STÉPHANE HERZOG The one million oil and gas boilers which heat Swiss homes will have to be replaced by heat pumps, geothermal energy, or, outside the towns, by wood heating. These solutions will enable a reduction in CO2 emissions of approximately 30 percent. “It’s not a hard choice, because replacing an oil boiler by a heat pump is simple. There is also a political angle behind energy renovations: we see we can no longer rely on fossil fuel energy produced abroad,” says Stéphane Genoud, professor in energy management at the HES-SO Valais-Wallis. Cantonal laws are gradually imposing the replacement of oil and gas boilers by sustainable systems. But a proportion of the population still considers cost a priority. In 2021, there were still more than 17,000 fossil fuel boilers installed, compared to 33,000 heat pumps. Heating companies did not hesitate to offer cut prices for replacement oil boilers, in anticipation of the entry into force of these new laws. This was particularly evident in Glarus, St Gallen and Zurich. “This pro-oil trend will impact future generations, because these boilers will still be burning oil for a quarter of a century to come,” says Stéphane Genoud. The former electrician estimates that the curve in CO2 production in Switzerland and throughout the world will lead to an increase in global warming of 3-4 degrees between now and 2050, with immeasurable consequences for the country. The heat pump at the centre of the energy transition The flagship tool of the transition is the heat pump. This apparatus, which extracts heat from a liquid source or from the air, is today fitted in approximately one in five buildings in Switzerland. Its installation is supported by the Confederation, the cantons and certain communes. Switzerland will have to disconnect one million fossil fuel boilers The climate emergency calls for the abandonment of oil and gas boilers. Technical solutions exist, but the manpower and materials are lacking. Thousands of new fossil fuel boilers are still being installed. A typical sight in Switzerland. Deep holes are drilled using a mobile drilling rig for a geothermal probe. The aim is to heat homes with thermal energy from the ground. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / October 2022 / No.5 18 Nature and the environment
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