In Switzerland, more than 900,000 dwellings are always heated to fuel oil, gas or electricity, and a large part of them must be sanitized on the energy level.
The Federal Council plans to clean up federal finances thanks to a vast program of savings. The savings must also be made to the detriment of climate protection and supply security. Concretely, the Federal Council requires significant cuts in the Buildings program, without however proposing replacement measures. For Aeesuisse and a large alliance of organizations, this is unacceptable. The Alliance therefore requests the development of the CO2 tax and the Buildings program.
As part of the savings package, the Federal Council requires massive cuts in the Buildings program – around 400 million francs should be saved on this program, the success of which is no longer to be demonstrated. In place, CO2 tax revenues should be used in new innovation and pulse programs. The Federal Council thus ignores the popular decision concerning the climate protection law, which, on the contrary, required additional measures in the field of the building. In addition, the national government thus ignores the importance of the Buildings program for the general implementation of energy renovations and heating sanitation, and risks compromising the achievement of Switzerland’s climatic objectives.
In Switzerland, more than 900,000 dwellings are always heated to fuel oil, gas or electricity, and a large part of them must be sanitized on the energy level. If we want to achieve climatic objectives by 2050, we must create reliable framework conditions rather than deleting proven programs. The Buildings program has not yet done its job: it is the central instrument for the decarbonization of the housing stock and the reduction of electricity needs in winter. If the funds of the Buildings Program are deleted, additional measures having the same effect are necessary to guarantee the achievement of the objectives.
-A largely sustained solution proposal
As part of a large alliance with Eit.swiss, envelope Swiss buildings, Swiss thermal networks, the Swiss Energy Foundation, Switzerland, Swisscleantech and WWF Switzerland, Aeesuisse has developed a constructive solution to allow Switzerland to achieve your energy and climatic objectives and relieve the federal budget:
- In order to achieve the climatic objectives in the building area, the CO2 tax, which is currently 120 francs per tonne of CO2, must be considerably increased and its incentive effect thus reinforced. In addition, the partial assignment of the tax, which is currently 33%, must be increased to 49% for a period limited to 2031.
- The Cantons Buildings Program, the Pulse Program for the replacement of heating systems and the renovation of buildings, confirmed by the people, as well as the innovation program from the climate protection law can thus be financed without resources from the federal budget
- In addition, the objectives from the climate protection law must be more restrictive for the cantons. Last year, the Conference of Cantonal ENDK ENDK directors adopted new guidelines for replacing heating (MOPEC 2025). The cantons must be required to adopt them in their cantonal energy laws by 2035 at the latest.
