Heat pump in the Canton of Appenzell AusserrhodenHeating in Appenzell.

Permit: simplified procedure for air-to-water, application for boreholes

Since the partial revision of the Building Ordinance on 1 April 2022, the notification procedure (Meldeverfahren) generally applies to heating systems. Because of Federal Supreme Court case law, outdoor air-to-water heat pumps still go through the simplified procedure. This includes a noise protection assessment. Your commune of residence is the point of contact. We prepare the assessment, choose a quiet unit and a suitable location, and submit the application.

For boreholes (ground probes), you or we first check the borehole map in the geoportal. Yellow means permitted, brown means permitted with conditions after a geological assessment, and red means not permitted. The application is submitted to your commune of residence, and the Office for the Environment issues the specialist permit. For drilling, the canton requires a deposit of CHF 1,000, which is refunded once the final documents are complete.

Replacing your heating system: what the Energy Act requires

When a heating system is replaced in existing buildings with residential use, at least 20 percent of the heat must come from renewable sources or be compensated by efficiency measures. A heat pump meets this in full. Fossil heating systems remain possible but require additional measures.

Subsidies in Appenzell Ausserrhoden

The canton subsidises replacing oil, gas and electric heating in buildings that are at least five years old. An air-to-water heat pump receives CHF 4,850 up to 12.5 kW thermal output, and above that CHF 4,100 plus CHF 60 per kW. A brine-to-water heat pump receives CHF 10,000 up to 12.5 kW, and above that CHF 7,750 plus CHF 180 per kW. The subsidy is capped at 50 percent of the investment. The heat pump system module (Wärmepumpen-System-Modul) is required.

The application must be submitted to the Verein Energie AR/AI before work starts. The commitment of the subsidy lapses after 24 months. We submit the application and keep an eye on the deadline.

Grid operator and electricity price

The cantonal median is 28.7 ct./kWh excluding VAT, slightly above the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. St. Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG supplies 14 of the 20 communes (28.7 ct.). There are also small utilities such as the Elektrizitätswerk Heiden (32.8 ct.), Elektra Walzenhausen (30.5 ct.) and Elektrokorporation Wald-St. Peterzell (26.0 ct.). The heat pump is registered with the grid operator through a technical connection application. Some utilities have their own tariffs or blocking times, and we clarify this for your utility.

A special feature: very many older buildings

71.6 percent of residential buildings date from before 1981, and only 20.9 percent have a heat pump so far. In older buildings, we measure the flow temperature during the site visit and check whether the existing radiators are sufficient. A solar system on the roof lowers the electricity costs of the heat pump.