A milestone - the 100,000th GEAK certificate issued

Just as with household appliances, there is also a simple and effective way to identify the energy efficiency of a building at a glance in the real estate world, according to a scale from A to G, i.e. from green to red: with the cantonal building energy certificate (GEAK). Behind this energy label is a standardized assessment tool jointly developed by the Conference of Cantonal Energy Directors (EnDK) and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), which ensures a neutral and uniform assessment throughout Switzerland.

GEAK Plus: the security of good advice

The GEAK and in particular the GEAK Plus with its advisory report are "central instruments for our energy and climate policy," says Roberto Schmidt, President of the GEAK Association and State Councilor of Valais. The GEAK products, he said, ensure that the most energy and climate policy measures, as well as the most economical ones, are proposed and linked to federal and cantonal subsidies. "I am very pleased that the 100,000th GEAK was awarded to a project of high architectural quality: a house from the 1960s, the Winkler-Marro Villa (see photo), which was transformed into a modern, economical and ecological building. It is additionally very gratifying that this is being celebrated in Fribourg, a pioneering canton in this field," Schmidt emphasizes.

A tool for power quality transparency

Serge Boschung, head of the Fribourg Cantonal Energy Office, points out: "Since 2013, the tool has been integrated into our legislation and is mandatory for all changes of ownership and all new buildings. So much so that it is now part of the building landscape and even creeps into conversations in the bistro!" He continues, "While some saw this as a limitation at the beginning of the rollout, people are now sold on the opportunity and are pulling together. Investors are pleased with the transparency of the energy quality of buildings, notaries are supplementing their financial analysis files with the GEAK, and of course the construction industry is hoping for an increase in their order books."

A leveraging tool for accessing grants

In Villars-sur-Glâne, where the Winkler-Marro villa is located, the GEAK expert called in, engineer Théo Perrelet, was involved no less than three times in collaboration with Fabrice Macherel of Lutz Architectes: "First, we prepared an initial building energy certificate before the work began. It showed that the building was in a G/G, the lowest energy class, for the efficiency of the building envelope as well as for the efficiency of the total energy. Then we prepared a consulting report (GEAK Plus), which showed the renovation options. At the end, we updated the GEAK, which clearly showed the improvement in energy class." In the canton of Fribourg, these modernizations allowed the project to benefit from CHF 42,000 in subsidies from the building program. Because, as Serge Boschung points out, "The GEAK shows the potential, but for owners to take action, they need further support."

However, each canton decides for itself how to use the GEAK in its energy strategy. "Some cantons include it in their legal basis and introduce a GEAK obligation when buildings are sold, while others use it as a means of informing and raising awareness among building owners," explains Olivier Meile, deputy managing director of the GEAK association and head of the Romandie agency based in Sion.

1,650 GEAK experts in Switzerland

In any case, homeowners who want to put an end to rising heating costs while contributing to the environment and increasing the value of their building can simply go to www.geak.ch contact an expert in their region and make an appointment, the association writes in its media release. The GEAK is offered by certified experts, a total of 1,650 in Switzerland, who are all building specialists (e.g. architects, heating installers or engineers). The result is a 4-page document for the GEAK building energy certificate, supplemented by a consulting report for the GEAK Plus.

A stage victory

To date, 100,000 people have already taken this important step. According to Roberto Schmidt, there is still a long way to go before the entire Swiss building stock is retrofitted. He, who is also head of the Department of Finance and Energy of the Canton of Valais, explains: "This 100,000th GEAK is a stage victory, but the tour is not over yet. There are still more than 1.5 million buildings in our country waiting for energy renovation! The building stock plays a central role in our energy and climate policy. We must continue to raise awareness and provide information."

The national building stock is responsible for around 40 percent of the country's energy consumption and for more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. Two out of three buildings continue to be heated with oil or gas, and the same proportion of buildings are over 40 years old and have little or no insulation, writes the GEAK association. "The energy transition is a major challenge in which the building stock plays a crucial role," Schmidt explains. Every year, only 1 percent of the building stock is renovated for energy efficiency; this figure would have to be at least doubled in order to achieve the goals of the Energy Strategy 2050."

Source: GEAK

Important GEAK data

• 2009 Introduction of the GEAK for residential and administrative buildings

• 2012 Introduction of the GEAK Plus, which supplements the GEAK with an advisory report on the most important measures to be implemented.

• 2015 Foundation of the association GEAK

• 2018 Expansion of scope to include administrative buildings, restaurants and hotels.

• 2021 Award of the 100,000th GEAK