Civil Works

Renewable Energy Supplybuergerwerke.de

Civil Works (Bürgerwerke) is a Heidelberg-based umbrella cooperative, founded in 2013, that aggregates 150+ German citizen energy cooperatives to supply retail customers with 100% renewable electricity, tiered biogas, and EV services across Germany.

Company typePrivate
Founded2013
HeadquartersHeidelberg, Germany
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

What Civil Works does

Civil Works (operating under the brand Bürgerwerke, buergerwerke.de) is a Heidelberg-based German cooperative founded in 2013 that functions as a Dachgenossenschaft, or umbrella cooperative, linking more than 150 local energy cooperatives (Energiegenossenschaften) into a single retail supply and aggregation platform. As of May 2026, the network comprises 2,000+ citizen-owned renewable generation assets (primarily solar, wind, and hydropower) and over 80,000 participating citizens. The company supplies retail customers with 100% renewable electricity under the BürgerÖkostrom brand, including a standard household tariff, a heat-pump / night-storage tariff (Heizstrom), and a dynamic time-of-use tariff (Dynamischer Ökostrom) that requires a smart meter. It also offers BürgerÖkogas in three tiers (5%, 10%, and 100% biogas share from plant-based residues) and is expanding into E-Mobilität through a citizen charging network (BürgerLadenetz) and the THG-Prämie EV premium service.

The core operational model is a two-sided cooperative marketplace. End customers (Privatkund:innen, plus Genossenschaften and Geschäftskund:innen channels) purchase renewable electricity and gas, and a portion of revenue is channeled back to the member cooperatives to finance additional renewable build-out. Underlying technology is a conventional energy-retail platform with tariff calculation tools, smart-meter integration for dynamic tariffs, and standard web infrastructure; the company does not disclose proprietary AI, software, or platform IP. Differentiation rests on certified renewable sourcing (Grüner Strom Label, TÜV Nord, DNP, Robin Wood) and on the political/ethical positioning of energy supply as a citizen-owned utility. The company is private, for-profit in legal form, with 11-50 employees, indicating an asset-light structure that outsources generation to member cooperatives and concentrates internal headcount on retail operations, member coordination, certification, and marketing.

Revenue mechanics are typical of a German retail energy supplier: margin on the spread between wholesale procurement (sourced from member cooperatives' renewable plants and the open market) and retail tariffs, plus ancillary fees on gas and EV services. No public revenue, ARR, or profitability figure is disclosed. The data presented for "Civil Works" in one of the structured input blocks (a Toronto cocktail bar inside Waterworks Food Hall) is inconsistent with the firmographics and website content and has been disregarded as evidently erroneous.

Civil Works firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Civil Works
Website: https://buergerwerke.de
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2013
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Civil Works (Bürgerwerke) is a Heidelberg-based umbrella cooperative, founded in 2013, that aggregates 150+ German citizen energy cooperatives to supply retail customers with 100% renewable electricity, tiered biogas, and EV services across Germany.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Civil Works industry classification

Industry

Product category: Renewable Energy Supply
NAICS: Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Generation (22111), Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)
SIC: Electric Services (4911), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)
akta.pro primary industry: Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) / Municipal Aggregation Retail Supply (EUAGABAF)
akta.pro secondary industries: Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC), DER Aggregation & Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) (EUAMAJAC)

Keywords

Renewable electricity
Green energy
Citizen energy
Biogas supply
Energy cooperatives

Where Civil Works is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Heidelberg
HQ country: Germany
HQ region: Europe

Markets served

Civil Works business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Civil Works product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Civil Works (operating under the consumer brand Bürgerwerke) is a cooperative association of more than 150 local citizen energy communities that supplies 100% renewable electricity (BürgerÖkostrom) and eco-gas (BürgerÖkogas) sourced from solar, wind, hydropower, and biogas installations owned and operated by its member cooperatives across Germany. The cooperative additionally offers heating electricity, a dynamic smart-meter electricity tariff, EV green-electricity premium payouts, and a citizen EV charging network.

