An energy community is a group of members (consumers and/or producers) who collectively organize their energy production, consumption, and sharing. The idea is simple: locally produced energy can partially cover the consumption of other members, and the benefits are distributed according to a clear rule.

No. You can be just a consumer. In a community, there are:

• members who produce (prosumers / PV / batteries)
• members who consume (without production)
• and sometimes common assets (community PV, common battery).

Yes. Members retain the right to choose their supplier. The community does not 'take' your supplier. In practice, shared energy supplements the energy purchased from the supplier (residual consumption).

Because the supplier sells you energy from the market. The community can:

• reduce a portion of the energy purchased from the grid (through shared energy)
• offer you transparency and a logic for sharing benefits
• and in the medium term, it can also generate revenue from flexibility (batteries, EVs, controllable consumption).

Typically (depending on the model and implementation):

• cheaper energy than from the grid for a portion of your consumption
• better cost stability (in certain scenarios)
• transparency: you know who produced, who consumed, and how it was distributed
• possible shared revenues (if there is surplus production or monetized flexibility).

Normally, there is an allocation rule. Common examples:

• proportional to each member's consumption
• fixed quota / percentage established by statute
• priorities (e.g., school / town hall / vulnerable consumers)
• combinations (e.g., guaranteed minimum + proportional).

Important: the rule must be clear, verifiable, and stable.

No. The community is not a supplier (in the standard model). The supplier remains the one who bills for energy from the grid (residual consumption) and manages the contractual supply relationship.

The community manages internally shared energy and internal settlements.

Typically the POD, technical data about your installation (if you produce: PV/battery) and agreements/mandates for data access (where necessary).

We are not talking about excessive 'personal data,' but about the operational data necessary for energy to be settled correctly.

It helps enormously. With data at short intervals (e.g., 15 minutes), you can correctly allocate energy among members, reduce estimations and avoid crude monthly corrections.

Without granularity, energy sharing becomes more of a post-facto reconciliation than real operation.

Then your residual consumption increases, and you will buy more from your supplier. You will not be left without power, and there is no 'supply risk'. The community only reduces how much you buy from the grid when it has a surplus.

Yes, in the 'advanced' model, if there is a mandated party/aggregator with market capabilities (Day-Ahead/Intraday) and a forecasting + operational structure. However, most communities start with the 'passive' model (internal compensation).

INOWATTIO offers:

• member, POD, and asset management
• monitoring and visualization of internal flows
• calculation of internal allocations and settlements
• monthly reports and settlement documents
• support for integration with suppliers/aggregators and preparation for markets/flexibility (where the framework allows).

A delegated member (established by the community's governance) has administrative access: onboarding, roles, approvals and settings.