Prozessleitfaden — GPKE

GPKE: Wie der Lieferantenwechsel Strom funktioniert

GPKE (Geschäftsprozesse zur Kundenbelieferung mit Elektrizität) definiert, wie Stromlieferanten in Deutschland gewechselt werden. Verpflichtend seit 2005.

UTILMDAPERAKMSCONS10 working days lead timeProcess indicator 13002

Was ist GPKE?

The rulebook for switching electricity suppliers

GPKE stands for Geschäftsprozesse zur Kundenbelieferung mit Elektrizität — the official BNetzA rulebook that defines exactly how electricity supplier switching must work in Germany. Every supplier and grid operator must follow it.

10 Working Days Minimum

The new supplier must register at least 10 working days before the switch date. You cannot switch overnight. This gives the grid operator time to process and notify all parties.

4 Days to Respond

The Grid Operator has exactly 4 working days to accept or reject the registration. If they do not respond in time, the switch still proceeds. Silence is not rejection.

NB Is the Hub

The Grid Operator is the central coordinator. Both the old and new supplier communicate through the NB. They never communicate directly with each other during a switch.

Meter Reading Is King

The MSB provides the official meter reading on the switch date. Both LFs must use this number — they cannot use estimates. This reading is what makes B2B billing possible.

~1,400 Suppliers

In Germany, households can choose from over 1,400 electricity suppliers. GPKE makes this choice technically possible — all suppliers speak the same EDIFACT language.

GPKE Is Electricity Only

Gas has its own equivalent: GeLi Gas. Same idea, different rules — including using CONTRL instead of APERAK for acknowledgements. Do not mix up the two.

Der Wechselprozess

Click each step or press Auto Play to walk through the entire supplier switch from decision to first bill.

GPKE Switching Process (7 steps)

Klicken Sie auf einen Schritt oder drücken Sie Abspielen

Simulator: Lieferantenanmeldung

Press “Start Process” to see the 4 EDIFACT messages exchanged between the new supplier and the grid operator during a typical switch registration.

Supplier Registration (New LF → NB)

New LFNew Supplier

NBGrid Operator

Klicken Sie auf 'Prozess starten', um den Austausch zu beobachten

What about gas?

The gas equivalent of this process is called GeLi Gas. The key difference: gas uses CONTRL (action codes 7 and 8) instead of APERAK (A7/A8) for acknowledgements. The business logic is similar but the message types and timing rules differ.

Wie leitnetz hilft

GPKE Without the Manual Work

Automatic UTILMD Generation

Fill out a wizard form. leitnetz generates the correct UTILMD with the right process indicator, validates all fields, and dispatches it.

APERAK Handled Automatically

Every inbound APERAK is processed and correlated to the original request. No manual tracking of acknowledgements.

MSCONS Ingestion

When the MSB sends the cutover meter reading via MSCONS, leitnetz ingests it and links it to the correct switch case.

Vorheriger Leitfaden

Learn Hub

Overview of the German energy market

Nächster Leitfaden

GeLi Gas

Gas supplier switching with CONTRL acknowledgements