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Tag: News

  • SVIT-Digital Day shows software for management of management

    SVIT-Digital Day shows software for management of management

    The Swiss Association of the Real Estate Industry (SVIT) is holding Digital Day 2020 on Monday, September 21 in the Kosmos in Zurich. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., visitors can collect information on the subject of digitization in the real estate world with free admission. On the digital day of the real estate industry, the organizing commission “SVIT Digital” is also launching a “Meet and Greet” for all visitors to the event on this day. They can discuss their digital concerns directly with proven professionals and other visitors at the big table and work out possible solutions, according to the announcement for the digital day.

    According to the organizer Pape Werbe AG from Weiningen ZH, more than 40 exhibitors will be present in the Kosmos and many lectures will be held on specialist topics such as "Digital Signature" or "The 3 Levels of Digitization in Property Management". During the entire event, it will be ensured that the current protection concepts due to the corona pandemic are adhered to.

  • Swiss electricity from the socket is 75 percent green

    Swiss electricity from the socket is 75 percent green

    In 2019, around 75 percent of the electricity from Swiss sockets came from renewable energies. This is evident from the data collected annually by the Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ).

    According to a media release , the data published on Monday show that 66 percent of the electricity consumed comes from large-scale hydropower. 8.4 percent is generated by solar and wind energy as well as from small hydropower and biomass. In 2019, their share rose from 7.85 percent in the previous year to 8.4 percent. Around 95 percent of this was produced in Switzerland and a good three quarters were funded by the feed-in tariff system ( ESV ).

    Compared to the electricity actually supplied, the shares of renewable sources in Swiss electricity production are lower: 56 percent of the electricity produced in Switzerland comes from hydropower and 6 percent from new renewable energies. In this context, the SFOE points out that the Swiss Sockets not only supply electricity from Swiss production.

    19.1 percent of the delivery mix comes from nuclear energy (2018: 17.3 percent). The share in Switzerland's production mix is significantly higher at 35 percent, some of which is exported. Almost 2 percent in the Swiss delivery mix is obtained from waste and fossil fuels.

    The origin and composition of 4 percent of the electricity supplied cannot be verified. Since this so-called gray electricity is only permitted in exceptional cases from delivery year 2020, according to the SFOE, large consumers are apparently increasingly switching to domestic nuclear energy. Since most of the neighboring countries do not issue any guarantees of origin for electricity from conventional power plants, Switzerland has introduced replacement certificates. Coal electricity from abroad can be declared as such and no longer has to be summarized under gray electricity. This share of coal-fired electricity halved to half a percent between 2018 and 2019. However, electricity-intensive companies recently obtained replacement certificates for electricity from fossil and nuclear sources from European power plants.

  • Rents rose in August

    Rents rose in August

    In August, asking rents in Switzerland rose by 0.26 percent. The upward trend is particularly confirmed in the annual analysis with a plus of 0.88 percent. This is shown by the current rental price index figures from homegate.ch and Zürcher Kantonalbank ( ZKB ). It measures the monthly, quality-adjusted change in rental prices based on current market offers.

    The rental price development in the canton of Thurgau is striking, according to a media release from the real estate marketplace homegate.ch. The rent there rose by 0.71 percent, almost three times the Swiss average. The canton of Valais also shows a noticeably higher value with a plus of 0.62 percent. In the cantons of Zurich, Glarus, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden, apartment hunters are confronted with rents that have risen by 0.50 percent, in Schaffhausen it is plus 0.49 percent. On the other hand, Geneva recorded the steepest decline with a minus of 1.48 percent. The rent index is only stagnating in the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Schwyz.

    The cities of Geneva (-2.43 percent) and Lugano (-1.41 percent) recorded a large decline. In contrast, asking prices in the city of Zurich rose (+1.31 percent). Only in the city of Basel does the rent index remain unchanged.

  • Properties are facing a round of financing

    Properties are facing a round of financing

    Almost a year ago, Levent Künzi, former COO of Betterhomes , and his brother Adrian Künzi founded the company properti . The two brothers want to change the real estate industry with the digital real estate broker, explains properti in a press release. The target group of the young company from the Zurich economic area are private owners of rental apartments. According to the announcement, they currently make up around half of all owners of around 4.5 million apartments across Switzerland.

    Propertyi works according to the motto manage centrally, mediate decentrally, is further explained in the communication. "We focus on the niche market of private owners and offer a comprehensive service for everything to do with the sale and rental of real estate," Levent Künzi is quoted there. At the same time, properti's processes are completely digitalized.

    After only ten months on the market, properti has already grown to 40 employees. You are currently looking after "over 300 active properties in German-speaking Switzerland and by then have already managed over 230 brokerages with a sales volume of around 40 million – despite Corona," says Levent Künzi. The two brothers want to carry out a first round of financing shortly. McMakler is named as a role model in the communication. The German company managed to collect 50 million euros and increase the company's value to 230 million euros.

  • PriceHubble is taking in fresh money

    PriceHubble is taking in fresh money

    PriceHubble has completed a successful financing round and raised several million Swiss francs, according to a message from startupticker.ch. The round was led by the Helvetia Venture Fund and Swiss Life. The investors also include the Austrian real estate company Soravia and Frank Strauss, former CEO of Deutsche Postbank.

