Although the use of heating oil has declined constantly over the past 40 years, in 2022, almost 56.8% of residential buildings in Switzerland were heated by fossil fuels (heating oil and gas). 18.5% of buildings were connected to a heat pump, a proportion that is rising sharply. 11.9% and 7.9% of buildings are heated by wood and electricity respectively.
Heating system and energy sources
| 1990 | 2000 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| as % | as % | as % | as % | |
Heating oil |
58.5 |
55.7 |
40.7 |
39.3 |
Gas |
8.5 |
13.7 |
17.6 |
17.5 |
Energy sources for heat pumps1) |
1.9 |
4.1 |
17.0 |
18.5 |
Wood |
17.2 |
13.0 |
11.8 |
11.9 |
Electricity |
12.0 |
11.4 |
8.0 |
7.9 |
District heating |
1.1 |
1.4 |
3.6 |
3.8 |
Others2) |
0.8 |
0.7 |
1.2 |
1.0 |
2) Solar thermal, other energy sources or no energy source.
Sources: FSO - Federal Population Census, Buildings and dwellings statistics
Almost two-thirds of buildings have a boiler. These usually run on heating oil, gas or wood.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| as % | as % | |
Boiler |
64.3 |
62.8 |
Heat pump |
17.0 |
18.5 |
Electric heating |
8.0 |
7.9 |
Stove heating |
6.2 |
6.1 |
Heat exchanger |
3.6 |
3.8 |
Solar collector |
0.3 |
0.3 |
Other heating systems |
0.2 |
0.2 |
No heating system |
0.3 |
0.3 |
Heating oil is the main energy source for heating in buildings built before 2001, whereas less than 2% of buildings built since 2011 are heated by oil. Heat pumps are used in almost three-quarters of buildings built since 2011 but in less than 7% of buildings built before 1971.
In most cantons, the oil-heating share ranges from 30 to 50%. The canton of Basel-Stadt is an exception with a share of 10.2%. The share of gas varies widely along an urban-rural divide. While it is more than 40% in the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Geneva, it is almost zero (0.1%) in the cantons of Obwalden and Uri. The share of heat pumps is highest in the canton of Fribourg (34.1%) and lowest in the canton of Basel-Stadt (4.1%).
Close to 40% of the population have oil heating. The share of people heating with gas or heat pump is 25.0% and 17.7% respectively.
Energy source for hot water
In Switzerland, in 2022, hot water was produced by electricity in 30.1% of residential buildings. With a 29.2% share, oil is the second energy source for hot water.
| 1990 | 2000 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| as % | as % | as % | as % | |
Heating oil |
39.7 |
38.0 |
29.9 |
29.2 |
Gas |
7.5 |
11.2 |
14.6 |
14.7 |
Energy sources for heat pumps1) |
1.1 |
1.7 |
12.4 |
13.7 |
Wood |
5.3 |
4.3 |
4.8 |
4.8 |
Electricity |
43.0 |
40.4 |
31.3 |
30.1 |
District heating |
0.9 |
1.4 |
2.8 |
3.0 |
Other2) |
2.4 |
3.1 |
4.1 |
4.5 |
2) Solar thermal, other energy sources and no energy source
Sources: FSO - Federal Population Census, Buildings and dwellings statistics
Data quality and updates
The source of information for energy data published in the Buildings and dwellings statistics (BDS) is the Federal Buildings and Dwellings Register (BDR). In order to ensure that energy-related data are up to date, an update of the BDR was started in 2015. This update is based on the information sources which supplement data on the building permit, including:
- inspection of heating installations;
- cantonal energy certificate for buildings (CECB);
- data from the cantons and communes;
- various data from distribution companies (gas, district heating), property insurance, Minergie, etc.
However, some of the energy data still come from the 2000 Federal Population Census. The update of the RBD is, therefore, an ongoing process.The RBD's energy data monitoring (in German, French or Italian) provides a daily overview of data updates. Additionally, the BDS quality indicators table (in German and French) provides information on the quality of the latest energy data published in the BDS.
Further information
Statistical sources and concepts
