Bern – Buildings in Switzerland are responsible for nearly half the country’s total energy consumption, said Stefan Cadosh, president of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects. But this could be cut in half with a holistic approach.

Energy-efficient construction and renovation is a complex subject, Stefan Cadosh said in an interview published on the Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s blog Energeia+. “A building not only has to offer comfort these days but also be fit for the future,” said the president of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA). 

Energy-efficient construction is easier for new buildings than sustainable renovations, which require “a good deal of brain power and an intuitive feel when it comes to imparting specialist knowledge to private clients”. And yet it is precisely in the existing building stock that Cadosch sees the greatest potential.

“1.4 million buildings in Switzerland are not in good shape in terms of energy use,” said the SIA president. “The building stock consumes around 48 per cent of the country’s total energy.” 

But this figure could be halved. And “if we switched over to plus-energy buildings, an even greater reduction would be possible,” said Cadosch 

Instead of using even more labels, Cadosh believes that Switzerland should focus more on the concept of the Effizienzpfad Energie, which is based on the 2000 Watt Society.

“We have to be aware of who we are building for and why we are building,” adding that the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches have to weighed on a case-by-case basis.

Cadosch likes the holistic approach to the new standard for sustainable building, though it is difficult for laypeople to understand due to its complexity. The Minergie label could act as a game changer here as it is understandable to non-experts and has successfully shaped public debate.