    PriceHubble makes it possible to gain useful knowledge for the valuation of real estate from large amounts of data. With the company's solution, for example, data on the location, the neighborhood or noise pollution can be evaluated and clearly presented with the help of big data analytics and artificial intelligence. PriceHubble is aimed at all parties in the real estate value chain, such as real estate portals, banks, asset managers, insurance companies, real estate investors and private individuals.

    According to the announcement, the company is already successful in German-speaking countries, France and Japan. In the past twelve months, PriceHubble has quintupled the number of its customers to several hundred and doubled the number of employees to 72.

    With the fresh money, the international growth is to be further promoted. "With the newly acquired financial resources, we are ideally equipped for further expansion and can further expand our top European position as proptech for data-driven real estate valuations and location analyzes", PriceHubble founder Stefan Heitmann was quoted as saying.

  • Lake Zurich education center inaugurates new building

    Lake Zurich education center inaugurates new building

    Patrick Heeb, Rector of the Education Center Lake Zurich ( BZZ ), inaugurated a new building at the BZZ in Horgen on Tuesday, together with District President and Education Director Silvia Steiner (ZH / CVP) as well as Government Council and Construction Director Martin Neukom (ZH / GPS). BZZ learners have already moved into the new school building.

    The new building, which has now been inaugurated, is intended to cover the school's increasing space requirements, as stated in a media release . With it, the school has new classrooms as well as a new triple gymnasium. The sports hall is made available to the sports department of the municipality of Horgen outside of school hours.

    After the completion of the new building, the renovation of the existing building will begin. After the construction work is completed, the BZZ will be able to benefit from its location on Lake Zurich. It will use the lake water to generate cold and heat.

  • Holcim supplies sustainable concrete for HSG Learning Center

    Holcim supplies sustainable concrete for HSG Learning Center

    The HSG Foundation is currently building the new HSG Learning Center on the premises of the University of St.Gallen ( HSG ). The general contractor HRS Real Estate AG has commissioned the Swiss Holcim AG with the delivery of the concretes. A new, more sustainable Holcim product, EvopactPLUS, is used in around half of the total of 6,000 cubic meters of concrete used.

    "With EvopactPLUS we close the building material cycle, conserve natural resources and save CO2," said Roger Dällenbach, Regional Manager for German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, in a press release from Holcim. The new type of concrete replaces natural gravel with a reclaimed aggregate from the region. It also includes Susteno, which, according to the company, is the "first and only resource-saving cement in Europe that uses mixed granulate from demolitions as an additive". This fine material is not used in conventional concrete production and must therefore be dumped.

    "Compared to an already optimized mass cement, the use of Susteno saves 10 percent CO2," the press release said. Regionality also plays a role: the building material is delivered from the Holcim concrete plant in St.Gallen, just three kilometers from the construction site. "It was an experiment for us because we were working with the product for the first time," Holcim foreman Marcel Kunz is quoted as saying. He is very satisfied with it, "it's a wonderful concrete."

    In the future, the modern building should focus less on technical learning than on learning the necessary skills such as critical thinking and self-reflection, according to the client, the HSG Foundation . It finances this project largely from donations from HSG alumni .

  • EBL is investing up to 1.4 billion in the energy transition

    EBL is investing up to 1.4 billion in the energy transition

    EBL wants to drive the energy transition in Switzerland and Europe with large investments. As the Basel-based energy supplier announced , it wants to create EBL X Invest, a new investment vehicle for professional investors, in 2021. This is to be equipped with equity of 250 to 500 million euros. This should trigger investments of 700 million to 1.4 billion euros in wind, solar and water power in Switzerland and Europe.

    The new investment vehicle builds on EBL Wind Invest AG, which was founded in 2016 by EBL, institutional investors and pension funds. EBL Invest is said to have invested a total of 370 million euros in wind power plants in Germany by the end of 2020 with equity of 120 million euros. The plants are expected to generate 370 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.

    EBL also relies on renewable energies in its own company. 97 percent of the company's own vehicle fleet is to be converted to electric drives by 2030. 95 percent of the headquarters in Liestal are managed with renewable energies.

  • Real estate market defies the pandemic

    Real estate market defies the pandemic

    300 players in the real estate market took part in this year's summer survey, CSL Immobilien informs in a press release . The record high participation shows "how strongly real estate companies, funds and investors are currently interested in exchanging current market information," it said. According to the results of the survey, the economic downturn associated with the coronavirus pandemic had little impact on the real estate market.

    "The turning point in the real estate market caused by the pandemic is significantly less than expected," said Patricia Reichelt, Head of Research & Market Analysis at CSL Immobilien, quoted in the press release. According to the results of the survey, the differences in the housing market compared to the previous year are “so minimal in all five regions in both the property segment and the rental housing market that no general trend is discernible,” the press release said. When it comes to the development of purchase prices, the market players anticipate that the prices for single-family houses will rise more significantly than the prices for condominiums.

    But the demand for office space is "still there despite the corona shock," writes CSL Immobilien. Here, growing or newly founded companies generated additional demand “despite overall falling overall demand”, explains the company. “In the Greater Zurich Area, demand in these two categories fell by a third compared to the previous year. But still 16% of the survey participants stated that growth or start-ups were the main motivation for the demand ”, it says in the communication. In Basel this would be the case for a third of those surveyed, in Bern for 16 percent. In Geneva and Lausanne, however, growth or start-ups were not mentioned as a reason for demand. In the opinion of CSL Immobilien, however, the additional demand could mean that the demand for office space will fall significantly less sharply in the coming years than after the financial crisis in 2008.

