Heating Initiative Switzerland

The Swiss Heating Initiative (WIS, from its german title Wärmeinitiative Schweiz ) is an economic alliance of different actors in the sustainable heating and cooling sector. The WIS addresses the decarbonization of the heating sector by 2050. Spatial potential analyzes, the Swiss building stock model (GPM), and the FORECAST model are used.

Our study shows which preconditions, instruments, and measures are required for the decarbonization of the sector and what effects they have. The study goals are:

  • Design of instruments and measures for two measure scenarios:
    • Focus on regulations and requirements: implementation of the MuKEn, reduction path CO2 per m2
    • Focus on incentives and funding: Increasing the CO2 levy and funding programs, incentives for thermal networks in cities
  • Assessment compared to a reference scenario
  • Analyzes and model calculations on energy consumption and CO2 emissions with a focus on the areas of buildings, spatial demand clusters, potentials for renewables and heat supply, supplemented with estimates in other areas (e.g. industrial processes, monthly balance sheets, seasonal storage)
  • Economic impacts: benefits and costs of the decarbonization scenarios, effects on added value, employees, dependency on foreign countries and social distribution effects (poor/rich, landlords/tenants)

Projektinfos

Reference projects

Potential and feasibility study for heat supply in Aesch

The municipality of Aesch (BL) is developing a climate-friendly, economical and secure heat supply for households and businesses. The aim of the municipality is to achieve the national climate targets (net zero by 2050) and build a sustainable energy infrastructure. As part of the feasibility study, renewable energy sources for heating and hot water, including geothermal energy, local and district heating solutions and air-to-water heat pumps, were analysed. TEP Energy analysed their economic viability and possible implementation in various sub-areas. The study was carried out in collaboration with eicher+pauli, the municipality of Aesch and the Basel-Landschaft Office for Environmental Protection and Energy and forms the basis for the municipality's heat planning.

Energy renovation rates in the building sector

Various federal and cantonal energy and climate policy measures are aimed at significantly increasing the energy renovation rate. Based on this comprehensive survey, the report shows how the energy renovation rate has developed in recent years and how high it currently is.

Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector | TEP Energy

Together with partners, TEP Energy is developing methodological principles (F0) based on the WLCNN method, examining the achievability of net-zero targets (F1) using technical and economic scenarios and developing implementation strategies (F2, F3) with technical and political concepts. In addition, existing standards are analysed in order to harmonize regulations and ensure comparability (F4).

Municipal energy planning in Glarus

Based on the cantonal energy law revision of 2021, the municipality of Glarus is revising its municipal energy planning with the aim of achieving a fossil-free heat supply. TEP Energy is supporting the municipality with its solutions, such as the Spatial Energy Analysis Toolbox (SEAT) and the building stock model, in order to achieve the energy and climate targets in a sustainable and economically efficient manner.

Low-temperature district heating networks. The basis for modernizing the heat sector.

Renewable energies and waste heat sources are to replace the coal and natural gas sources that have dominated Polish district heating networks up to now. 

First and foremost, this requires a reduction of the system temperature. The study shows the technical, regulatory and organisational measures required to achieve this
and determines the overall potential for decarbonising district heating in Poland.

Energy Policy Simulator

TEP Energy is supporting the San Francisco based think tank Energy Innovation in the expansion of its Energy Policy Simulator (EPS).

SURE - SUstainable and REsilient energy for Switzerland

Sweet - SURE analyses the impact of disruptive events on the Swiss energy system. TEP Energy is working on energy demand topics such as the development of demand for energy sources in Switzerland, the impact of shocks on the demand load and the potential use of large heat pumps.

Future of Gas Study

TEP analysed the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of buildings of residential and service sector in EU27 countries to model different pathways of fossil fuel substitution.

MEDIUS

MEDIUS bridges the gap between green finance and green projects to decarbonize buildings at scale.

Country-specific Market Reports for Buildings

Building Market Briefs (BMB) is a Climate KIC initiative within the flagship Building Technologies Accelerator (BTA) that aims to gather and promote knowledge about the buildings' and construction sector to promote low carbon investment and scaling.

CoolCity

Assessment of the potential for lake water use for heating and cooling in the city of Zurich

Energy-Saving Contracting

Increasing energy efficiency is one of the central pillars of Swiss energy policy and energy-saving contracting contributes to this goal.