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Tag: Treibstoff

  • Flattening of construction price inflation continues

    Flattening of construction price inflation continues

    In 2022, construction prices in building construction experienced a sharp increase of over 8 per cent. In contrast, the construction price index for April 2024 shows a moderate increase of 0.8 per cent compared to the previous year. Since the last publication in December 2023, prices in building construction have risen by 0.4 per cent. Despite this slowdown, construction prices remain stable at a high level. Compared to three years ago, building construction prices increased by 13 per cent in April 2024.

    Material prices as the driving force
    A key factor in the levelling off of construction prices is the development of material costs. The KBOB material price index for building construction shows that material prices fell by 2.2 per cent between May 2023 and May 2024. Most of this decline took place between May and October 2023. Since November 2023, the material price index has stabilised and fell only slightly by 0.4 percent. Prices fell particularly sharply for reinforcing steel, which was over 10 per cent cheaper in May 2024 than in the previous year.

    Energy and fuel prices as a counterbalance
    While falling material prices are contributing to a slowdown in the development of construction prices, rising energy and fuel prices are counteracting this trend. According to the national consumer price index, energy and fuel prices in May 2024 were 6.6 per cent higher than in the previous year, which is putting upward pressure on construction prices.

    Outlook for future developments
    Despite the current stabilisation, there are factors that point to a possible renewed increase in construction prices. Wage trends and the continued rise in energy costs could lead to an increase in construction prices of around 1 per cent in 2024. It remains to be seen how these factors will affect the construction price index in the long term.

    Conclusion: diverse influences on construction prices
    The current development of construction prices is influenced by various factors. While falling material prices suggest a stagnating or declining trend, higher energy and fuel prices as well as wage trends are putting upward pressure. Construction prices are currently stabilising at a high level and a moderate increase is expected for 2024.

  • Emissions from heating oil and gas are falling

    Emissions from heating oil and gas are falling

    In Switzerland, emissions from fuels fell significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year, namely by 8.8 per cent. The different cold winter months were converted to average weather conditions. Compared to 1990, these emissions were 41.7 per cent lower. This is shown in the recently published CO2 statistics for 2023, which are published annually by the Federal Office for the Environment(FOEN).

    According to its press release, this decrease is mainly due to the improved energy efficiency of buildings and the increased use of renewable energies for heating. In particular, gas consumption has fallen significantly for the second year in a row.

    In contrast, CO2 emissions caused by fuels such as petrol and diesel remained the same as in the previous year. Compared to 1990, emissions have fallen by 5.2 per cent. According to the data, the fact that they did not rise again after the pandemic, i.e. after 2022, is partly due to the change in mobility behaviour that began at that time: more working from home and fewer business trips. On the other hand, the FOEN also cites the growing share of electromobility as a reason for this. The share of biogenic fuels in total fuel consumption has risen slightly from 3.4 per cent to 3.6 per cent.

  • Parliament clearly approves CO2 Act

    Parliament clearly approves CO2 Act

    The revised CO2 Act has achieved clear approval in the final vote in Parliament. The Council of States adopted it by 42 votes to one with one abstention. The National Council approved it by 122 votes to 42 with 27 abstentions.

    This makes it clear how, in Parliament’s view, Switzerland should halve its CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The majority of the reduction is to be achieved domestically. However, contrary to the wishes of the National Council, Parliament has not agreed any fixed domestic reductions. These must now be set by the Federal Council. Basic installations for the charging infrastructure for electric cars are also not to be subsidised by the federal government. The CO2 levy will remain at CHF 120 per tonne. No new levies will be introduced, unlike the previous proposal, which failed in 2021 and provided for an air ticket levy. However, aviation petrol is to be blended with renewable fuel in future.

    Economiesuisse welcomes the law as “effective and sensible”. It shows “how an effective climate policy with majority support can be achieved without symbolic politics and unrealistic demands”, writes the business umbrella organisation in a press release. The danger of a referendum has been averted, but if it were to take place, it would have little chance at the ballot box.

    Not so swisscleantech. “The result is disappointing,” writes the energy transition association. In view of the lack of a domestic target and the stagnating incentive taxes, it is clear that Switzerland will only be able to achieve its halving target by 2030 with a lot of compensation from abroad.

  • Sustainable fuel is created from greenhouse gases

    Sustainable fuel is created from greenhouse gases

    Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ) are working on more sustainable fuels and plastics. To do this, they have developed a new type of catalyst. According to a press release , this catalyst could replace fossil hydrocarbons with more climate-friendly alternatives. A corresponding study has now been published in the journal "Nature Communications".

    This new catalyst developed by the research team led by ETH professor Christoph Müller and study author Alexey Fedorov enables the conversion of CO2 and methane into synthesis gas many times more efficiently than previous catalyst materials. Synthesis gas is an important raw material for the chemical industry. Liquid fuels can be produced from this, as can basic chemicals for the production of plastics.

    What is new about this catalyst is that it consists of extremely thin metal oxide carbides. Unlike conventional catalysts made from metal carbides, they do not oxidize when they come into contact with CO2. This means that the ETH catalyst retains its reactivity, says Christoph Müller, Professor of Energy Science and Energy Technology in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering .

    Since the CO2 can be extracted from the atmosphere and only the methane comes from fossil deposits that are millions of years old, such synthetic fuels and chemicals have a smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuels.

    The new reaction accelerator could possibly also replace expensive noble metal catalysts. Although there is still a long way to go before industrial application, the team hopes, according to Fedorov, “that our new catalyst material will be an attractive option for the production of synthesis gas”.