  • Corona-influenced half-year results of the Zug Estates Group

    Corona-influenced half-year results of the Zug Estates Group

    • The property income increased by 5.4% compared to the same period of the previous year
    • CHF 28.2 million
    • Doctorate profit before taxes of CHF 9.5 million in the Aglaya project
    • The group result amounts to CHF 8.3 million (previous year period: CHF 26.1 million). Without
    • Revaluation and special effects reduced the group result from CHF 15.4 million.
    • to CHF 11.9 million
    • Solid capital base with an equity ratio of 55.7% (54.7% as of December 31, 2019)

    At Zug Estates, too, the first half of 2020 was dominated by the challenges we were faced with by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In the real estate sector, many of our tenants had to close their shops during the officially ordered lockdown. This mainly affected our retail tenants and thus the Metalli shopping mall. In the Hotel & Gastronomy segment, the almost complete standstill of international business travel led to a considerable drop in sales.

    Fortunately, despite Corona, we were able to hand over all of the remaining 49 condominium units of the Aglaya doctoral project to their new owners on time. In addition, we have already been able to find a partnership-based and conclusive solution for a one-off rent waiver with over 90% of the tenants directly affected by the lockdown.

    In the first half of 2020, the group result was CHF 8.3 million, 68.3% below the previous year's period (CHF 26.1 million). Adjusted for revaluation and special effects, the declining figures in the Hotel & Gastronomy segment in particular lead to a reduction in consolidated earnings by 22.7% from CHF 15.4 million to CHF 11.9 million.

    Increase in property income with significantly lower hotel and catering sales

    The full period of validity of rental contracts, the majority of which were concluded in the previous year, increases property income in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in the previous year by 5.4% to CHF 28.2 million. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rent payments of CHF 0.7 million were granted.

    Income in the Hotel & Gastronomy segment fell from CHF 8.2 million to CHF 3.6 million. The occupancy of our hotels was temporarily reduced to less than 10% during the lockdown. Since then we have been able to record growth again, but are still well below the corresponding prior-year figures. The gross operating profit (GOP) is only 7.8% compared to 39.3% in the first half of 2019.

    The sale of the last 49 condominiums in the Aglaya project resulted in income of CHF 72.5 million and a pre-tax promotion profit of CHF 9.5 million
    In the Aglaya doctoral project, we were able to generate a return on the investment volume of 17.3%. Since no sales revenue was posted in the same period of the previous year, there was an overall significant increase in operating income from CHF 36.7 million to CHF 105.4 million.

    The real estate portfolio was valued a total of CHF 13.6 million lower, which corresponds to around 0.9% of the portfolio value of all investment properties as of June 30, 2020 and is due to a slightly more conservative assessment of the market rents for retail space in general and individual specific office spaces. In the same period of the previous year there was a revaluation gain of CHF 11.5 million.

    The average interest rate of the interest-bearing debt capital could be further reduced from 1.4% to 1.3%. As expected, the significantly lower construction activity led to a decrease in capitalizable interest and a corresponding increase in financial expenses from CHF 2.5 million to CHF 3.5 million.

    Stable portfolio with a higher vacancy rate

    At CHF 1.63 billion, the market value of the portfolio is at the same level as on December 31, 2019. In the first half of 2020, the last building in construction site 1 in Rotkreuz was put into operation. As expected, this increased the vacancy rate from 3.3% as of December 31, 2019 to 5.3% as of June 30, 2020. We invested a total of CHF 16.2 million in our portfolio in the reporting period. The weighted average remaining lease term (WAULT) is 6.7 years (6.8 years as of December 31, 2019), a very high level compared to the industry.

    While our residential products are enjoying very good demand in the current market environment, we are currently noticing a certain reluctance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among those who are interested in office space. However, we are confident that the centrally located, high-quality and sustainably operated office space at Zug Estates will continue to be in high demand in the future. Fortunately, the number of inquiries for retail space in Metalli remained stable. We currently have no evidence of a decline.

    Solid capital base

    With the repayment of funds from the sale of the last apartments in the Aglaya and despite the distribution of a special dividend, the interest-bearing debt capital was reduced from CHF 597.4 million to CHF 587.1 million in the first half of 2020. The average remaining term of this financing is 4.8 years (previous year: 5.2 years). With an equity ratio of 55.7% higher by one percentage point, Zug Estates has a very solid equity base.

    Project development with a focus on the Metalli habitat

    After the city of Zug and Zug Estates presented the first result of the joint planning process for the “Metalli living space” in March 2020, a feasibility study was carried out with the specialist planners. The alignment project and the application for adapting the two development plans concerned are currently being drawn up with all the relevant documents. The guideline project is to be submitted to the city of Zug in the third quarter of 2020. The legally amended development plans are expected in 2022/23.

    After receiving the building permit, the Board of Directors approved the planning phase for the last two buildings (S43 / 45) on the Suurstoffi site in Rotkreuz. The start of construction will be triggered as needed, taking into account the market recovery in connection with COVID-19.

