Heat pump in the Canton of Basel-CityHeating system, Basel.

Permit: air-to-water and borehole

In Basel-City, the procedure depends on the type and location of the unit. Air-to-water heat pumps inside a building need neither a permit nor a notification. An outdoor unit up to 100 x 160 x 70 cm that is well integrated and meets the noise requirements is notified. Larger units need a building permit. This also applies when several small units stand on one plot, because their volumes are added together. The Building and Hospitality Inspectorate assesses the placement, and the Office for Environment and Energy assesses the noise.

Ground-source heat pumps always need a permit. First, you check on the borehole map whether drilling is permitted. A drilling permit to protect the groundwater is also needed.

Replacing your heating system: what the Energy Act requires

Since 1 October 2017, the following has applied in the Canton of Basel-City: when the heat generator is replaced in existing buildings, you must switch to renewable energy, as far as this is technically possible and causes no extra costs. Installing a fossil heating system must be notified, with comparison quotes for renewable systems. If an oil or gas heating system is 15 years old or older, a GEAK Plus must be prepared. With a heat pump, you meet the requirement.

Subsidies in the Canton of Basel-City

For replacing an oil, gas or electric heating system, the canton pays CHF 8,000 plus CHF 250 per kW for air-to-water units outside the district heating area. For ground-source (borehole) and water-to-water units up to 10 kW, the maximum is CHF 30,000, and from 10 kW it is CHF 25,500 plus CHF 450 per kW. The subsidy is at most 40 percent of the investment.

In the district heating area, halved subsidies apply up to 70 kW, and above that there is no subsidy. The application must be submitted before work starts. We submit permit and subsidy applications and check whether your house is in the district heating area.

Grid operator and electricity price

The grid operator is IWB. At 33.2 ct. per kWh, the cantonal median is above the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. (excluding VAT, household category H4, ElCom 2026). We register the heat pump with IWB. We clarify tariffs and blocking times in advance.

A special feature

Around 88 percent of residential buildings date from before 1981, and Basel is densely built. For outdoor units, the distance and sound levels to neighbours matter particularly, and for boreholes, whether drilling is permitted on your plot.