These general terms and conditions govern the use of the Celium service: expressions of interest on celium.ch, joining a Local Energy Community (LEC) represented by Celium, and the member area. For LEC members, they supplement the Local Energy Community Participation Agreement (anonymised template, PDF in French, with its tariff annex) and the Privacy Policy.
1. Scope
1.1 These General Terms and Conditions (the “Terms”) govern the use of the Celium service operated by Romandia Labs Sàrl, Chemin du Pré 3, 1264 St-Cergue, UID CHE-141.553.969, registered with the Commercial Register of the Canton of Vaud (“Celium”). They apply to anyone who expresses interest in a Local Energy Community (LEC) on celium.ch, joins a LEC represented by Celium, or uses the member area.
1.2 For LEC members, the Terms supplement the Local Energy Community Participation Agreement (the “Agreement”). In the event of a conflict, the documents apply in the following order: the member’s special conditions, the Agreement, the tariff annex, these Terms, the Privacy Policy.
1.3 An anonymised template of the Agreement, the tariff annex, these Terms and the Privacy Policy are published on celium.ch.
2. The Celium service
2.1 Celium operates LECs within the meaning of Articles 17d and 17e of the Swiss Electricity Supply Act (LApEl) on behalf of their members: notifications to and exchanges with the distribution system operator (DSO), receipt and verification of metering data, calculation of the allocation of shared electricity, statements, invoicing, collection, payouts to producers, a member area in French, German and English, and support by e-mail.
2.2 Celium is neither an electricity supplier, nor a grid operator, nor an installer. It does not meter electricity, does not guarantee its supply and does not replace the individual contracts that each member keeps with their DSO or supplier.
2.3 The precise content of the mandate entrusted to Celium for a given LEC is set out in the Agreement.
3. Expression of interest and invitation
3.1 An expression of interest submitted on celium.ch (contact details, address, intended role, information needed for verification) does not bind its author, creates no account and concludes no agreement. The data provided is processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy, solely to check whether a LEC can be joined or created and to keep the author informed.
3.2 The feasibility study carried out by Celium is free of charge and without obligation. When a LEC is possible or available, Celium sends the candidate an invitation presenting the LEC, their role, the pricing method, the planned start date and Celium as representative. The invitation is valid for 30 days from dispatch; after that, a new invitation may be requested from Celium. The candidate is free not to act on it.
3.3 Joining a LEC is done through the action “Join my LEC”, in accordance with Article 17 of the Agreement. The invitation draws the attention of candidates who hold an electricity supply contract on the open market to the need to adapt that contract with their supplier before joining, or to request that their integration be put on hold (Article 3.7 of the Agreement).
4. Account and member area
4.1 The Celium account is created automatically when joining a LEC; it is not a separate step. One account may group several metering points of the same member.
4.2 Access to the member area is by a single-use login link sent to the member’s e-mail address, without a password. The member protects access to their mailbox, does not forward their login links and notifies Celium without delay of any misuse or loss of control of their e-mail address.
4.3 The member area gives access to production and consumption data, shared electricity, statements and invoices, contractual documents (Documents, My LEC agreement), the applicable tariffs and notification preferences.
4.4 The member keeps their contact details up to date in the member area. Communications sent by Celium to the e-mail address provided are deemed received.
5. Prices
5.1 Celium charges members no fixed fees: no subscription, no set-up fee, no fee per member or per metering point, no statement fee, no entry or exit fee. The expression of interest, the feasibility study and the member area are free of charge.
5.2 Celium’s remuneration consists exclusively of a share of the value created by the LEC, measured at settlement and calculated in accordance with the tariff annex (20% under the standard scheme). It is included in the LEC’s internal prices and is not invoiced separately. If no value is created, no remuneration is due.
5.3 Amounts are exclusive of VAT. If Celium or the LEC becomes subject to VAT for the services concerned, VAT is added at the statutory rate and shown on the statements.
6. Invoicing, payment and payouts
6.1 Statements are drawn up at the end of each settlement period (calendar quarter, unless the special conditions state otherwise), once the DSO’s final data has been received. Consumers receive a QR-bill; producers a payout statement. Statements are made available in the member area and sent by e-mail.
6.2 Invoices are payable within 30 days of their issue date. In the event of late payment, Celium sends two reminders by e-mail, ten and twenty days after the due date; thirty days after the due date, it sends a formal notice. From that point, default interest of 5% per annum (Article 104 of the Swiss Code of Obligations) and the actual collection costs are owed by the member, and exclusion from the LEC may be pronounced in accordance with the Agreement.
