1. Decarbonisation has arrived in the market
What was long discussed as a political goal is now reality in purchasing behaviour: in 2023, 88 per cent of all heating systems sold in Switzerland ran on renewable energy; air-to-water heat pumps reached a 61 per cent market share and ground-source heat pumps 21 per cent.
The Canton of Zurich shows the pattern even more sharply: in a review of 379 heating replacement applications, 88.4 per cent were heat pumps, 7.3 per cent district heating and 2.9 per cent biomass — only 1.3 per cent of permits concerned fossil systems. At the same time, more than 100,000 oil and gas boilers remain in the canton. The actual transition is still ahead.
For design that means low-temperature operation becomes the norm. Heat distribution, emitters and hydraulic balancing move to the centre, because heat pump efficiency depends directly on flow temperature.
2. MuKEn 2025 — the next regulatory step
The Conference of Cantonal Energy Directors adopted the model energy regulations of the cantons on 29 August 2025. New provisions include limits on embodied greenhouse gas emissions for new buildings, a photovoltaic obligation on suitable roof areas during comprehensive refurbishment, and the requirement that after 2050 no remaining heating system may run on fossil fuels.
An important practical note: MuKEn are model regulations. They become binding only on transposition into the respective cantonal law, so timing differs from canton to canton. Anyone designing today should nevertheless anticipate the direction, because buildings outlive transition periods.
Already in force in the Canton of Zurich: electric resistance heating and central electric water heaters must be replaced by 2030 (§ 45c BBV I, effective 1 September 2022).
3. Embodied emissions move into focus
The more efficient operation becomes, the more the cost of construction itself matters — in energy and emissions. For building services that raises a new question about every component: how much material does it contain, how long does it last, and can it be separated and recovered at end of life?
Practical consequences show up in the choice of materials for pipework and ducts, in simpler and maintainable systems rather than maximum complexity, and in the growing value of reusing existing distribution networks.
4. BIM: from national bulletin to international standard
At the end of 2024 the SIA 2051 bulletin on Building Information Modelling was withdrawn, along with documentations D0270 and D0271 and the SIA 1001/11 BIM supplementary agreement. The governing framework today is the international SN EN ISO 19650 series, in particular Part 1 on the organisation of information management.
The change is more than formal: ISO 19650 starts from the client's information requirements. That brings a different question to the fore — which data the client actually needs in operation, rather than modelling in as much detail as the software permits.
5. The operational phase gains standing
For a long time interest in a system ended at handover. That is changing, because operating costs over the life cycle considerably exceed construction costs and because operating data is now widely available.
Energy-focused operational optimisation, monitoring across a heating season and systematic readjustment of control parameters frequently offer the best ratio of effort to effect — they require no physical intervention. Appointments are shifting accordingly, from pure delivery towards support in operation.
6. Heat networks change the location question
Where a heat network exists or is planned, the calculation for an individual property changes fundamentally. In the Canton of Zurich a heat network connection is permissible where at least 70 per cent of the heat is generated without CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels.
For owners that means municipal energy planning belongs in the option appraisal. A connection available in five years can entirely change today's decision on heat generation.
7. The bottleneck is people, not technology
The largest brake on transforming the building stock is not technology but available design and installation capacity. That has immediate consequences for clients: lead times lengthen, and projects that are properly prepared move through faster.
In practice: plan early, bundle decisions, and structure the tender so that it is attractive and calculable for contractors.
Conclusion: knowing the deadlines makes planning cheaper
The most consequential development in Swiss building services is unspectacular: it is not about new equipment but about bringing existing buildings into the future in a compliant, efficient and affordable way. Knowing the deadlines, bundling measures and designing with operation in mind pays twice.
Want to know what this means for your property? See our energy consulting or get in touch.