Product overview

Civil Works is an award-winning cocktail bar offering a story-driven menu that translates local history into narrative-inspired cocktails. The bar operates from Toronto's Waterworks Food Hall and has received recognition including ranking at #55 on Best Bars in North America and winning the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Civil Works: An award-winning cocktail bar located in Toronto's Waterworks Food Hall, known for story-driven cocktail menus.

Products and services

BürgerÖkostrom (Citizen Eco-Electricity)

Companies that use Civil Works

Customer profile

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Civil Works technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Civil Works partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

Affordable TextilescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil Works collaborated with local business Affordable Textiles to create its story-driven menu 'On Cutting Rug,' which celebrates Toronto's historic Garment District by translating nearly 200 years of city history into fabric swatch-inspired cocktails.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Civil Works competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

E.ON: E.ON is one of Germany's largest integrated utilities supplying electricity, gas, and e-mobility to residential and business customers; broad incumbent competitor for retail customer acquisition and dynamic tariff rollouts.
EnBW: EnBW is a major German integrated utility with renewable generation, retail electricity supply, and mobility offerings to households and businesses; relevant as a broad incumbent that competes in the same green retail segment but with vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

Naturstrom: Naturstrom is a German green-electricity supplier that sources 100% renewable power and sells electricity, gas, and heat to households and businesses; comparable to Bürgerwerke across product breadth, customer segments, and "echter Ökostrom" positioning.
Lichtblick: Lichtblick is a Hamburg-based independent green-electricity retailer selling Ökostrom and Ökogas to German households and SMEs; directly comparable to Bürgerwerke as a non-incumbent, sustainability-positioned residential retailer operating without legacy generation assets.
Greenpeace Energy: Greenpeace Energy is a German green-electricity cooperative offering eco-power, eco-gas, and dynamic tariffs to private and business customers; directly comparable to Bürgerwerke as a values-driven cooperative competitor in the same customer base.
EWS Schönau: EWS Schönau is a citizen-owned energy cooperative in Schönau that supplies 100% renewable electricity across Germany; directly comparable to Bürgerwerke as a member-owned green electricity retailer with strong cooperative DNA and citizen-led origins.
Polarstern Energie: Polarstern Energie is a Munich-based independent green energy supplier offering 100% renewable electricity, eco-gas, and community-driven tariffs; closely comparable to Bürgerwerke on customer profile, cooperative values, and eco-gas product.

Regional players

Stadtwerke Heidelberg: Stadtwerke Heidelberg is the municipal utility serving Heidelberg (Bürgerwerke's own headquarters city) with electricity, gas, heat, and mobility services; a regional competitor with overlapping offerings but a fixed service area footprint.

Emerging players

Bayernwerk Natur: Bayernwerk Natur develops and operates community renewable projects (solar, wind, biomass) together with municipalities and cooperatives in Bavaria; comparable as an emerging player in the community-renewables space central to Bürgerwerke's member model.
nextbike by Tier (TIER-Dott): TIER-Dott operates one of Europe's largest e-scooter and e-mobility networks and intersects with Bürgerwerke's BürgerLadenetz EV charging offering; comparable as an emerging player targeting the same German e-mobility customer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Civil Works financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Civil Works leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Civil Works funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Civil Works M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Civil Works

What does Civil Works do?

Is Civil Works a public or private company?

Civil Works is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.

When was Civil Works founded?

Civil Works was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Civil Works based?

Civil Works is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, in the Europe region.

Who are Civil Works's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are E.ON and EnBW. Direct peers are Naturstrom, Lichtblick, Greenpeace Energy, EWS Schönau and Polarstern Energie. Stadtwerke Heidelberg is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Bayernwerk Natur and nextbike by Tier (TIER-Dott).

Does Civil Works have an API?

No public API is recorded for Civil Works.

What industry is Civil Works in?

Civil Works's product category is Renewable Energy Supply. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAGABAF, Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) / Municipal Aggregation Retail Supply, with a secondary code of EUADABAC, Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities). Its NAICS code is 2211 and its SIC code is 4911.