co2online

What co2online does

co2online gGmbH is a Berlin-based non-profit organization founded in 2003 that delivers free digital energy-efficiency consulting to German households. The platform's core product is a suite of interactive online calculators collectively branded as EnergiesparChecks, including HeizCheck (heating), StromCheck (electricity), PhotovoltaikCheck (solar feasibility), WärmepumpenCheck (heat pump suitability), ModernisierungsCheck (modernization prioritization), and FördermittelCheck (subsidy discovery), plus several sub-products covering balcony solar, thermostats, hot water, and operating costs. Users enter building and consumption data and receive personalized savings recommendations and cost estimates. The platform is supplemented by a content library of 350+ specialist articles, monthly newsletters with engagement challenges (Stromspar-Challenge, Wasserspar-Challenge), a directory of certified energy advisors, a referral service for tradespeople, and the annual nationwide Energiesparmeister school competition. Distribution is entirely digital and self-serve through co2online.de and the partner community VierWende.

The business model is non-commercial: co2online is funded primarily by public grants from the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUKN), pursuant to a resolution of the German Bundestag. Because services are provided free of charge, there is no subscription, advertising, or transactional revenue stream. The go-to-market is product-led growth plus content marketing, leveraging organic search across high-intent residential energy queries. Customer segments include private homeowners and property owners (primary), renters, housing cooperatives (Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaften / WEG), and educational institutions participating in the Energiesparmeister competition.

co2online operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) and a single-country (Germany) footprint. The organization claims to advise over 500,000 people digitally per year, with an 80% user recommendation rate, and positions itself as manufacturer-independent and unbiased. Strategic positioning is built on three pillars: federal-government backing, accumulated editorial expertise (20+ years), and neutral advisory status. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization has no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no disclosed parent company.

Name

co2online

Legal name

co2online

Website

https://co2online.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

co2online is a Berlin-based non-profit (founded 2003) that provides free digital energy-efficiency consulting to German households through 11+ interactive calculators, 350+ specialist articles, and the Energiesparmeister school competition, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Environment (BMUKN).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Efficiency Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

akta.pro primary industry

Emissions Factors, LCA & Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Platforms (EUABAEAD)

Keywords

• Energy efficiency consulting
• Carbon emission reduction
• Solar feasibility assessment
• Building modernization planning
• Residential energy savings

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: co2online is a non-profit organization funded primarily through public grants. The Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUKN) provides funding for the online climate protection consulting services based on a resolution of the German Bundestag.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

co2online is a German non-profit that provides free, manufacturer-independent digital energy consulting for residential users. Its core offering is a suite of interactive web-based calculators (EnergiesparChecks) that guide homeowners, renters, and property owners through personalized assessments of their heating, electricity, solar, heat pump, and modernization needs, paired with access to advisors and contractors.

Product overview

co2online operates as a nonprofit digital energy consulting platform offering a comprehensive suite of interactive online calculators and advisory services for residential energy efficiency. The core product portfolio centers on the EnergiesparChecks (Energy Saving Checks) family, which includes 11 distinct tools: HeizCheck (heating analysis), StromCheck (electricity consumption), PhotovoltaikCheck (solar feasibility), WärmepumpenCheck (heat pump suitability), ModernisierungsCheck (modernization planning), FördermittelCheck (subsidy identification), plus specialized tools for balcononkraftwerk, operating costs, thermostats, and hot water. These are complemented by engagement programs (Stromspar-Challenge, Wasserspar-Challenge) and referral services for professional energy advisors and tradespeople. The platform serves over 500,000 people annually with manufacturer-independent advice on heating, insulation, solar technology, heat pumps, and government funding programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• co2online: Non-profit energy savings consulting organization providing free digital climate protection advice for households