    Step-by-step implementation of the sustainability strategy

    The connection of the Metalli-Gevierts to the lake water network Circulago could take place according to plan in April 2020. The corresponding contracts for the connection of the remaining 16 properties were signed in December 2019. Commissioning is to take place in stages in 2021, 2023 and 2025. From this point in time, Zug Estates will be able to operate its entire portfolio almost CO2-free.

    Public electric charging stations have been available to customers on the Metalli shopping street since the beginning of June. Two of the six stations are high-performance fast charging stations, the first in the city of Zug.

    The installation of the CO2-neutral cooling in the rooms of the Parkhotel Zug was completed on schedule in April 2020, which means a significant increase in comfort for the guests from now on.

    Outlook 2020

    Due to the temporary effect of the rent reductions in connection with COVID-19, we continue to expect increasing rental income for the year as a whole. As a result of increased renovation and maintenance work or lower capitalizable financing costs, real estate expenses and financial expenses will be higher.

    In the Hotel & Gastronomy segment, we are assuming that sales and GOP will be well below the previous year's level due to the considerable drop in sales due to the stoppage of international business transactions by our regular customers, although the developments in the second half of the year are difficult to forecast.

    Therefore, both an operating result before depreciation and revaluation and a consolidated result without revaluation and special effects are expected to be significantly below the previous year.

  • CBRE STRENGTHENS POSITION IN WESTERN SWITZERLAND

    CBRE STRENGTHENS POSITION IN WESTERN SWITZERLAND

    Real estate consultancy CBRE today announced the opening of its new office in Lausanne. The new office is located in the heart of Lausanne on Rue Saint-Martin and will be a strategic location to strengthen CBRE's proven presence in the real estate market in French-speaking Switzerland.

    In autumn 2019, CBRE announced the acquisition of i Consulting SA, a renowned provider of valuations, market analyzes and consulting services for real estate. Around 20 employees will now work together in the new office in Lausanne. This physical merger of the two teams is an important step in the already successful integration. The new office in Lausanne relies on a modern room concept 'New Ways of Working', which enables flexible working.

    Headed by Vincent Leroux, the Lausanne office advises investors, property users and developers on all property issues. In connection with the close proximity to the market and detailed knowledge of the structures within the region, ideal on-site consulting services can be offered. CBRE currently employs more than 120 people in Switzerland with headquarters in Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne.

    The managing director of CBRE Switzerland, Florian Kuprecht, comments on the opening: "Understanding the market and customer needs is crucial for our business. The opening of the new office in Lausanne enables us to advise customers in this important market area with even greater local expertise . The continued expansion and diversification of CBRE in Switzerland reflects our claim to tailor our range of services more and more to the needs of our customers. "

  • Intershop starts building an assembly hall for Stadler

    Intershop starts building an assembly hall for Stadler

    Intershop creates a new assembly hall for Stadler Winterthur . According to a press release , the building permit is now available. The investment volume amounts to around 16 million francs. The start of construction is planned for the current week, the completion of construction for the end of 2021. As Stadler announced after the agreement with Intershop Holding was concluded, the Zugbauer will lease the plant from the Intershop subsidiary SGI City Immobilien AG on a long-term basis. The lease has a minimum term of 15 years, according to Intershop.

    With the new building, Stadler Winterthur is expanding its competence center for bogies. On around 13,250 square meters of land, additional storage and assembly areas are being built for the construction of bogies for standard and broad gauge trains as well as for trams. The commissioning of the new hall is planned for 2022. In February, Stadler announced its intention to create up to 50 new jobs with the expansion of the production facility at the Winterthur location.

  • ETH spin-off binds CO2 in broken concrete

    ETH spin-off binds CO2 in broken concrete

    If the concrete industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world. It produces around four times as much CO2 as all global air traffic. The start-up Neustark , a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ), is countering this with its concept: the mineralization of carbon dioxide from the air to obtain limestone.

    Neustark binds CO2 in the pores and on the surface of concrete granulate. This upgraded granulate can then be mixed in fresh concrete as a substitute for sand and gravel. Thanks to these granules, less cement is required while the properties remain the same. This emerges from a communication from the ETH.

    “What appealed to me was that the solution would not be available for five or ten years, but already now,” says business economist Valentin Gutknecht, who is responsible for the operational aspects of the business in the ever-growing Neustark team. Together with Johannes Tiefenthaler, he wants to turn this climate-positive business idea into reality. Tiefenthaler is doing his doctorate at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering ( MAVT ) on the next generation of technology for the mineralization of carbon dioxide.

    There is a lot of research going on in the construction sector, but so far the industry has only achieved small reductions in emissions, so Tiefenthaler. The advantage of the concrete granulate is that it is highly reactive and the broken concrete forms a very stable chemical compound even without climate-damaging pre-treatment with carbon dioxide.

    Your pilot plant for recycling concrete is funded by the Federal Office for the Environment ( FOEN ) and the Swiss Climate Foundation. The project is now intended to demonstrate the added value along the entire value chain. Neustark's goal: negative emissions for which there are only "very few technical approaches". The start-up wants to show "that negative emissions can not only bring costs but even economic benefits".

