Small PV systems: network fee waivers aimed at for 500,000 households!

Small PV systems: network fee waivers aimed at for 500,000 households!

Economics Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) today announced significant innovations for small photovoltaic systems (PV). As part of the planned Electricity Industry Act (ElWG), small, network-serving systems are to be exempt from network usage fees. This is seen as an important step towards expanding renewable energies. Hattmannsdorfer emphasized that a maximum contribution should be set for network usage fees, but details on the definition of “small” are still pending. These announcements were defended in the Ö1-Morgenjournal by Hattmannsdorfer, who pointed out that 3.5 million households are paying the increasing network fees, while only 500,000 households benefit from feeding in electricity [dolomitenstadt.at](https://www.dolomitenstadt.at/2025/08/28/kleine-pv-anlagen-sollen-von-netztarifen-befreit- Werden/).

In connection with the ElWG, the consent of the FPÖ or the Greens is required. The draft bill is expected to be brought to parliament by the fall to begin negotiations for a two-thirds majority. This is crucial to enforce the planned exceptions and changes. Hattmannsdorfer also announced that the attractiveness of storage technologies should be increased by tightening the law. In future, the funding will be linked to the condition that the subsidized systems contain a storage element.

Political reactions and criticism

Hattmannsdorfer's announcements trigger different reactions. Leonore Gewessler, leader of the Green Party, was critical and called for comprehensive changes to the draft law, warning that the current law could slow down the energy transition. On the other hand, Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) welcomes the exceptions for small PV systems and emphasizes the importance of investments by “home builders”. SPÖ energy spokesman Alois Schroll also supports the demand that “home builders” should not be disadvantaged.

The ElWG not only aims to advance the energy transition, but also brings fundamental changes to the electricity market. This includes the introduction of a social tariff and flexible network fees, which are intended to enable users to benefit from cheaper tariffs when they use the network at times of low demand. Despite the planned exemptions for small PV systems, operators of larger systems still have to pay fees for electricity fed in, which is viewed critically with regard to possible financial burdens, as derStandard and noen.at report.

Overall, the electricity market is facing a change that brings with it both opportunities and challenges for operators of PV systems. The coming months will be crucial to see how the political negotiations on the ElWG go and what concrete impact this will have on the energy transition.