Heat pump in the Canton of AargauHeating system, Aargau.

Permit: notification procedure for air-to-water, permit for boreholes

In the Canton of Aargau, air-to-water heat pumps inside the building zone, and in buildings without protected status, can be installed under the notification procedure (Meldeverfahren). The requirements are a noise protection assessment and compliance with the distances set out in Section 49b of the Building Ordinance. If the system is outside the building zone or the house is protected, we clarify with the commune which procedure applies.

For boreholes (ground probes), the canton’s geothermal suitability map applies. Yellow zones allow boreholes. In blue zones only groundwater heat pumps are possible, and in red zones no geothermal use is permitted. The application is prepared with the online tool iEWS and submitted to the commune. We take care of both.

Replacing your heating system: what the Energy Act requires

Since 1 April 2025, replacing a heat generator must be notified under Section 7a of the Energy Act. With a heat pump, the requirements are met automatically. A new oil or gas heating system is only allowed if no more energy-efficient and economically viable heat generator is available. For this, the canton compares annual costs with a 10 percent surcharge. If a fossil system is still installed, 10 percent of the energy consumption in residential buildings must be saved or covered from renewable sources. Anyone with electric heating must have a GEAK Plus (cantonal energy certificate for buildings) prepared within five years.

Subsidies in the Canton of Aargau

When an oil, gas or electric heating system is replaced, the Buildings Programme of the Confederation and the cantons pays CHF 3,000 plus CHF 60 per kW of thermal output for an air-to-water heat pump up to 70 kW. For brine-to-water and water-to-water heat pumps it is CHF 6,000 plus CHF 180 per kW. Up to about 15 kW, the heat pump system module (Wärmepumpen-System-Modul) is mandatory, and the output is counted at no more than 50 watts per square metre of energy reference area.

The application must be submitted through the Buildings Programme’s application portal before work starts. We prepare and submit it for you.

Grid operator and electricity price

The cantonal median is 27.7 ct./kWh excluding VAT, exactly the Swiss median. The largest grid operators are AEW Energie AG with 70 communes (27.9 ct.), Eniwa AG with 15 communes (27.2 ct.) and IBB Strom AG with 7 communes (26.8 ct.). The heat pump is registered with the grid operator through a technical connection application. Some utilities have their own tariffs or blocking times, and we clarify this for your utility.

A special feature: heat networks and district heating zones

Aargau has district heating and municipal energy planning. If your property lies in a district heating zone (Verbundgebiet), the heat pump is in principle not subsidised. Before planning, we look it up in the GIS browser and discuss with you whether a connection or your own heat pump makes more sense. 38.8 percent of residential buildings still heat with oil. With your own solar system, you can cover part of the heat pump’s electricity needs yourself.