Heating oil was used in 41% of buildings in Switzerland and thus remains the main energy source for heating according to housing statisticsExternal link published on Thursday. However, this proportion has steadily declined over the past 40 years.
Some 18% of buildings had gas heating, twice as many as 30 years ago. This, however, varies dramatically by type of building and location. The share of gas heating in single-family houses was 16%, whereas it was 28% of apartments with ten or more units. In urban communities, 30% of buildings were heated with gas, compared to only 4% in rural communities.
The proportion of buildings with a heat pump (17%) has quadrupled since 2000. It is more common for single-family houses than in large apartment buildings. Heat pumps, which extract heat from the air, water or ground, are seen as central reducing dependence on fossil fuels and reducing CO2 emissions.
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Can heat pumps solve the climate crisis? Can they also cripple the Russian economy?
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Heat pumps are seen as central to reducing CO2 emissions. They could also reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.
Some 12% of buildings in Switzerland were heated with wood and 8% with electricity.
In 2021, two thirds (67%) of residential buildings in Switzerland belonged to private individuals. Legal entities, including real estate companies, owned around every tenth building (12%).
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
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The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
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The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
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In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
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As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
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After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
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A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
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The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
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Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
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Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
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