  • Mont-sur-Lausanne relies on Siemens to save energy

    Mont-sur-Lausanne relies on Siemens to save energy

    By increasing the energy efficiency of the sports center, the municipal administration of Mont-sur-Lausanne wants to reduce the loan required for the renovation of the complex, Siemens Switzerland explains in a press release . The company won the tender for a corresponding energy saving contract. In the contract, Siemens guarantees the municipality savings of 60,000 francs annually.

    "For Siemens Switzerland this is a remarkable success and a project that we would like to implement in other municipalities as well," Stéphane Bovey, regional sales manager at Siemens Switzerland, is quoted in the press release. “We focused on the right concepts and suggested the most effective measures.” The communication cites the renovation of the ventilation and lighting systems and the installation of solar modules on the roof of the complex as examples.

    Siemens is working with local companies to implement the project, the press release explains. The contract has a term of 15 years and comprises an investment volume of 809,000 francs. The work should be completed this summer.

    "We are pleased to have found an experienced partner in Siemens who works with us to save energy," said Christian Menétrey, councilor responsible for construction and sustainability. According to her, Siemens has already received further orders after the energy saving contract. The communication specifically mentions the replacement of the water treatment system and the optimization of electrical systems.

  • Climeworks removes CO2 from the air in Iceland

    Climeworks removes CO2 from the air in Iceland

    Climeworks , the Reykjavik energy supplier ON Power and the Icelandic company Carbfix have agreed to combine their technologies for capturing CO2 from the air and for its permanent storage. Climeworks and Carbfix describe these agreements in their respective media releases as “groundbreaking” as well as a “milestone in the fight against climate change” and “turning point in climate protection”: “For the first time, the technologies for a project of this magnitude to remove carbon dioxide from the air combined with each other ”, it says there. The new facility will permanently remove 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year.

    At the site of the third largest geothermal power plant in the world, the Icelandic Hellisheiði, Climeworks is building systems for the separation of CO2 from the air. The Direct Air Capture Technology (DAC) from Climeworks is used for this. The geothermal energy and heat provided by ON Power ensures that DAC technology has a constant supply of renewable energy.

    The Climeworks agreement with Carbfix ensures the safe and permanent storage of carbon dioxide through natural underground mineralization. According to Carbfix , the underground basalt rock formations in Iceland offer ideal conditions for this process.

    "This collaboration with ON and Carbfix is a big step forward," said Jan Wurzbacher, co-founder and co-CEO of Climeworks, in a press release from Climeworks. "We can reach net zero."

    ON Power is “immensely proud of this collaboration” between ON, Carbfix and Climeworks. It shows "how innovative projects can come together to create and expand one of the solutions to global warming". The company is pleased to "support the work of Climework in the future".

  • CKW relies on intelligent electricity meters

    CKW relies on intelligent electricity meters

    According to a media release , CKW has already used intelligent measuring systems in the past “in selected regions and specifically in larger new buildings”. Now all conventional electricity meters in the supply area are being replaced by smart meters. Accordingly, CKW will now replace 180,000 meters.

    The intelligent measuring systems have several advantages for consumers, as CKW informs. In future, customers will be able to track their electricity consumption online and thus “identify potential energy savings more easily”. In addition, the meter reading no longer has to be read on site, which makes things easier when moving, for example. "Furthermore, the CKW customer service can answer questions about energy consumption or the electricity bill faster and more competently with the current measurement data," says the message.

    CKW will benefit from the experience it has already gained with intelligent measuring systems. The company tested various communication technologies. "The radio technology used has proven itself particularly in the predominantly rural areas of Central Switzerland compared to other technologies in terms of stability," said CKW. This stability is "of central importance" for the operating costs.

  • Alpiq benefits from long-term contracts

    Alpiq benefits from long-term contracts

    According to the key figures of the Alpiq Group , the Lausanne-based energy group generated net sales of 1.83 billion francs in the first half of 2020. Compared to the previous semester, this corresponds to a decrease of 18.3 percent. The operating result (EBIT) reported a loss of 70 million francs, compared to a loss of 206 million francs in the first half of 2019. The net result improved from a loss of 206 million to a loss of 84 million francs.

    The operating result at the EBITDA level before special items increased from 55 million to 116 million francs year-on-year, said Alpiq in a statement on the half-year results. All three Alpiq divisions contributed to the positive operational development.

    Specifically, a result of 37 million francs was achieved in Swiss electricity production, compared to a loss of 56 million francs in the previous semester. International energy trading increased its result year-on-year from CHF 53 million to CHF 58 million. In international electricity production, after 60 million francs in the previous year, a positive result of 24 million francs was achieved “despite the coal phase-out”, writes Alpiq.

    The coronavirus pandemic caused electricity prices to fall sharply, especially in April and May, Alpiq said in the press release. The Lausanne group was well protected against this development due to the safeguarding of electricity production for two to three years.

  • Tenant platform shows data on electricity consumption

    Tenant platform shows data on electricity consumption

    The Basel company Allthings offers a digital platform for tenants, via which they can communicate with property management and roommates, for example. Allthings is now teaming up with the Bern-based company Blockstrom , according to a press release . A solution from Blockstrom for measuring energy consumption in real time will be integrated into the Allthings platform. This means that tenants can also use the platform to track their electricity consumption.

