ᐅ Commissioning a photovoltaic system and charging an electric vehicle.

Hello everyone,

Our photovoltaic system is scheduled to be put into operation soon. I have several questions related to this topic and hope to get some helpful ideas.

1. I am currently dealing with all the tax paperwork. Monthly VAT returns through Elster and so on seem relatively straightforward. Still, does anyone have a link, guide, or website that explains this topic clearly for beginners?

2. The topic of one or two meters for household and heat pump has come up here several times. For now, I have decided to stick with two meters. Since ideally, I want to power both the heating and household with the photovoltaic system, the PV vendor recommended a "power to heat" setup. Does anyone have experience with this and can offer advice? The electrician who will install the system soon was more cautious and wanted to cover only household electricity with the PV system. Which is better?

3. Now, this is a bit off-topic: Since my car has broken down, I am considering getting an electric vehicle. Does anyone have experience with how well charging an EV through the photovoltaic system works? In winter, of course, it’s probably less effective since the car won’t be at home during the day. The wallbox is already ordered. However, I am still unsure whether this makes sense. The car would stay in the garage continuously on weekends, so there should be enough hours to have it fully charged by Monday.

4. Now this is even more off-topic: Since house construction and the upcoming outdoor landscaping are costly, an unplanned vehicle purchase hurts the budget a bit. Since I want to keep my reserves untouched, I’m considering leasing an electric car. Thanks to environmental incentives, the monthly costs should be relatively low. I had an appointment at a dealership yesterday. When I compare their offer with those online, there are sometimes very large differences. Common leasing platforms also offer deals from dealerships, but often cheaper than the local dealer. Does anyone know why there are such differences and whether online offers are reliable? Has anyone leased a car online?

Thanks and best regards

Stefan2.84

Stefan2.84 schrieb:

Since I want to keep my savings untouched, I could imagine leasing an electric car.

When it comes to new cars, nowadays I would only lease either combustion engine vehicles or electric cars. The depreciation in the coming years is quite uncertain, whether due to political regulations or technological advancements. This can cause the depreciation to increase rapidly.

Stefan2.84 schrieb:

I also had an appointment at a dealership yesterday. When I compare their offer with those from the internet, there are sometimes quite big differences. On popular leasing platforms, dealerships also offer leasing, just cheaper than the local dealer. Does anyone know how these differences occur and whether the online offers are trustworthy? Has anyone already leased a car online?

Online offers are usually designed to be competitive compared to other online deals. The local dealer, without comparison offers, typically won’t offer the same conditions.

However, since regular dealerships usually back the online offers, it’s often likely that the local dealer can offer the same or similar terms if confronted with a competing offer.

If not, I have often leased from a more distant dealer. Especially for German brands, I like to use factory pickup with factory tours, etc. Then the local dealer only differs when it comes to the return process.

opalau schrieb:

When it comes to new cars, I would currently only lease both combustion engine and electric vehicles.

For new cars, I would only consider leasing when it comes to electric vehicles. Since the car is exclusively used to commute to and from work, I would only buy used for combustion engine vehicles. The electric car became interesting as an alternative mainly due to the photovoltaic system and the government incentive.

opalau schrieb:

Online offers are usually directly focused on competitive terms compared to other online deals. The local dealer will generally not offer the same conditions without having comparison offers presented.

However, since online offers usually come from authorized dealers, it is often likely that the local dealer can provide the same or similar conditions if you confront them with a comparison offer.

If not, I have also leased from a more distant dealer several times. Especially for German brands, I like to use factory pickup, including a plant tour, etc.

Okay. That means online offers should not be immediately dismissed as unreliable. I generally prefer to buy or, in this case, lease locally because the contact person is nearby. I will show him a comparison offer that is up to $80 per month cheaper. Although they should be aware that people compare prices...

I now also have a Passat GTE, and it’s really great. On Wednesdays and Sundays, it’s charged at home using the photovoltaic system. Charging in the evenings is less effective because there’s less sunlight on the roof then. The last time I refueled was at the end of May. So far, I’ve been driving about 60 km (37 miles) four times a week. I originally found the GTE on a leasing bargain platform and contacted several VW dealers afterward. Most of the offers I received were unreasonable, except for one dealer close to home who matched the online offer from Bavaria. Otherwise, I would have had no problem getting it through the Bavarian dealer. Picking it up nearby at the Transparent Factory, which is about 30 minutes away, would not have been an issue. In fact, I did pick it up there because delivery fees were cheaper than through the dealer. Over the years, I’ve also sourced cars from all over Germany when the deal was right.

I hope you applied for the subsidy before ordering the wallbox?! 😉

Stefan2.84 schrieb:

Monthly VAT advance returns using Elster, etc. seem to be relatively straightforward. Still, does anyone have a link, guide, or website where the whole topic is explained clearly for beginners?

First of all, it’s very likely that you only need to file advance returns quarterly (for one year, then yearly).
Technically, just google "VAT advance return photovoltaic Elster." You’ll find guides, templates, videos, and more.
Besides that, you only enter a few data points at the beginning. Afterwards, the data from the previous advance return is automatically carried over (since quarterly nothing usually changes).

Stefan2.84 schrieb:

Since I ideally want to use the photovoltaic system to power heating as well as household consumption, the PV seller recommended a "Power to Heat" setup. Has anyone had experience with this and can give me some tips? The electrician who will soon install the system advised against it and suggested only covering household electricity with the PV system. What is better?

I only know that such options exist. I never looked into it because it seems complex and possibly expensive. Is it worth it? In winter you hardly get any sun anyway and still need electricity for heating. Most likely (very likely) the normal household electricity consumption is enough to use the full electricity output from the photovoltaic system.

Stefan2.84 schrieb:

Has anyone got experience with how well charging an electric vehicle using a photovoltaic system works?

It works very well—provided the sun is shining. In full sunlight, almost all my photovoltaic electricity goes straight into the car. I drive a hybrid, so 1.5 hours charging at 7.2 kW charging capacity is always enough.
An electric vehicle itself is, of course, a completely different question. I like the concept, but it would be great if the range were larger (I drive about 40,000 km (25,000 miles) per year).

Stefan2.84 schrieb:

I could imagine leasing an electric vehicle.

Anything else is nonsense. The technology you get today was already outdated in 2022. I see an electric car like a TV, computer, or smartphone—quickly outdated with low resale value. And the leasing rates are huge.

Stefan2.84 schrieb:

Ok. This means that online offers shouldn’t be dismissed as unreliable right away. I generally prefer to buy—or in this case lease—locally, because the contact person is nearby. I’ll show him a comparison offer that’s up to 80€/month (about $85/month) cheaper. Although they should know that people compare prices…

Actually, there’s usually a regular dealer behind these offers. There’s nothing shady about it. But I feel that local dealers often make outrageously unfair offers, especially to private customers.