EV charger in the Canton of Appenzell AusserrhodenRegistration included.

Connection and permit in the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden

A wallbox is an electrical installation under the low-voltage installation ordinance (NIV). We register it with the grid operator before installation. The grid operator may set conditions on power or load management. After installation, we issue the safety certificate. Under the cantonal building ordinance, simple, small or only temporary structures and installations that do not affect neighbours or public interests need neither a notification nor a permit. An EV charger at an existing parking space usually falls into this category. For new parking spaces, extensions or publicly accessible charging points, we clarify the position with your commune.

Subsidies in the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden

The canton subsidises basic charging infrastructure in existing, non-public underground car parks of buildings with at least three dwellings. The contribution is CHF 400 per equipped parking space, at most CHF 10,000 per project and at most 40% of the investment. At least three parking spaces must be equipped. The installation needs load management and electricity exclusively from renewable sources. The building must have been completed before the end of 2022. You must submit the application to the Office for the Environment (Amt für Umwelt) before installation starts. There is no cantonal contribution for single-family homes.

Apartment buildings and condominium ownership

Tenants need the landlord’s consent. In condominium ownership, the owners’ association (STWEG) decides. We plan the basic infrastructure for all parking spaces, with the load management that the canton requires for the contribution. Because the application must be received before building starts, we clarify the subsidy with you before we issue the quote. For this we record all parking spaces, the condition of the main distribution board and the connection capacity available to the property. This shows how many charging points can run at the same time and whether the house connection needs to be reinforced. More on this under EV charging in underground car parks.

Grid operator and electricity price

In the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, the St. Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke (SAK) supply 14 of 20 communes, at 28.7 ct./kWh in household profile H4. Elektrizitätswerk Heiden charges 32.8 ct./kWh and Elektrokorporation Wald 26.0 ct./kWh. The cantonal median is 28.7 ct./kWh and the Swiss median 27.7 ct./kWh (ElCom, the Federal Electricity Commission, 2026, excluding VAT). With a solar system, every kilowatt-hour you charge from your own roof replaces grid electricity.