immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Haushalte

  • Consumer confidence collapses

    Consumer confidence collapses

    The decline is abrupt. In January and February 2026, the index was still at around – 30 points, slightly above the previous year’s level. The slump in March to – 43 points is therefore one of the sharpest monthly declines in recent years. The turnaround came quickly and affected several areas simultaneously.

    Where sentiment has tipped the most
    Three of the four SECO sub-indices are clearly below the level of March 2025. Expectations regarding economic development have slumped the most. The expected financial situation of households and the willingness to make major purchases have also fallen significantly. Only the view of the past financial situation remained stable compared to the previous year.

    Geopolitics as a mood killer
    The war in Iran and the associated rise in oil prices are seen as the main triggers. Inflation expectations jumped sharply in March: from 98.3 to 121.4 points. At the same time, unemployment expectations rose. Both are having a direct and noticeable impact on household confidence.

    What this means for consumption
    Falling consumer sentiment is not just a statistical signal. It shows that households are postponing major expenditure and opting for security. For the retail trade, real estate market and construction industry, this means less stimulus from domestic consumption, at least in the short term. Trading Economics expects a gradual recovery to around – 34 points by mid-2026 and – 26 points by 2028.

    Whether sentiment recovers depends heavily on the geopolitical situation and price trends. The Swiss economy has been robust so far, but consumer confidence is a leading indicator. If the buying mood remains subdued, the growth figures usually follow with a delay.

  • Electricity prices to fall slightly in 2026

    Electricity prices to fall slightly in 2026

    According to calculations by the Swiss Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom), tariffs will fall to a median value of 27.7 cents/kWh in the coming year. For a typical household with an annual consumption of 4,500 kWh, this means an electricity bill of around CHF 1,247, around CHF 58 less than in 2025.

    The price structure will change in detail
    Energy tariff falls from 13.7 to 12.11 Rp./kWh (-11.6%).
    Grid tariff falls from 12.18 to 10.75 cents/kWh, but no longer includes metering costs.
    Metering tariff now shown separately at CHF 74.40/year (corresponds to 1.65 Rp./kWh).
    Grid surcharge remains stable at 2.3 Rp./kWh.
    Electricity reserve increases from 0.23 to 0.41 Rp./kWh.
    Solidarized costs now at 0.05 Rp./kWh.
    Charges to local authorities unchanged at 1 Rp./kWh.

    The bottom line is a slight reduction for households, while small and medium-sized enterprises benefit more from lower grid and metering costs.

    Reasons for the development
    The price reduction is primarily the result of falling energy costs. Numerous high-priced procurement contracts from the crisis years 2022/23 are expiring, allowing more favorable market conditions to take effect. At the same time, the grid operator Swissgrid is reporting lower tariffs (1.42 Rp./kWh instead of 1.71).

    On average, grid costs including the metering tariff will increase slightly, despite lower standard rates for the return on capital, which will enable savings of around CHF 120 million nationwide.

    Dynamic tariffs from 2026
    In view of the growing spread of heat pumps and electromobility, the load on the electricity grids is increasing. From 2026, grid operators will be able to introduce comprehensive dynamic grid tariffs for the first time. The aim is to align consumption more closely with the grid status and thus avoid costly grid expansions.

    Dynamic tariffs are based on the actual costs and should be designed to reflect the source. They must remain comparable with previous tariffs for standard load profiles. Transparency and traceability in invoicing are required by law. To date, no grid operator has announced a dynamic model as a standard tariff; end customers are still guaranteed a choice.

    Transparency and comparability
    Since this month, all 2026 electricity prices of the approximately 590 Swiss grid operators have been available on the ElCom platform. The values are based on the operators’ median figures and can vary considerably from region to region depending on the procurement strategy and in-house production. ElCom does not approve the tariffs, but can intervene and order reductions if it suspects that prices are too high.

  • Housing affordability in Switzerland

    Housing affordability in Switzerland

    The average rent burden of all households in Switzerland is between 17% and 27.8%, depending on the definition of the ratio approach. The analysis shows that the assessments of the unaffordability of housing vary considerably depending on the measurement approach chosen: The proportion of households for whom housing is unaffordable ranges from 6.7% to 26%. These differences emphasise the need for a differentiated view of the housing cost burden.

    Influence of income class and household type
    The differentiation of households by income class and household type has a considerable influence on the rent burden. Households in the lowest income quintile spend up to 51% of their disposable income on gross rent, while households in the top quintile pay a maximum of 17.2%. Single households over 65 in the lowest income quintile are particularly badly affected, with a rent burden of up to 64%.

    Ratio approach as the preferred method
    The ratio approach, which measures the housing cost burden as a proportion of income, is considered more practicable than the theoretically optimal residual income approach. The differentiated ratio approach, which varies by income class and household type, allows a more accurate assessment of housing affordability and is more applicable than pure rental cost benchmarks. Granular data on population, income and housing support this differentiated analysis.

    Need for a clear definition and further research
    The concept and objectives of affordable housing planning must be clearly defined. Owners and developers can only create targeted offers if precise thresholds for different household types and income brackets are available. Future research should focus on determining appropriate thresholds and clarifying which specific components of housing costs and income should be considered in the affordability analysis.

