Solar panels at home: improving your home’s energy profile

1. How can a solar panel system help me?

Solar installations and other energy optimizations reduce energy consumption as well as housing costs in the long term. Comparis shows you how to plan sustainable renovations efficiently and preserve the value of your property, save costs and contribute to climate protection. A good renovation plan helps to avoid unnecessary costs and future problems.

2. Plan the renovation in stages

Many people only renovate when necessary. However, a long-term plan over about 15 years can help with assessing future costs and optimizing remediation steps. In this way, you can integrate the necessary construction work at an early stage and avoid later, more expensive interventions.

Setting up a renovation fund makes sense to financially cover any renovations that may become necessary. As is customary with condominium owner communities, this kind of fund also helps single-family homes to plan future renovation costs and save up money. As a result, necessary structural adjustments can be implemented without financial bottlenecks.

3. Take Minergie standards into account when renovating

Minergie is a protected Swiss construction standard for sustainability in new and modernized buildings. Buildings with this standard have a reduced energy requirement – with proof that the corresponding criteria have been met.

Advantages of Minergie

• Climate-friendly buildings through the use of renewable energy

• Low energy consumption and costs without loss of comfort

• A high-quality building and systematic ventilation contribute to living comfort

• Access to subsidies and cheaper mortgages

• Potential increase in the value of the property

4. Determine costs and benefits of a solar panel system

Depending on the location and nature of your property, the installation and operation of a solar or photovoltaic system can make financial sense.

If you produce more electricity than you consume yourself, the surplus is fed into the local grid – and you are paid for this.

• Information on the acquisition costs can be found at Energie Schweiz (not available in English).

• Determine the annual production potential for the building facade and the roof at the respective location.

5. Plan the renovation according to the service life of the building parts

For planning the renovation work and the associated costs in the long term, it’s important to know the service life of the individual components – this ranges from 10–150 years, depending on the component.

Especially for heating, an unplanned failure can be unpleasant, as a replacement often has to be carried out within a few weeks or even days. Depending on the system, the service life of a heater is between 15–30 years.

If your heater is older than 15 years, you should make some initial enquiries on a replacement. It’s a good idea to contact an energy advice centre in this case (not available in English).

6. Renovate with professional help

It’s often difficult for laypeople to assess the energy condition of a building and the need for renovation. That’s why the GEAK association offers paid expertise (not available in English). Experts examine the property, prepare an overview of the current condition and, if necessary, come up with renovation options along with cost estimates.

A GEAK building energy certificate shows the energy efficiency of the building shell and the energy requirements for standard use in classes A to G. This gives owners an objective assessment of the building.

A comprehensive consultation (GEAK-Plus) costs between 1,300–2,000 francs for a single-family house. Some cantons subsidize GEAK consultations.

Certain banks offer mortgage rate reductions for GEAK-certified class A or B properties. 

7. Take advantage of subsidies

Financing a solar installation, thermal insulation or a new heating system can soon cost tens of thousands of francs.

However, you don’t have to bear all the costs yourself. A building programme supports homeowners with subsidies if they reduce energy consumption or CO₂ emissions with construction measures.

The conditions you have to meet to receive funding vary from canton to canton. The amount of the contributions is also dependent on the canton. You can find more information on Energiefranken and the building programme here (not available in English).

8. Benefit from tax deductions when saving energy

In Switzerland, you can deduct the costs of energy-saving renovations and solar installations for existing buildings from your taxes.

In the case of new buildings, the deduction options for such investments are limited or unavailable in many cantons.

Ask the cantonal tax office for clarity on the specific regulations. If you spread the work over a number of years, you can often save more on taxes. Important: grants are not tax-deductible.

9. Finance renovations with a mortgage

Major renovation work should be planned and synchronized with the term of the mortgage. In many cases, there is also the option of financing the renovation by increasing the existing mortgage or by means of a second mortgage.

10. Keep an eye on the possible abolition of imputed rental value

The Swiss Parliament is currently discussing the abolition of the imputed rental value. Depending on the decision, deductions for value-preserving or energy-saving measures could be discontinued in the future.

Here you can find information on imputed rental value and tax saving tips for homeowners.