    "The interface between the two systems enables an overview of the consumption data in real time," explains David Gundlach, Product Manager at Allthings. “The cooperation with Blockstrom not only creates added value for the tenants, but also allows us to make a contribution to the very relevant topic of sustainability,” he adds.

    The joint solution of the two companies is initially being tested as part of a pilot project on the Schöngrün residential area in the canton of Solothurn. There, AXA has converted a former penal institution into a housing estate. The new building with 160 apartments places a high value on sustainability. District heating from the waste incineration plant is used for heating. A solar system on the roof also provides 200,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The apartments and shops on the site are supplied with solar power as part of an association for self-consumption (ZEV).

  • The first multi-energy systems from Soleco are in use

    The first multi-energy systems from Soleco are in use

    A ready-to-use multi-energy management system has evolved from an award-winning product idea from Soleco . It has already been put into operation in two single-family houses in Maur in the canton of Zurich. It will soon also be used in an apartment building there. According to a message from startupticker.ch, talks are currently underway about equipping a district under construction in Zurich.

    In the year it was founded, Soleco, together with its partners Geminise and Vela Solaris , won the CSEM Digital Journey Award in the amount of 100,000 francs in 2018. The private and non-profit Swiss Electronics and Microtechnology Research Center ( CSEM ) claims to promote "added value for a sustainable world". CSEM provided Soleco with technological expertise in order to realize their "groundbreaking digital idea".

    Together they developed an intelligent and predictive control system. The software intended for laypeople is based on weather forecasts, the available infrastructure, consumption habits of the residents and energy costs on the market. "The platform then functions like a conductor who manages the resources autonomously and reduces costs," the message says.

    "All decisions that the control system makes are associated with an optimal cost," explains Tomasz Gorecki, one of the CSEM engineers. "If, for example, the photovoltaic system is in operation, the controller can determine whether it is better to charge your electric vehicle, store the energy or sell it to the grid." The platform works for individual households, but is above all suitable for self-consumption communities that jointly use different renewable energy sources for several apartments.

  • Energie Zukunft Schweiz launches climate bonus for wood heating

    Energie Zukunft Schweiz launches climate bonus for wood heating

    Energie Zukunft Schweiz and Holzfeuerungen Schweiz ( SFIH ) are promoting wood heating systems with a new climate bonus. This is intended to reward those who replace the fossil fuels oil or gas with local wood. Because, according to a press release , previous funding programs are aimed primarily at small residential buildings and not at industrial and commercial buildings, this premium is aimed at medium-sized and large heating systems.

    “Thanks to the generous climate bonus from the funding program and the simple handling of Energy Future Switzerland, this gap has now been closed. And that is the same for the whole of Switzerland, ”says the announcement. This would mean that medium-sized and large wood heating systems would be “not only the most climate-friendly, but also the most economical variant”. Heating with wood protects the climate, promotes local added value and contributes to a healthy forest. This program is regulated by the Federal Office for the Environment ( FOEN ).

    The subsidy amounts to 18 cents per kilowatt hour or 1.80 francs per liter of oil or cubic meter of natural gas saved. Energie Zukunft Schweiz calculates that “with correctly dimensioned heating” this corresponds to 360 francs per kilowatt of power. For example, for a block of flats with ten apartments, the investment costs could be reduced by 70 percent. According to Energie Zukunft Schweiz, the savings for large heating systems with an output of more than 200 kilowatts, for example for community buildings, industrial companies and large office buildings, are particularly interesting.

  • The smart home is not about to make a breakthrough

    The smart home is not about to make a breakthrough

    According to a media release , the craftsmen's portal Ofri again asked 339 tenants and owners about networked appliances in the household. According to this, awareness and use of the intelligent home in Switzerland have increased slightly compared to the previous year. Instead of two, three out of ten participants now use a so-called smart home device at home. A total of 69.3 percent and thus 12.3 percent more people said they had heard of it. Homeowners are on average more affectionate to these devices than tenants.

    However, only 10.5 percent of them expressed their intention to buy a smart home device in the next twelve months. The main obstacles given by the participants were the rental accommodation, the renovation costs and the lack of benefits. From this, Ofri concludes that despite increased awareness, smart home manufacturers cannot expect a breakthrough anytime soon. The lockdown did not increase the usage rate either, said Corina Burri from Ofri. "There was no increase in smart home device ownership after March 16, 2020."

    There was no change in the most popular smart home devices compared to the previous year. Most of the respondents use networked lighting systems, music systems and televisions. Dishwashers, smoke detectors, ovens and washing machines are rarely used.

  • Fabian Streiff becomes the top Zurich location promoter

    Fabian Streiff becomes the top Zurich location promoter

    There is a change at the top of the business location promotion department at the Zurich Office for Economics and Labor. Markus Assfalg is retiring after eleven years as head of location promotion, as announced by the office. He will be replaced by Fabian Streiff . The 35-year-old has been with the Basel Area Business & Innovation since the beginning of 2019 and heads the DayOne healthcare initiative. Prior to that, he was co-head of Basel-Stadt's economic development department.

    Streiff holds a doctorate in economic geography from the University of Bern and a Master of Science from the University of Zurich .

    One of the first to congratulate the cantonal location promotion and to Fabian Streiff is the location promoter of the city of Schlieren , Albert Schweizer. "We are very pleased with the choice of Fabian Streiff," he says. "We have known Fabian Streiff for a long time and have followed his work in the canton of Basel-Stadt very carefully."

