authorities, based on the GM-VA SPV of that time, says it only begins at the end of the year in which testing starts. On that reading, anyone who has testing done as early as 2026 would lose a year. Check this with your testing body before you apply.

When sampling pays off

In our view, sampling is mainly an option for large, uniform lots at main metering points, such as the utilities' main water meters, or the electricity and gas meters of grid and metering point operators. The NRW state office calls meters in flats intermediate meters (Zwischenzähler) and says the procedure is not used for them, partly for economic reasons ("u. a. aus wirtschaftlichen Gründen keine Anwendung"). The law does not rule it out.

On the cost side is an authority fee of €367.20 per lot under the fee ordinance (MessEGebV), plus the authority's charges for testing or supervision, billed according to the work involved. On top of that come the testing body's fees and the cost of the field work. In return, cold and hot water meters gain three extra years, according to the law firm Rödl & Partner (May 2026). In our assessment, that pays off for a few thousand identical meters at a utility, but probably not for a property with 60 flats.

When the sample fails

Then there is no extension, and the whole lot must be swapped or recalibrated by 31 December 2027. That is why § 35 MessEV requires the procedure to start early enough that a full swap would still be possible before the deadline. So plan B for the whole lot has to be ready from the start. That covers the devices, with their delivery times, and the technician hours. The letters and appointment windows have to be ready as well. If you need plan B, it will be in the second half of 2027, when many other lots are being swapped anyway.

Planning the swap

Inventory by lot. For each device, record:

• manufacturer and type, with the type-examination certificate
• year marking and serial number
• location
• any earlier extensions
• for hot water and heat meters, whether they can be read remotely

Devices with an extended period need a separate field for the actual end of their period, because their marking stays the same. Otherwise someone swaps a valid meter in 2028, or an expired one stays in place. From this list, form the lots and decide for each one: sampling or full swap. As a rule, hot water and heat meters that cannot be read remotely don't belong in the 2027 wave, because Germany's heating cost regulation (Heizkostenverordnung, HeizkostenV) sets them an earlier deadline (see below).

Plan backward. Start from 31 December 2027, the one date that cannot move. In our view, if a sampled lot fails, the swap wave has to be under way by summer 2027. So the test result should be in by about mid-2027. That puts the lot file and the application in the fourth quarter of 2026, and drawing the sample and removing the meters at the start of 2027. Agree on the plan with the testing body and the calibration authority. We would spread lots without sampling across the whole of 2027, rather than pushing them into the fourth quarter, where there is hardly any room left for second appointments.

Sampling as a separate job. The devices are drawn at random, so you have to reach exactly those meter positions. For main water meters, that usually means the cellar or the service connection room. The same testing body's form says that reserve meters, drawn as backups for the sample, are removed and sent in as well. If a drawn meter cannot be reached, you report its location. So plan more removals than there are meters in the sample, and fit a new meter at each position straight away. The removed meter's inlet and outlet are capped watertight on the spot, and the meter is not flushed or cleaned. The form (as of 2022) allows no more than 28 calendar days between removal and testing. Ask your testing body for the current rule.

Waves by building. The waves follow buildings, not lots, because the meters in one flat come from different lots. All meters due in a flat go into one appointment. Group the buildings by street, and within each building the flats by stairwell. Arrange access to cellars and technical rooms in advance with the property manager or caretaker.

Appointments with residents. You only get into flats after giving notice and if someone opens the door. Check with the Verwender how much notice is needed. In our view, residents should get the appointment in writing and be able to move it themselves without calling the office. Plan a first appointment and a second one for each building. Flats that are still locked after that go on the list for the Verwender.

For hot water and heat meters that cannot be read remotely, § 5 HeizkostenV also applies. As a rule, devices installed up to 1 December 2021 must be remotely readable by 31 December 2026. For M21 devices, that is one year before their calibration period ends. In our view, it often makes more sense to replace them with remotely readable meters in 2026 than to retrofit a radio module first and still swap the meter in 2027. As a rule, meters installed after that date had to be remotely readable from the start. Cold water meters are not covered by this obligation.

Documenting the old and new meter properly

Billing depends on what the technician records, and the new meter's year marking sets the date of the next scheduled swap. For each meter, the report should include:

• Old meter: serial number, reading at removal, year marking, and a photo in which the register and the marking are legible.
• New meter: serial number, initial reading, year marking, photo, and for radio meters the module ID.
• Location: property, flat, room and riser.
• Swap: date and technician, plus the seal number or the condition of the installation seal (Benutzersicherung).
• Sampled device: in addition, the removal date and the handover to the testing body.

The reading on the swap day splits the billing period between the old and the new meter. If it is missing, you are often left with an estimate that someone has to explain to a resident. The Verwender must keep records of work done on the meter, such as maintenance or repairs ("über erfolgte Wartungen, Reparaturen oder sonstige Eingriffe"), until three months after the calibration period expires, for five years at most (§ 31(2) No. 4 MessEG). We would keep swap reports for as long as bills can still be disputed.

How Jarvis helps

Jarvis plans meter swap projects in waves, from the building down to each technician's daily route. Residents in every flat get their appointment by letter and SMS. If it doesn't suit them, they pick another one themselves, around the clock, by phone or in the online portal.

In the Jarvis app, technicians scan the device codes and record the old and new meter numbers and readings in dedicated report forms for water and heat meters, even offline in the cellar. Every installation photo is checked by AI on site, and the technician gets feedback right away. Installed and removed meters are listed in Jarvis's device management, and every completed flat comes with photo documentation and a PDF report. U-SERV GmbH, for example, plans and schedules its meter swap projects with Jarvis.

Before the 2027 swap wave starts, we're happy to go through your plan with you, from the lot list to the swap report. Book a 15-minute walkthrough.

This article is not legal advice. Please check the end of the calibration period and the timeline for a specific lot with the relevant calibration authority or the state-approved testing body.

By Valter Pasanen, Founder, Grid Jarvis. Published 2026-06-10. 2026-06-10