Energy-efficient refurbishments pay off

ce/hs, August 2024

Der Investitionsbedarf von energetischen Sanierungen wird im Fall eines reinen Heizungsersatzes von Wertsteigerungen überkompensiert. Auch umfassende energetische Sanierungen können sich wirtschaftlich lohnen. Dies zeigt eine Studie von Wüest Partner.

In a study,Wüest Partner has analysed the economic viability of energy-efficient renovations to the Swiss residential building stock. Two scenarios were analysed for all 931,000 residential buildings that are not yet sustainably heated, the service provider for the real estate industry explains in a press release on the study. In the first scenario, a comprehensive energy refurbishment was analysed, in the second scenario only the replacement of the heating systems.

In terms of ecological sustainability, both scenarios fulfil the requirements of the Climate Act, explains Wüest Partner. The property service provider’s experts put the investment requirement up to 2050 at between CHF 52 billion and CHF 228 billion. This is offset by increases in value of between 81 billion francs in the case of pure heating replacement and 168 billion francs in the case of comprehensive energy-efficient refurbishment.

Replacing heating systems alone is therefore economically attractive across the board. In the case of comprehensive energy-efficient refurbishments, investments and increases in the value of the building stock balance each other out overall. In the case of apartment blocks with rental properties, a good half of the refurbishments can cover the costs. In the case of owner-occupied housing, the financial benefit increases due to the considerable savings in heating costs.

The falling heating costs also benefit tenants of refurbished properties, as they generally more than compensate for a possible increase in net rents, writes Wüest Partner. “Purely energy-efficient refurbishment of rental flats can therefore be socially acceptable, so that ecological sustainability does not have to stand in the way of social sustainability.”

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