What applies in Austria

800 watts, but the grid operator must still be told

Plug-in photovoltaic systems up to 800 W of inverter output need no permit, but must be notified to the grid operator before commissioning.

Inverter

max. 800 W AC

Permit

not required

Grid operator notice

required

This is the key difference from Germany, where grid operator registration was abolished outright. In Austria it remains. The notification runs through the operator's online portal and is free of charge.

The system must meet the requirements of TOR Generators Type A; commercially available devices with ÖVE/CE conformity satisfy this. A properly installed socket is required for connection.

No guaranteed feed-in tariff — the price is negotiated

Austria has no equivalent of the German statutory tariff. What you receive for surplus is set by your electricity supplier.

Typical range

3–11 ct/kWh

Guarantee

none in law

This is the largest economic difference from Germany. The calculator works with an average — get a concrete offer before relying on it.

Remuneration usually tracks the exchange price, sometimes at a discount, sometimes fixed for one or two years. It can change substantially when the contract ends — in either direction.

For the economics this means self-consumption counts for even more than in Germany. Sizing an array close to your own demand is more defensible here than there.

OeMAG's market premium offers a subsidised route for larger systems, but it is tied to tenders and rarely relevant for households.

Zero VAT for systems up to 35 kWp

Supply and installation of photovoltaic systems up to 35 kWp carry no VAT.

VAT

0 % up to 35 kWp

The measure was introduced for a limited period and has been amended more than once. Check the current window before placing an order.

The threshold is higher than Germany's. The zero rate removes the old construction of opting into standard taxation to reclaim input tax and then reverting to the small-business scheme.

The relief covers systems on or near residential buildings, and on buildings serving the public good.

Energy communities: the Austrian speciality

Surplus electricity can be passed directly to neighbours, at freely agreed prices and with reduced grid fees.

Grid fee discount

up to 57 % (local level)

Renewable energy community

same grid level

Citizen energy community

nationwide

Austria implemented the EU rules on energy communities far more ambitiously than Germany. An operator can sell surplus to members of the community instead of releasing it at a low market price.

In practice this is the most effective answer to the missing feed-in tariff: instead of three to eleven cents, fifteen to twenty is often achievable within a community — and the buyer still pays less than to a supplier.

Federal subsidy plus provincial subsidy

Heating replacement and photovoltaics are subsidised federally, with the provinces adding their own programmes on top.

Subsidy levels and application windows change more often in Austria than in Germany and are partly budget-dependent.

Switching from a fossil heating system to a heat pump attracts a federal grant that can approach full funding for lower-income households. The provinces add their own budgets, whose size and conditions vary considerably.

Because federal and provincial support stack but each has its own deadlines and caps, it pays to check both applications before commissioning the work.

Bidirectional charging is still marginal here too

Exporting from a vehicle is not prohibited in Austria either, but is tied to grid connection rules and a suitable metering concept.

An export-capable charger counts as a generation unit under the technical and organisational rules and must be registered with the grid operator.

As in Germany, the obstacle is less permission than the shortage of certified vehicle and wallbox combinations, and the unclear treatment of levies on the returned kilowatt hour.