Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Hannes Münzinger, founder and CEO of Homenergy: We provide homeowners with access to renewable energy. That means we advise our customers and supply them with photovoltaic modules, energy storage systems, heat pumps, and charging stations. We also offer them the Homenergy Manager, an energy management solution that intelligently controls energy flows. And we provide them with access to a dynamic electricity tariff. Ultimately, our goal is to supply our customers with sustainable energy in a cost-effective and reliable manner.
Sustainable energy for private households
Munich Startup: But that already exists, doesn’t it!
Hannes Münzinger: Well, yes and no. It’s true that there are other providers with a similar offering. And yes, we don’t have a classic USP. We mainly differentiate ourselves from other companies by combining the advantages of a regional craftsman business with the potential of digitalization. We are set up in a way that allows us to optimally support customers on-site – they have a fixed, permanent point of contact. At the same time, we are very efficient through our own IT platform. That it works is shown by our customer reviews and the fact that we are currently growing against the trend in a very challenging market environment.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Hannes Münzinger: I worked in the energy sector for almost ten years, most recently as CEO at Daheim Solar. In mid-2022, it became clear that the market around energy transition solutions was really taking off. This was the time when the whole country was worried about gas storage fill levels and the future of energy supply. Since I was looking for a new challenge anyway, I decided to tackle the topic and found a company – together with my co-founders Bastian and Alexander, whom I knew from Daheim Solar. I knew we had fantastic team dynamics.
Boom is over, Homenergy grows anyway
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Hannes Münzinger: We’re probably right in the middle of our biggest challenge. The PV and heat pump market has suffered tremendously lately, the initial boom is over. This is partly because energy prices have fallen again, but also because of a lot of misinformation and uncertainty – especially around heat pumps – and the withdrawal of funding programs. We’re growing anyway – against the trend – and we’re financially more than stable. That’s why we mainly see the opportunities, as the market is consolidating right now.
Munich Startup: How is business going?
Hannes Münzinger: Business is going well – despite the difficult market situation I just described. In our first year after founding, we achieved 42 million euros in revenue and almost four million EBITDA. We were able to write black numbers after just three months with only one million in startup capital. We’re continuing down this path. And currently, for example in June 2024, we’re seeing over 50 percent growth compared to previous months and are far better positioned than the overall market.
“Excellent opportunities to grow as a startup”
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Hannes Münzinger: Extremely positively. I’ve been in Munich for over twelve years – my two co-founders are native Müncheners. The city offers excellent opportunities to grow as a startup. Great infrastructure, an established startup scene, a multitude of well-educated people, and much more. We love being here.
Munich Startup: Outsource or do it yourself?
Hannes Münzinger: Both. We know our strengths, but we’re aware that there are areas we prefer to leave to our partners. For example, our in-house developed IT platform is a major success factor. We also mainly handle electrical installations and heating system installations ourselves. At the same time, we have subcontractors, for example, for roof installation of photovoltaic systems. We always try to take the path that best benefits our company, but especially our customers.
