Municipal and regional aid for your renovation work in French-speaking Switzerland

Why do municipalities support energy renovation?

Municipalities play a key role in the energy transition. Their mission is to reduce local CO₂ emissions, improve the quality of life for residents, and enhance real estate heritage.

Municipal aid has several objectives:

• Encourage property owners to undertake effective and eco-friendly renovations.
• Promote the production of renewable energy at the local level (solar, biomass).
• Reduce energy poverty in older housing.
• Support regional sustainability and responsible urban planning policies.

This aid is in addition to cantonal and federal programs, meaning it can be combined to maximize project funding.

Main types of municipal and regional aid

Municipalities have great freedom to define their programs.
The most common forms of aid concern:

1. Grants for solar installations

Many Swiss cities encourage the installation of solar panels, whether thermal (hot water production) or photovoltaic (electricity production).

Examples:

• City of Lausanne: subsidy for grid-connected photovoltaic installations (in addition to the federal Pronovo grant).
• City of Sion: municipal contribution for thermal solar panels on roofs.
• City of Geneva: additional grant for cantonal programs for collective photovoltaic projects.

Amounts generally vary between 200 and 400 CHF/kWc installed, depending on the municipality and the size of the system.

2. Aid for insulation and facade renovation

Some municipalities directly support insulation work to encourage reduced energy consumption and improve neighborhood aesthetics.

Examples:

• Municipality of Morges (VD): aid for the insulation of facades visible from the street, as part of built heritage enhancement projects.
• Municipality of Fribourg: energy renovation grant for classified buildings or those located in the historic center.
• Municipality of Neuchâtel: financial support for facades renovated in accordance with local architectural rules.

Aid takes the form of surface grants (per m² renovated) or a percentage of the total cost (often 10 to 20% of eligible expenses).

3. Grants for ecological heating systems

Municipalities can also encourage the replacement of fossil heating (oil, gas) with cleaner systems, such as:

• heat pumps,
• pellet boilers,
• or connection to a district heating network.

Examples:

• City of Geneva: financial participation for buildings connected to district heating (CAD).
• City of Vevey (VD): aid for owners replacing an oil boiler with an air-water heat pump.
• City of Martigny (VS): grant for biomass installations or connections to local heating networks.

Amounts range from 1,500 to 5,000 CHF depending on the municipality and type of equipment.

4. Aid for sustainable water management and greening

Some municipalities integrate energy renovations into a broader sustainable development approach.
They thus offer aid for:

• the installation of rainwater harvesting systems,
• the greening of roofs or facades,
• the development of permeable courtyards or gardens.

Examples:

• City of Lausanne: grant for green roofs contributing to water retention and natural insulation.
• City of Neuchâtel: subsidy for rainwater harvesting used for irrigation or sanitation.
• City of Sierre: municipal participation for urban facade greening projects.

Amounts can reach 50 to 100 CHF/m² of greening surface.

Average amounts of municipal aid

These amounts are indicative.
Each municipality publishes each year...