Poland mandates remote heat meters for all apartment blocks by 2027

Poland will require every multi‑apartment building to replace existing heat‑metering devices with remote‑reading units by 1 January 2027. The obligation stems from Article 16 of the law amending the Energy Efficiency Act (April 2021) and implements the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. Building owners or managers must install heat meters, cost‑allocation devices and hot‑water meters capable of transmitting data wirelessly, provided the upgrade is technically feasible and economically justified.

Approximately 12 million residential units still use legacy meters, while about 6.8 million (36 %) already have remote‑reading equipment. Failure to meet the deadline can result in fines up to 10 000 zł and, in severe cases, restrictions on freedom or arrest. The new meters record consumption, radiator surface temperature, room temperature and can log alarm events such as tampering. Data are sent to a building‑wide concentrator and then to the billing company’s servers, giving managers real‑time access to usage patterns. While intended for billing and energy‑efficiency monitoring, the detailed profiles also raise privacy concerns under GDPR.