What this page covers

EPOS-Plan is software for sizing, simulating and optimising energy systems. What you buy from us is a licence, not a physical product: setup file and manuals are free to download, and the licence key unlocks the program’s functionality. There is therefore nothing to send back – no disc, no parcel, no return shipping. A “return” here means that the licence is deactivated and the amount paid is refunded.

This page explains when that is possible and how to go about it. It applies to all EPOS-Plan licences purchased from INEKON. Contracts are governed by German law; the terms below are German legal concepts, and the German version of this page prevails.

Try before you buy

The most reliable way to avoid a purchase you do not need is to test first – at no cost and with nothing to cancel:

• Setup file and full documentation are freely available for download.
• Without a licence key, EPOS-Plan runs in test mode with no time limit – interface, workflow and data structure can be explored in full.
• On request we additionally issue a demo licence that unlocks the full range of functions for an agreed period.

Work through your own use case before buying. If anything remains unclear, talk to us first – that is easier for both sides than unwinding a contract afterwards.

Right of withdrawal for consumers

You are a consumer (Verbraucher) if you acquire the licence for purposes that are predominantly outside your trade, business or self-employed profession – for example an academic licence for your own studies. In that case a purchase concluded at a distance gives you a statutory right of withdrawal (Widerrufsrecht) under German law: you may withdraw from the contract within 14 days without giving any reason (Sec. 312g(1), Sec. 355 German Civil Code, BGB). The period starts when the contract is concluded (Sec. 355(2) BGB), but not before we have properly informed you about your right of withdrawal (Sec. 356(3) BGB).

The details – form, calculation of the period, addressee and legal consequences – are set out in our withdrawal instructions (Widerrufsbelehrung): Right of withdrawal. The model withdrawal form is included there. You do not have to use that form; any clear statement in text form is sufficient (Sec. 355(1) BGB).

If you want to use the licence immediately

Digital content is usually expected to be available at once. That is why we ask you to confirm two things expressly and separately at the point of purchase: that we should begin supplying the licence key before the 14 days have expired, and that you thereby lose your right of withdrawal. If you confirm both and receive the contract confirmation on a durable medium (normally by e-mail) before supply begins, your right of withdrawal expires once supply begins (Sec. 356(6) no. 2 BGB).

You do not have to give these confirmations. In that case we supply the licence key only after the withdrawal period has expired, and your right of withdrawal remains fully intact.

If you validly withdraw, you owe no compensation for value (Wertersatz) for having used the digital content in the meantime (Sec. 357a BGB).

Orders from companies, public authorities and universities

Anyone acquiring the licence for commercial, professional or official purposes is not a consumer. There is no statutory right of withdrawal in that case – not even for an online order.

As a voluntary alternative we offer: if within 30 days of first activation essential functions promised before the purchase turn out to be unusable for your application, and this cannot be resolved with our support team in that period, we take the licence back and refund the purchase price in full. This goodwill rule is voluntary; your statutory rights in respect of defects are not affected.

Defects: warranty rights, not withdrawal

Withdrawal and warranty are two different things. Withdrawal is tied to a short deadline but needs no reason. Warranty rights (Gewährleistung) require a defect, but apply for considerably longer.

Consumer contracts for digital products are governed by Sec. 327 et seq. BGB. Under those rules we owe software that matches the agreed specification and also meets the objective requirements that are usual for products of this kind (Sec. 327e BGB). We also supply the updates needed to keep the software in conformity with the contract, including security updates (Sec. 327f BGB).

If the software is defective, you can first request supplementary performance; if that fails, termination of the contract, a price reduction or damages may follow (Sec. 327i BGB). Claims based on defects generally become time-barred two years after supply (Sec. 327j BGB). If a defect appears within one year of supply, it is presumed to have existed at the time of supply (Sec. 327k BGB).

Sec. 327 et seq. BGB do not apply to business customers; their rights in respect of defects follow the general provisions and the licence agreement.

How a refund works

Send your withdrawal statement or refund request in text form to info@epos-plan.de or by post to INEKON – Dr. Dirk Engelmann Intelligente Energiekonzepte, Breitwiesenstraße 13, 70565 Stuttgart. To let us process it quickly, please state:

• the name and address used for the order
• the invoice or order number and the order date
• the licence key or licence number
• for a defect, a short description of the problem

We will confirm receipt. In the case of withdrawal we refund all payments received from you without undue delay, and at the latest within 14 days of receiving your withdrawal statement (Sec. 357(1), Sec. 355(3) BGB). We use the same means of payment that you used, unless expressly agreed otherwise; you will not be charged any fees for this.

When the refund is made, the licence key is deactivated. EPOS-Plan then continues to run in test mode; the project data you have created stays with you.

Dispute resolution

The European Commission shut down its Online Dispute Resolution platform (“ODR platform”) on 20 July 2025. A link to it is therefore no longer provided.

For disputes arising from consumer contracts, the German universal consumer arbitration body is available: Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes, Zentrum für Schlichtung e. V., Strassburger Strasse 8, 77694 Kehl, Germany, www.universalschlichtungsstelle.de.

We are willing to take part in dispute resolution proceedings before the German Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes (universal arbitration board).

Contact

Withdrawal, unwinding of contracts and refunds: info@epos-plan.de
Postal address: INEKON – Dr. Dirk Engelmann Intelligente Energiekonzepte, Breitwiesenstraße 13, 70565 Stuttgart
Owner: Dr. Dirk Engelmann