Rising energy prices place a heavy burden on people who own their own homes. Many are therefore thinking about investing in more environmentally friendly heating systems, refrigerators, ovens or stoves.

Rising energy prices are a burden on homeowners. In a representative survey by Comparis, with the largest real estate marketplace in Switzerland, 10.4% of property owners say they are suffering greatly from higher energy prices. For another 45.0%, the heavier burden is noticeable. "The perception of some homeowners who previously felt little or not at all affected by higher energy prices is likely to change in the new year when the adjusted electricity and gas tariffs come into force," says Comparis real estate expert Leo Hug.

Energy prices have risen significantly since the beginning of the year (hier ist wahrscheinlich 2022 gemeint)

The household burden of higher energy prices depends on the type of heating energy. The price of heating oil has risen 26% since the beginning of the year, Hug knows. Pellets have become 48% more expensive. In the case of natural gas, prices for the end consumer depend on the natural gas suppliers. In Zurich and the surrounding area, for example, a kilowatt hour cost 12.7 cents at the beginning of January; currently it is 19.2 centimes (plus 52%; as of December 2022).

The price of gas in Zurich and the surrounding area is to be reduced by 1.2 cents to 18 cents per kilowatt hour from the beginning of 2023. Nevertheless, the mood among homeowners is gloomy: 40.3% expect energy prices to rise sharply again in 2023. 39.1% expect a slight increase.

The majority still heats with conventional energies

46.8% of homeowners have already taken significant energy-saving measures due to the rise in prices, especially when it comes to heating. The survey revealed that the heating systems in the properties still rely heavily on conventional energies: oil, gas and pellet heating systems account for 56.1%. Heat pumps account for 28.6%, district heating for 7.7% and solar energy for 3.1%.

Willingness to switch to renewable energies is high

43.7% of homeowners with oil systems and 49.8% with gas heating systems would like to switch to heat pumps, district heating or solar energy, according to the survey. The situation is different for pellet heating systems: Only 22.9% of those with wood-burning systems want to switch to another heating energy.

The survey also shows regional differences. In rural areas, the willingness to switch to renewable energies is lower than in cities and agglomerations. In rural areas, only 30% of homeowners with oil, gas or pellet heating systems are considering a switch. In the cities it is 55.8%, respectively 40.7% in the agglomerations.

Savings are also made in hot water and electricity consumption

In addition to heating costs, homeowners are particularly concerned about the cost implications for hot water and electricity consumption in the home. 54.4% of homeowners state that they "tend to cut back a lot" on electricity for electrical appliances due to current energy costs, for example by adjusting the refrigerator temperature. 44.8% say they save "rather a lot" on hot water.

The higher energy prices have partly triggered investments in more energy-efficient household appliances: 22.1% of respondents have purchased a new refrigerator in the past six months or plan to do so in the next six months. The stove 19.2% want to replace at this stage and the oven 18.8%.

Methodology

The representative online survey of people between the ages of 20 and 65 on energy costs was conducted by the market research institute Innofact on behalf of comparis.ch in November 2022 among 1,047 people who own their own property.