Products and services

• HeizCheck
• StromCheck Interactive calculator that analyses a household's electricity consumption and identifies savings potential. Targets residential users (homeowners and tenants).
• PhotovoltaikCheck Online assessment tool that evaluates a property's suitability for solar/photovoltaic installation and estimates yield and economics. For homeowners and property owners considering rooftop solar.
• WärmepumpenCheck Calculator that determines whether a heat pump is a viable heating option for a specific building, accounting for insulation, radiators, and existing heat distribution. For German homeowners considering a heat pump.
• ModernisierungsCheck Tool that helps owners and housing communities plan building-wide energy modernization measures (insulation, windows, heating) and prioritizes actions. Targets homeowners, WEG communities, and housing cooperatives.
• FördermittelCheck Database-driven lookup tool that identifies federal, state, and local subsidies applicable to a planned energy measure. For homeowners, tenants, and property owners planning renovations.
• BalkonkraftwerkCheck Calculator tailored to small plug-in solar systems (Balkonkraftwerke / balcony PV) for tenants and apartment owners. Helps assess feasibility, expected yield, and legal/technical constraints.
• BetriebskostenCheck Tool that reviews a property's operating costs (Betriebskosten) and identifies potential savings or errors, particularly relevant for landlords and WEG communities.
• ThermostatCheck Quick self-assessment tool for tenants and homeowners to evaluate whether thermostats are set efficiently and how much heating energy could be saved through proper setting and use.
• WarmwasserCheck Calculator that analyses household hot-water consumption and identifies savings measures. For residential users seeking to reduce hot-water energy use.
• MiniChecks Set of short, themed energy-saving quizzes/checks used as light educational tools, primarily in classroom settings (schools).
• Stromspar-Challenge Gamified classroom challenge in which students track and reduce electricity use over a defined period. Targets schools and teachers as a pedagogical resource.
• Wasserspar-Challenge Gamified classroom challenge focused on reducing water consumption in schools. Targets teachers and students as a pedagogical resource.
• Energieberatung finden Online directory that helps users locate independent, qualified energy advisors in their region of Germany. For homeowners, tenants, and property owners seeking expert follow-up.
• Handwerkerangebote einholen Service that helps users obtain comparable quotes from local tradespeople/contractors for planned energy renovation work. For homeowners planning installation or modernization projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of users recommend the EnergiesparChecks to others
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VierWendecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity platform partnered with co2online where homeowners can connect with others undertaking renovations, receive expert support through webinars, and share experiences. co2online redirects users to VierWende for community engagement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Check24: Germany's largest comparison portal with deep energy, insurance, and finance verticals. Comparable B2C decision-support model at much greater scale; bundles advisory content with transactional switching.
• Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena): Germany's national energy agency runs consumer-facing campaigns on building modernization, heat pumps, and energy efficiency. Comparable in mandate and federal backing, but operates at a much larger institutional scale with broader policy scope.

Others

• Thermondo (Enpal): German heat pump and solar leasing provider. Comparable focus on residential building decarbonization; not a direct advisor but represents the downstream commercial buyer of co2online-style demand.
• KfW: German government development bank administering the major energy retrofit subsidy programs (e.g., KfW 261, 270). The reference institution that co2online's FördermittelCheck is built to navigate — adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.
• 1Komma5°: Fast-growing German heat pump and solar installer with proprietary energy advisory tooling. Complementary demand channel — co2online's calculators feed directly into the kind of purchase intent 1Komma5° converts at installation.

Direct peers

• Finanztip: Non-commercial German consumer advice platform covering insurance, banking, and increasingly energy/subsidy topics. Comparable independent advisory stance, content-led GTM, and household decision-support focus.
• co2-rechner.de (KlimAktiv / natureLife): German consumer-facing CO2 footprint calculators with household-level emission breakdowns. Closely comparable product format (interactive calculator) and target audience (households seeking to understand and reduce emissions).
• Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv): The umbrella of Germany's consumer advice centers provides independent energy consulting, subsidy guidance, and household-level calculators (e.g., Heizkosten-Check). Directly comparable mission, target audience, and B2C energy advisory model.
• Verivox: Major German price comparison and advisory portal for energy tariffs, with household-level savings guidance and switching tools. Comparable B2C consumer energy decision-support model with commercial monetization.

Emerging players

• Energieheld: German online marketplace connecting homeowners with energy advisors and tradespeople for retrofits. Overlaps with co2online's Energieberatung-finden and Handwerkerangebote referral services, but with a transactional commercial model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/co2online
• Facebookfacebook.com/Klima.sucht.Schutz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/co2online-ggmbh-non-profit-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about co2online