In-roof solar in the Canton of Appenzell AusserrhodenTop-up on one-off payment

Solar roofs in historic core zones and protected townscapes

The Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden’s guide to solar systems states when a building permit remains necessary. This applies to cultural monuments of national and cantonal importance, which also includes communal monuments and protected groups of houses and hamlets. It applies in national and communal townscape protection zones, in areas of the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments, and for buildings with conservation target A under ISOS. Even for systems that appear to be permit-free, a duty to notify always applies, and the commune has the final say. We did not find a separate in-roof rule in the guide. Before the quote, we clarify which category your building falls into.

Subsidies

The federal government pays the one-off payment (Einmalvergütung, EIV) through Pronovo. It depends, among other things, on the system type, whether add-on, integrated or free-standing, and it is higher for integrated systems. The Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden pays an additional contribution based on this one-off payment. For systems commissioned from 1 September 2025, it is at most 50% of the federal payment, up to a maximum of CHF 100,000 per project. Pure renovations of existing systems are excluded. You submit the application after commissioning, once the federal decision is legally binding. The Office for the Environment (Amt für Umwelt) receives it through the buildings programme portal.

Plan the roof renovation and solar roof together

Around 72% of residential buildings date from before 1980. These older houses often need a new roof covering. If you combine it with an in-roof system, you save tiles on the covered area and plan insulation and underlay at the same time. At this altitude we pay attention to snow load and snow guards during planning. We check this at the site visit together with the roofer.