Building technology: Only heat the apartment, not the climate!

Many buildings in Switzerland and Liechtenstein are real energy guzzlers: Oil and gas heating systems produce a lot of CO₂ The right part of the heat is not used at all. It is lost immediately because the buildings are poorly insulated or it is not needed because no one is at home. No wonder, buildings are responsible for half of the total energy consumption.

Switzerland must become climate-neutral by 2050, the Federal Council has decided, in order to prevent irreparable damage to the global climate as far as possible. To achieve this ambitious goal, energy must be produced more sustainably on the one hand and saved on the other. With these two approaches in mind, innovative SMEs are developing new building technology. The Swiss Climate Foundation supports them financially in this endeavor.

The money comes from the foundation's 27 partner companies, including banks such as Raiffeisen, Pictet, the Liechtensteinische Landesbank and Bank Vontobel.

Produce energy sustainably

For example, the Vaud-based company Fireforce Technology is developing a wood-fired heating system that emits virtually no pollutants. Although wood heaters are significantly more climate-friendly than oil heaters, they emit a lot of fine dust. "Until now, people have usually tried to solve this with a filter," says Fireforce CEO André Van der Veken. "But it makes much more sense to prevent these emissions from forming than to laboriously capture them afterwards." Van der Veken therefore applied to the Swiss Climate Foundation for support and was granted it.

Rudolf Schmid AG, which has developed a "free-piston resonance Stirling", is being supported for the second time. What sounds complicated is easy to explain: High temperatures are generated with gas, biogas or later even with wood, which drive the "free-piston resonance Stirling". This generates electricity and heat. Buildings can supply themselves efficiently with electricity and heat.

Saving energy thanks to artificial intelligence

No matter how sustainably heat is produced - if no one is home, it fizzles out uselessly. That's why the Bern-based startup CleverOn (formerly SimplyHome) is developing an intelligent control system for heaters and radiators. The system requires no complicated installation: remove the old thermostats, screw in the new ones and connect them to the WLAN, place the sensor, done. From now on, the sensor senses the usage patterns of the occupants and uses artificial intelligence to control when which room is heated and to what extent. It even takes the weather forecast into account.

Reuse energy - for example when showering

Cold and wet - that's what the weather is like over and over again in the coming months. What helps is a hot shower. But the expensively heated water only serves a purpose for a few seconds, then it flows warm into the drain and the energy is gone. That's a waste of energy, says Reto Schmid, managing director of Biel-based Joulia SA. With financial support from the Swiss Climate Foundation, the Joulia team has developed a shower channel that uses the energy of the warm wastewater to preheat the cold fresh water. In this way, more than half of the heating energy can be saved when showering.

Strengthen innovation location

Switzerland and Liechtenstein are home to countless SMEs that are driving climate protection forward with their projects, whether by saving energy in their own operations or developing innovative products. "The innovative strength of Switzerland and Liechtenstein as a business location makes it possible for our small countries to make a relevant contribution to global climate protection," says Christian Schilz, who represents Bank Vontobel on the Foundation Board. "But innovation costs. That's why I can only encourage SMEs to apply to us for funding."

The foundation, financed by 27 partner companies, awards several million francs in subsidies every year, thus not only protecting the climate but also promoting local SMEs. From the economy for the economy.