2050 Heating Strategy

The heating sector currently accounts for around 50 per cent of energy consumption in Switzerland and is responsible for more than 35 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonising the heating supply is therefore crucial to achieving the net-zero climate target by 2050. Combined with the development of renewable energies, this can reduce dependence on foreign imports and strengthen the security of supply. There is the potential to meet Switzerland’s heating needs entirely with renewable energy and without fossil fuel CO₂ emissions by 2050. When it comes to comfort heating (heating buildings and hot water), cost-effective alternatives and tried-and-tested technologies are available. There are also solutions for process heat in industry.

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• Building efficiency

  In order to reach the net-zero climate target by 2050, domestic heating must be free of CO2 emissions by that date. There are already numerous renewable alternatives available today to achieve this. Incentives for partial or full energy-efficient renovations are provided by the Building Programme, tax deductions and the CO2 levy on fossil fuels.

• Heating systems

  Even today, most residential and commercial buildings are still heated using heating oil or natural gas. By 2050, these oil and gas heating systems must be replaced with carbon-neutral alternatives, such as heat pumps or thermal networks. However, all too often old fossil-fuel heating systems are still being replaced with new oil or gas heating systems.

• Process heat

  A large proportion of the process heat used in industry is still generated using fossil fuels, accounting for around 8 per cent of Switzerland’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The energy efficiency of industrial processes should therefore be improved further, and renewable energy sources better integrated.

• Thermal networks

  Thermal networks enable the utilisation of site-specific waste heat, heat from biomass-fired combined heat and power plants, heat from waste incineration plants or from deep geothermal power stations, or even the heat potential of lakes and rivers. Thermal networks are also an alternative to heat pumps and can therefore help to counteract the rising demand for electricity for heating in winter.

• Thermal energy storage systems

  The generation of renewable energy varies greatly both over the course of a day and over the course of a year. Demand for thermal energy is also subject to significant fluctuations. In order to balance production and consumption, it is necessary to increase flexibility on the demand side (demand-side management) and expand thermal energy storage capacity.

• Electrification

  The high level of electrification required in the buildings sector (heat pumps) to achieve decarbonisation will increase demand for electricity. One challenge is meeting this demand during the winter months. Rapid expansion of domestic electricity generation from renewable energy sources – particularly in winter – is therefore crucial to ensuring security of supply in the future.

• Renewable gases

  Renewable gases and synthetic fuels include biogas and biomethane, which are produced from biomass, as well as hydrogen produced from (renewable) electricity and its synthetic derivatives. The potential for biomass is limited both in Switzerland and abroad. The production of hydrogen and its synthetic derivatives results in high conversion losses. Renewable gases and synthetic fuels should therefore only be used where there are no renewable alternatives.

• Federal government, cantons and communes

  Aligning climate and energy policy with the net-zero target requires coordinated measures across the three levels of government: the federal government, the cantons and the communes. Under the Federal Constitution, responsibility for measures to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the buildings sector lies primarily with the cantons. However, only a few cantons currently have a strategy in place to achieve the net-zero target by 2050.

• Legislation

  There is no specific legislation at federal level governing the supply of heat. Many aspects are not regulated or are governed by different pieces of legislation. Furthermore, the cantons are primarily responsible for measures in the buildings sector.

• Specialists

  The transformation of the energy system is leading to a significant overhaul of Switzerland’s infrastructure. By 2050, around 900,000 fossil fuel-powered heating systems will need to be replaced with renewable alternatives and the rate of building renovation will need to increase significantly. However, in certain professional sectors there is currently a shortage of the skilled labour required for planning, implementation and operation, as the skills on offer are not tailored to today's increasingly complex needs.

Further information

• Documents

  Related documents

• Media

  Press releases in German