  • Basel zero energy house exceeds planning values

    Basel zero energy house exceeds planning values

    The first apartment building in the canton of Basel to be certified according to the highest Swiss Minergie-A-Eco standard was moved into in 2015. As an investor, Immobilien Basel-Stadt commissioned the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland ( FHNW ) to carry out a study three years ago. This long-term monitoring should clarify whether the demanding energy goals are being achieved and how the house is being accepted by the residents.

    The new building at Basel Aescherstrasse 12 includes seven age-appropriate apartments with two and a half and three and a half rooms. According to a media release from Immobilien Basel-Stadt, the team of experts from the FHNW Institute for Energy in Buildings compared the calculated demand values from the planning with the actual consumption values in operation. The survey of the residents showed that the room temperature in most apartments is higher than the standard value from the planning.

    Since the house should generate at least as much energy for the Minergie-A certification as is used all year round for heating, cooling and ventilation, it was then examined how the increased room temperatures affect heating energy consumption. The measurement results showed that, on the one hand, the heat pump was “much more efficient than assumed”. "On the other hand, the yield from the photovoltaic system on the roof was significantly higher than planned."

    The energy production in the house today also exceeds the total electricity demand on an annual basis. There is potential for optimization through a partial waiver of building automation. This could improve the solar input in winter and night cooling in summer.

    "The building concept has proven itself in operation", summarizes Immobilien Basel-Stadt. "The ambitious goals of sustainable building could also be achieved in practice without having to accept compromises in terms of comfort."

  • Primeo Energie is planning two wind turbines in Muttenz

    Primeo Energie is planning two wind turbines in Muttenz

    Primeo Energie intends to build two wind turbines by 2023 in one of the six wind farm areas that the district administrator identified in the Basel structure plan in 2015. The location is in the Muttenzer Hard between the A2 motorway and the tracks of the Swiss Federal Railways ( SBB ). According to a press release , the electricity provider will be working with the municipality of Muttenz and the canton of Basel-Landschaft .

    With an annual output of 4.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity, the new wind turbine could supply an average of 1200 households with ecological energy. Primeo Energie is thus following the guidelines of the federal government's energy strategy and that of the canton of Basel-Landschaft.

    "All necessary preliminary investigations" have already been carried out for the construction. "The location of the two turbines is ideal," says the message. The area is not in a landscape protection area. In addition, consumers in industrial and residential areas are close. Therefore, a network connection can be implemented with little effort.

    In the trinational region of Basel there are not yet any wind farms except in the Black Forest. Primeo Energie cites the good ecological balance of wind turbines as a further plus point. In addition, they only had a minor impact on flora and fauna.

  • The first high-alpine solar plant will be in production from September

    The first high-alpine solar plant will be in production from September

    From September the first high-alpine solar project in Bergell will deliver natural electricity. As the operator Elektrizitätswerke der Stadt Zürich ( ewz ) announced in a press release , most of the more than 1200 photovoltaic (PV) panels have now been installed on the Albigna dam.

    For the assembly work, a so-called bridge inspection device was transported to the dam wall with the Albigna cable car. Most of the construction work was carried out by ewz employees from Bergell.

    Citizens from Zurich and Graubünden have the opportunity to purchase half, one, three or five square meters of the PV area and thus make a contribution to environmental and climate protection. The public participation model ewz.solarzüri provides that ewz customers are credited 180 kilowatt hours of solar power per square meter per year on their electricity bill. The term is 20 years. The one-off costs per square meter are CHF 560.

    From August 14, interested parties can find out more and order panel space on the websites ewz.ch/solargrischun and ewz.ch/solar-für-alle . Until then, these links lead to the current page of ewz.solarzüri.

  • Implenia wins building construction projects in Germany

    Implenia wins building construction projects in Germany

    The construction service provider Implenia has received new building construction contracts in Germany. According to a press release , the order is worth around 108 million francs.

    Implenia will construct three buildings with an area of around 25,000 square meters for Landmarken AG in an industrial park in Bochum-Laer. Construction is scheduled to start this fall.

    As a European pilot project, the new construction of an innovative sports and leisure facility on an industrial wasteland in the Ruhr area "which is being built for the first time in continental Europe" is intended. The 60 systems of this type that already exist worldwide serve as a model. They should offer a mixture of entertainment, sport, music, gastronomy and events. Further systems are to follow, it says in the message. Construction will start in October and handover is planned for February 2022.

    Prior exclusive partnership phases were decisive for the commissioning of both projects. Implenia worked with the customers and their planning teams to develop economic and technical suggestions for optimizing the project. "The result is cost and deadline security for the client as well as for Implenia."

    In addition to these two projects in the Ruhr area, Implenia will build a residential complex in Mannheim-Waldhof and the expanded shell “for a well-known hotel chain” in Munich near the train station.

  • St.Gallen receives future-oriented development

    St.Gallen receives future-oriented development

    Previs Vorsorge is responsible for the new development in St.Gallen, according to a media release from the pension fund. The wooden superstructure will consist of two buildings with space for 110 rental apartments. The focus is on future viability and sustainability.

