Solar installation in the Canton of Appenzell AusserrhodenWith a cantonal top-up.

Permit: notification on the cantonal form

Under Art. 18a RPG, sufficiently well-integrated solar systems on roofs in building and agricultural zones do not need a building permit. Appenzell Ausserrhoden has published a guide to solar systems for this. It sets out when a notification is enough and when a building permit is still required. The notification is made on the official cantonal form, available at ar.ch/baugesuche.

Stricter rules apply in protection zones and for protected buildings. Before the quote, we check which category your building falls into, and we file the documents with your commune.

Subsidies in the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden

The federal government pays the one-off payment (Einmalvergütung, EIV) through Pronovo. Since 1 April 2025 there has been no base amount, and add-on systems under 30 kWp receive CHF 360 per kWp. We file the application. On request, we pre-finance the subsidy.

Ausserrhoden also subsidises photovoltaics itself. For systems of 2 kWp or more, the canton pays a contribution on top of the federal one-off payment. For systems commissioned between 1 January 2022 and 31 August 2025 it was at most 100%, and from 1 September 2025 it is at most 50%. The contribution is capped at CHF 100,000 per project. Pure renovations of existing systems are excluded.

You submit the application only after commissioning, once the federal decision has become legally binding. The Office for the Environment (Amt für Umwelt) receives it through the building programme portal.

Grid operator and power price

In 2026 the cantonal median is 28.7 ct. per kWh excluding VAT, only slightly above the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. In 14 of the 20 communes, SAK (St. Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke) supplies at 28.7 ct. There are also small utilities, for example Elektrizitätswerk Heiden at 32.8 ct. and Elektrokorporation Wald - St. Peterzell at 26.0 ct.

The grid operator pays for the electricity you feed in. The rate differs from one utility to the next, and we calculate with the tariff of your utility.

Altitude and buildings

Ausserrhoden lies higher than the Swiss Plateau, and in winter snow can lie on the modules. We choose the tilt and the mounting structure to suit the snow load and the roof. About 72% of residential buildings date from before 1980, so at the site visit we check the condition of the roof. A heat pump is a good fit if you are replacing your heating system.