    Optimising pricing to encourage investment
    Differentiated pricing based on actual incomes can reduce vacancy and letting risks and encourage investment in new housing. The application of a differentiated ratio approach provides a solid basis for assessing housing affordability in Switzerland and contributes to the creation of sustainable and affordable housing.

  • Study on home ownership in Switzerland published

    Study on home ownership in Switzerland published

    Houzy, the Zurich-based platform for homeowners, has commissioned and published a recent study. According to a press release, the company wanted to collect data on the current and future behaviour of homeowners in Switzerland. Houzy surveyed 80,000 households online for the representative study. 1906 house and apartment owners answered the questionnaire from January to the end of March 2024. Three quarters of them were house owners and one quarter flat owners.

    The study focussed on the areas of renovation, heating and energy supply. It revealed that 69.4 per cent of all homeowners used tradesman services in the past year. The average order volume was CHF 15,000.

    In addition to renovations, the focus was also on alternative heating systems. 5 per cent of homeowners plan to modernise their heating systems and find alternatives to fossil fuels in 2024. At the same time, 33.5 per cent of households that still use oil and 8.85 per cent of those that use gas want to change their heating systems. One tenth of Swiss homeowners are planning to install solar panels this year in order to produce at least some of the electricity they need themselves.

    Another focus was on intentions to sell residential property. A seventh of the homeowners surveyed expressed such intentions. of these, 20 per cent would still like to sell their home in 2024. Extrapolated, this means that 3.2 per cent of all houses and flats in Switzerland will come onto the market this year, according to the press release.

  • Wetzikon votes for the district heating network

    Wetzikon votes for the district heating network

    On 3 September, the voters of Wetzikon approved the foundation of Fernwärme Wetzikon AG. The district heating network with waste heat recovery will supply up to 50 per cent of Wetzikon households with CO2-neutral energy from 2025. According to a press release, the energy service provider Energie 360° and the town of Wetzikon will be joint shareholders in the new public limited company with 40 and 60 percent respectively.

    The new public limited company will conclude long-term heating contracts with the Wetzikon wastewater treatment plant and the Zürcher Oberland waste incineration plant (KEZO). The district heating is to be brought from the KEZO Hinwil to Wetzikon via a transport pipeline and distributed to the households from there. The energy centre is planned at the Wetzikon open-air swimming pool.

    “With energy networks, it is important to use locally available heat sources,” Romeo Deplazes of Energie 360° is quoted as saying. “In Wetzikon, district heating from waste recycling is available, which is ideal.”

    “The sooner we can realise district heating Wetzikon, the better,” thinks councillor Heinrich Vettiger. “This way we become less dependent on fossil fuels from abroad and use regional waste heat that accumulates anyway.” With its many years of experience and sound expertise, Energie 360° is the ideal partner.

    According to its own information, the energy service provider is already building and operating energy networks with lake water utilisation for various communities and companies around Lake Zurich. In Dielsdorf ZH, waste heat from data centres will be used to supply up to 3,500 households with heat in the future.

  • Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts locates fossil heating systems

    Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts locates fossil heating systems

    Experts from the Thermal Energy Storage Competence Center at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts(HSLU) want to promote the climate-friendly replacement of fossil-fuel heating systems. To this end, the team worked with geoimpact AG, based in Lüterkofen SO, to use machine learning to calculate models that locate fossil fuel heating systems.

    This is because around 80 percent of oil and gas heating systems are currently being replaced by new fossil-fuel heating systems, according to a media release from the HSLU. “A new heating system needs planning,” HSLU energy expert Esther Lindner is quoted as saying. “Of course, if the old one breaks in the winter, you don’t have time for that, and then you just quickly replace what you had before with the same system again.” To counteract this, the project aims to provide these households with timely information about alternatives and counseling services.

    First, a model was created for 1957 municipalities, then one for 158 districts, and finally another for all of Switzerland. At the community level, the model is reported to be the most accurate, with close to 80 percent accuracy. The artificial intelligence of these models was trained with publicly available data from the building and housing register.

    Now the model is being developed into a referral program for a Sweet Edge project supported by the Federal Office of Energy. This is intended to assist communities with energy planning. “Communities that want to use the model and develop it at the same time,” Lindner said, “are welcome.” The project will also be presented at this year’s Evening of Business of the Department of Engineering & Architecture. It will take place on October 20, 2022.

  • Hilcona installs new solar power plant

    Hilcona installs new solar power plant

    The Hilcona Group has installed a photovoltaic system at its Landquart site. The international food producer invested CHF 920,000 in this. The almost 4,000 square meter solar power plant produces up to 830 megawatt hours of electricity per year, which according to a press release is sufficient for around 165 households.

    The head of quality management and sustainability, Oliver Bindel, is quoted as saying that the Hilcona catchment area already uses 100 percent hydropower. "Our electricity is already 100 percent renewable today." Hilcona wants to further expand its own electricity production and gradually reduce the proportion of purchased electricity.

    "Lighthouse projects such as the current one at the Hilcona site in Landquart show that Hilcona is not too big a project to have net zero CO2 emissions in the long term. It is important to us to make a positive contribution to achieving global climate goals.”