6.3 Payouts to producers are made within 30 days of the statement being issued, to the IBAN provided by the producer. For a member who is both consumer and producer, the amounts for the same period are netted; only the balance is invoiced or paid.
6.4 A statement may be disputed in writing, with reasons, within 30 days of being made available; Celium replies within 30 days. Corrections of metering data made by the DSO are carried over to the following statement.
7. Data protection
7.1 Celium processes personal data in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and its Privacy Policy published on celium.ch, which describes the data processed, the purposes, the processors and the rights of data subjects.
7.2 Data is hosted in Switzerland. Metering data, statements, invoices and agreements are kept for ten years (Article 958f of the Swiss Code of Obligations); other personal data is deleted within twelve months after the end of participation, unless a legal obligation provides otherwise. Requests for access, rectification or erasure are to be sent to info@celium.ch.
8. Availability and evolution of the service
8.1 Celium strives to keep the member area continuously available. Maintenance interruptions are announced in advance where possible. Celium does not guarantee uninterrupted availability; the drawing-up of statements does not depend on the availability of the member area.
8.2 The data displayed in the member area depends on the transmission of metering data by the DSO; Celium makes it available no later than the working day following receipt.
8.3 Celium may develop the service (features, presentation, languages) without notice, provided that the services provided for in the Agreement continue to be delivered.
9. Intellectual property
9.1 The celium.ch website, the member area, the software, texts, illustrations and trademarks are the property of Romandia Labs Sàrl or its partners. The member receives a personal, non-exclusive and non-transferable right to use the member area, limited to the duration of their participation.
9.2 The LEC’s data (members, readings, statements) remains the property of the LEC; it is returned to the LEC in standard formats at the end of the mandate.
10. Liability
10.1 Celium’s liability is governed by the mandatory statutory provisions. To the extent permitted by law, Celium is liable only for direct damage resulting from an intentional act or gross negligence attributable to it. Any liability for slight negligence is excluded. To the extent permitted by law, Celium is in particular not liable for indirect or consequential damage, nor for loss of profit.
10.2 Celium is not liable for errors, inaccuracies, delays, interruptions or decisions attributable to the distribution system operator (DSO), nor for failures or unavailability of production installations or other third-party infrastructure, insofar as Celium is not itself responsible for them. Nor is Celium liable for the consequences of changes to the legal, regulatory or tariff framework.
Celium is not liable for the use of the member area by a third party who has obtained, without fault attributable to Celium, access to the member’s means of authentication or e-mail address.
10.3 Savings, income, gains or other financial benefits communicated by Celium, in particular by means of a simulator, an estimate, an example or an invitation, are provided for information purposes only. They depend in particular on the applicable DSO tariffs, actual production and consumption, the composition of the LEC and changes in the legal and tariff framework. Celium does not guarantee any level of savings, income or return.
11. Changes to the Terms
11.1 Celium may amend these Terms. Amendments are published on celium.ch and communicated in writing to members at least three months before they take effect, indicating the provisions amended.
11.2 Any member who does not accept an amendment may terminate their participation in the LEC, in writing, with effect from the date on which the amendment takes effect, without notice. In the absence of termination before that date, the amendment is deemed accepted.
11.3 Adaptations made necessary by a change in the law, an ordinance or the DSO’s requirements apply from their legal effective date.
12. Term and termination
12.1 These Terms apply for the entire duration of the member’s participation in a LEC operated by Celium and, for the author of an expression of interest, until their request is closed.
12.2 At the end of participation, the member area remains accessible in read-only mode for twelve months for consulting statements and documents, after which the account is closed, subject to statutory retention periods.
13. Communications and language
13.1 Communications between Celium and the member are validly made by post, by e-mail to the address provided by the other party, or through a function provided for that purpose in the member area.
13.2 These Terms are drawn up in French. Celium may provide translations; in the event of a discrepancy, the French version prevails.
14. Severability, applicable law and jurisdiction
14.1 If any provision of these Terms is or becomes invalid or unenforceable, the validity of the other provisions is not affected. The provision concerned is replaced by a valid provision that comes as close as possible, in economic terms, to its meaning and purpose.
14.2 These Terms are governed by Swiss law. The place of jurisdiction is the registered office of Romandia Labs Sàrl, subject to mandatory places of jurisdiction, in particular those provided for consumers.