How your heat pump heats efficiently and reduces costs.
Transparent costs and pricing structure at a glance.
Our selection of high-quality heat pump models.
Combine your heat pump and solar system for maximum efficiency.
Maintenance, monitoring and support – all from one source.
Guide
A heat pump draws most of its heating energy from the surroundings and needs only a small share of electricity to do so. Here you will find answers to the questions people ask most often before they decide.
Heat pumps differ in the source they take their heat from. The choice depends on the plot, the building and the local regulations.
For a single-family home with an energy reference area of 150 m² and a heat demand of 22'000 kWh, we estimate around CHF 36'500 for an air-to-water heat pump and around CHF 49'500 for a ground-source heat pump with a borehole. A new oil heating system costs around CHF 23'000 to buy.
The running costs are what matter. In the same house, the air-to-water heat pump uses around CHF 1'210 of energy a year and the ground-source heat pump around CHF 940. The oil heating system comes to around CHF 2'640 and, at around CHF 780 a year, also has the highest maintenance costs. Over its service life, this is how the heat pump makes up for the higher purchase price.
In many cantons, a fossil-fuel heating system can no longer simply be replaced with another of the same kind. Anyone replacing an old oil heating system usually has to switch to renewable energy or reduce the building's energy demand. Several cantons also require an energy consultation or a GEAK report before the replacement.
Plan the replacement before the old heating fails. That leaves time for the consultation, the subsidy applications and the permit, and you will not have to accept a stopgap in the middle of winter.
Cantons and municipalities support the switch to a heat pump through the Buildings Programme (Gebäudeprogramm), with several thousand francs depending on the location. As a rule, the most is paid for replacing an oil, gas or electric heating system. To see which programmes apply at your address, enter your postcode at energiefranken.ch.
The order matters. The subsidy application must be submitted before the work begins, and some cantons require the approval first. Replacing a heating system also counts as property maintenance and can be deducted from your taxes.
A heat pump shifts your energy demand from the oil tank to the electricity meter. In an average single-family home, it uses around 3'000 to 4'500 kWh of electricity a year. A solar system on your own roof supplies a large part of that at a much lower price than the grid.
With a heat pump, the share of solar power you use yourself typically rises from around 30 per cent to 55 to 70 per cent. The match is best in spring and autumn. In midwinter the roof delivers little. The balance over the year then makes up for what a single day cannot.
An air-to-water heat pump installed outdoors must comply with the Noise Abatement Ordinance. The building application therefore has to include a noise protection certificate showing that the planning values at the neighbour's property are met at night as well. The position of the outdoor unit and its distance from the property boundary often matter more than the unit itself.
Boreholes need a cantonal permit. In groundwater protection zones, drilling is restricted or not allowed. The cantonal geothermal maps show what is possible at your address. We check both before we recommend a system.
It takes five steps from the first assessment to a warm living room.
Short answers to what homeowners most often want to know.
For a single-family home of 150 m², we estimate around CHF 36'500 for an air-to-water heat pump and around CHF 49'500 for a ground-source heat pump with a borehole, each including installation. Subsidies and the tax deduction reduce the amount you end up paying yourself.
The air-to-water heat pump is cheaper and quicker to install. The ground-source heat pump costs more but works more efficiently and has lower running costs, in our worked example around CHF 940 instead of CHF 1'210 of energy a year. Your canton's geothermal map shows whether drilling is allowed at your location.
In most cases, yes. What matters is the flow temperature your house needs on cold days. The lower it is, the more efficiently the heat pump works. Often it is enough to enlarge individual radiators or to improve the building envelope in a few places.
Modern units are much quieter than earlier generations. What counts is the noise that reaches the neighbour. That is why every system installed outdoors comes with a noise protection certificate, and why we plan the position of the outdoor unit carefully.
For an air-to-water heat pump installed outdoors, most municipalities require a building application or a notification with a noise protection certificate. Boreholes always need a cantonal permit. We take care of the checks and prepare the documents.
Almost always. The heat pump increases your electricity consumption by around 3'000 to 4'500 kWh a year, and solar power from your own roof is much cheaper than electricity from the grid. With a heat pump, self-consumption typically rises from around 30 per cent to 55 to 70 per cent.
With regular maintenance, we expect around 20 years. The borehole itself lasts much longer and can be reused by the next heat pump.
Die Kombination Photovoltaik plus Wärmepumpe wird 2026 in der Schweiz zur Standardlösung. Wann sie rechnet, wann nicht, und wie viel sie kostet.
Swapping an oil or gas heater is funded from two sides in 2026. Layer solar on top and you cut the operating cost a second time.
In der Stadt Zürich gibt es für 10 kWp bis CHF 9'500 Förderung, im EKZ-Gebiet nur die CHF 3'600 vom Bund. Wann ein Meldeformular reicht, was EKZ, ewz und Winterthur für Solarstrom zahlen und eine Rechnung in CHF.