    Certified wood and recycled concrete are used as building materials. Since the components are prefabricated, the construction time can also be reduced. It will be possible to move in as early as autumn 2021. There are numerous different apartment sizes available to those interested, from studios to 5.5 rooms.

    A roof system contributes solar power, in principle the apartments are supplied with 75 percent renewable energy via district heating. There is a car sharing service available to residents, and they can also charge their electric cars in underground parking spaces. In addition, they can read their personal electricity consumption in real time via a so-called smart home system. A green space will be created between the two buildings, which will contribute to biodiversity with birdhouses and insect hotels.

    Interested parties already have the opportunity to view the apartments in advance using VR (virtual reality) glasses.

  • Solar power could solve Swiss energy problems

    Solar power could solve Swiss energy problems

    Only photovoltaics can show Switzerland the way to a CO2-free future, writes the Deputy Director of the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ), Peter Richner, in an article for Avenir Suisse . It is based on the so-called Kaya identity, which the Japanese scientist Yoichi Kaya used in 1993 to describe the total amount of anthropogenic CO2 emissions as a function of four factors. The fourth alone, a reduction in the CO2 footprint, has enough potential, according to Richner, to achieve Switzerland's climate goals – through massive expansion of photovoltaics.

    If only 50 percent of all Swiss roofs were equipped with solar modules, electricity production from nuclear power plants would be superfluous. Richner demonstrates this in terms of electricity supply and demand for 2015. However, if all roofs and increasingly also building facades were equipped with solar panels, the output gap in winter could also be compensated for. At the same time, however, solutions would have to be found in order to be able to utilize the largest possible proportion of the electricity surplus in summer, both on a daily basis and at other times of the year.

    For increased flexibility of use, day storage systems could shift loads, for example through batteries or hydrogen. Digitization offers opportunities for the necessary creation of flexibility in consumption and production. Excess electricity could be converted into hydrogen in summer and possibly, together with CO2 from the air, into methane or liquid synthetic hydrocarbons. These chemical energy carriers can be stored easily and used in a variety of ways. And finally, seasonal heat storage systems could be charged with excess electricity in order to reduce energy requirements in winter.

    The potential of energy efficiency, another influenceable factor of the Kaya identity, is far from being exhausted, says Richner. However, achievements in this area would be compensated for by higher electricity demand, fossil electricity imports from abroad in winter or increased electricity consumption.

    In order to achieve a climate-neutral Switzerland, one of the four factors in the Kaya identity must be zero or the remaining product is offset with CO2-negative technologies such as the separation of CO2 from the air and its storage. Politicians must provide a decisive framework for this, as long as the nuclear power plants are still running.

  • Innovation in concrete can make buildings leaner

    Innovation in concrete can make buildings leaner

    A team of researchers from the Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt ( Empa ) has developed a new technology. This enables concrete to be produced and used more sustainably. For this purpose, the materials used in the manufacture of self-prestressed concrete elements are reduced.

    With conventional prestressing, steel tendons are usually anchored on both sides of the concrete element, put under tension and then removed again. Because the steel is susceptible to rust, “the concrete layer around the prestressing steel must have a certain minimum thickness”, according to Empa in a press release . Researchers have therefore been working on replacing steel with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) since the 1990s. However, this process is very expensive and also significantly more complicated than the prestressing process with steel.

    Empa has now completely solved these problems. Thanks to her method, she can dispense with anchoring on the sides of the element. Instead, its recipe enables the concrete to expand as it cures. "As a result of this expansion, the concrete puts the CFRP rods inside under tension and thereby automatically pretensions them."

    "Our technology opens up completely new possibilities in lightweight construction," said Mateusz Wyrzykowski, who heads the Empa team together with Giovanni Terrasi and Pietro Lura. "Not only can we build more stable, but we also need considerably less material."

    The team recently received patents in Europe and the United States for its technology. It is now developing new applications together with industrial partner BASF.

  • Rental prices also rise in the Corona crisis

    Rental prices also rise in the Corona crisis

    As a result of the corona pandemic, an escape from the cities to the countryside or to rural residential areas was expected in the real estate sector because of the supposedly lower risk of infection there compared to overcrowded cities. That has not happened so far. On the contrary, according to the press release on the half-year report prepared by homegate.ch in collaboration with Zürcher Kantonalbank ( ZKB ), cities in particular continue to be very attractive.

    Throughout Switzerland, asking rents have risen by 0.4 percent since the beginning of the year. The slight downward trend of previous years has thus ended and was already broken in mid-2019. The higher rents are particularly evident in the cantons of Geneva with a plus of 4.5 percent, Jura with 1.7 and Uri with 1.5 percent. This trend can also be seen in most of the other cantons, with a few exceptions such as in the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden with minus 0.5 percent each, Graubünden and Basel-Land (-0.4 percent) and Ticino (-0.3 percent ). They are still suffering from the weakness in rent trends over the past few years. Vacancies are recorded in many rural cantons and municipalities.

    The half-yearly balance points to the robust rental price development in the cities of Geneva (+3.8 percent) and Zurich (+1.4 percent). This contradicts the expectations regarding the effects of the Corona crisis. However, the report points out, the rental situation could change for another reason, but one caused by Corona. The influx from abroad is likely to decrease and this can lead to downward pressure on rental prices in the case of vacancies, especially in many rental apartment projects that have been started due to the high influx of people to date.