Bern – The federal and cantonal building program has seen record demand for the third year in a row. At 425 million francs, the cantons disbursed 18 percent more funding last year than they did in 2021.
The cantons disbursed 425 million francs for renovation and new construction projects, the highest amount since the building program was established. In 2021, the amount of subsidies disbursed had still been 361 million francs, according to a media release.
According to the report, the largest share of the amounts, 130 million francs, fell on building services projects. This represents an increase of 31 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, 17,000 oil, gas and electric heating systems were replaced with the help of the subsidy program, most of them (86 percent) by heat pumps. 12,500 had been replaced in 2021.
Thermal insulation projects were funded at a similar level of 128 million Swiss francs as in 2021. A total of 89.2 million Swiss francs was made available for system renovations, compared with 81.4 million in the previous year.
More than twice as much as in 2021 went to central heat supply projects in 2022. Here, subsidies increased from 11.9 to 25.9 million Swiss francs. Indirect measures in the areas of information and communication, education and quality assurance accounted for CHF 17.6 million in 2022. In 2021, 15.9 million Swiss francs had still been paid out for this.
At 592 million francs, commitments of subsidies for energy-related measures that will be implemented and paid out over the next five years have also reached an all-time high. “This is a clear sign that more and more building owners want to renovate or build their properties in an energy-efficient and climate-effective way,” the media release states.
The Buildings Program was launched in 2010 as an important pillar in Swiss energy and climate policy. Buildings account for around 44 percent of energy consumption in Switzerland and are responsible for one third of CO2 emissions. ce/ko
