Understanding the New Solar System Requirement for Existing and New Buildings: What Homeowners Need to Know

Relevant propagandists like to press the mental alarm button: The solar system requirement for existing houses – how are grandma and grandpa, who are sitting in their 1960s house and no longer want to renovate, going to pay for that? Not at all.

Because the obligation does not apply to grandma and grandpa. This obligation refers to new buildings with a building application from May 1, 2022 and since 2023 (start of construction) for basic roof renovations. Both times the investments are included in the calculation. However, there will be changes to the heating in 2024. And they may already affect Grandma and Grandpa.

Mail from the office will be coming soon

But: Because the solar system requirement on new roofs and basic roof renovations requires a one-year deadline because the house had to be built first, house builders and roof renovators will soon receive mail from the building law office. You will then be asked whether and which systems are installed on the roof.

We didn’t think that was possible ourselves.

Ralf Laban

Because even if this information was not a prerequisite for approvals, the obligation applies and is monitored.

Implementation of the obligation is checked

Non-residential buildings and open parking spaces for more than 35 cars with planning applications after January 1, 2022 will also be inspected soon. Although this order set by the regional council (instead of being a prerequisite for the building permit) is more complex for the building law authority, the authority is now preparing to follow up on the implementation of the obligation, says building law office head Christian Frank.

What has changed as of January 1st, 2024 is that new – i.e. not existing – heating systems must be powered by 65 percent renewable energy. Of course, this also indirectly has something to do with photovoltaics, because the heat pump, which is particularly necessary for houses with little insulation, is powered by electricity.

Sun makes systems purr

The photovoltaic system has been purring more for a few days now. The owners notice that the sun is a little higher again. If you then use a timer to run the washing machine and dishwasher one after the other from around 10 a.m., you can power them with the electricity you produce yourself.

There are people who produce 80 percent or more of their electricity consumption themselves, says Ralf Laban from the company LR-Solarstrom. “We didn’t think that was possible ourselves, but they showed us the statements and we were happy.”

Consume electricity when it is produced

The prerequisite is: to use electricity primarily when it is produced, or to have storage for the evening and at night. But the usual rate is 60 to 70 percent.

Feeding electricity in from the roof is no longer financially worthwhile since the feed-in tariffs were gradually phased out. But electricity prices have risen and you don’t have to pay for every kilowatt hour you use. A house building system of 13,000 to 15,000 euros will pay for itself in ten years.

New buildings from a single source

Laban’s company usually equips existing houses with PV systems. New buildings are often built and equipped by construction companies from a single source.

Then there are the companies that install PV systems on homeowners’ roofs without costing them a cent. To do this, the homeowners have to purchase electricity from this company.

Innovation for wall boxes

What is new is that wallboxes for cars and heat pumps installed since 2024 must be able to be throttled remotely if the network is overloaded. Then the car charges more slowly and the heat pump runs with less power, but there is compensation. According to the announcements, this would hardly be noticeable for homeowners. There are no empirical values ​​yet.

Just two years ago there was a real boom in demand for PV systems in Spaichingen and the surrounding area – waiting periods were one year. “We’re now at half a year,” says Laban.

Loans too small for the bank

The customers said that financing through the bank, KFW loans for example, was problematic, as the banks often no longer brokered loans because of the effort involved. The loans are too small.

This does not apply to the Kreissparkasse, said KSK Tuttlingen press spokeswoman Abetare Bajraj when we asked, and all options were offered. .But: assuming the ability to repay, the Kreissparkasse could even offer better conditions.

KfW loans for PV systems start at 5.21 percent interest. If the financing takes place as part of larger modernization or house construction, the Kreissparkasse can be significantly cheaper if the credit rating is appropriate, says Bajraj.

The Kreissparkasse is currently in the process of developing further special financing solutions in order to actively promote the economically and socially necessary measures on the way to CO2 neutrality.

2024-02-11 04:06:02
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