Heat pump in the Canton of GraubündenHeat pumps in Graubünden.

Permit: air-to-water and borehole

In the Canton of Graubünden, air-to-water heat pumps are approved by the commune, depending on the case in the building application or the notification procedure (Meldeverfahren). A noise protection assessment is needed in every case. We prepare it and submit permit and subsidy applications.

Boreholes (ground probes) need two permits: the water protection permit from the Office for Nature and Environment and the building permit from the commune. The canton’s geothermal use map shows whether drilling is permitted. In groundwater protection zones it is prohibited. The application goes through the commune on form F-405-01d.

Replacing your heating system: what the Energy Act requires

The partially revised Energy Act (BEG) has applied since 1 January 2021. Replacing a heat generator in existing residential buildings must be notified to the commune on form EN-120. At least 10 percent of the demand must be covered from renewable sources or saved. Exempt are buildings built in 1992 or later, buildings with a Minergie certificate, and buildings in GEAK class D (cantonal energy certificate for buildings). A heat pump meets the requirement.

Subsidies in the Canton of Graubünden

The cantonal programme subsidises heat pumps in existing buildings if they replace an oil, gas or electric resistance heating system and generate at least 75 percent of the heat from renewable sources. The buildings must be older than five years. The subsidy consists of a flat-rate amount up to 250 m² of energy reference area and an area-based amount above that, with a maximum of CHF 200,000 and 50 percent of the costs. We confirm the current rates in the quote.

A special rule applies to air-to-water: the site must have an annual mean temperature above 7.3 °C. At higher altitudes, the borehole is therefore often the subsidised option. Bivalent systems are exempt. The application must be approved before work starts, otherwise the subsidy lapses. You can find more about the systems under ground-source heat pump and air-to-water heat pump.

Grid operator and electricity price

In the Canton of Graubünden, the communes are supplied by Repower (32 communes), the Elektrizitätswerk der Stadt Zürich (8 communes) and Rhiienergie, among others. The cantonal median is 29.2 ct./kWh excluding VAT, above the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. The utilities range between 10.5 and 36.5 ct. We submit the connection application to the grid operator.

A special feature: altitude and winter

Graubünden has 100 communes, many of them in mountain areas. There, outdoor temperatures fall low in winter, and the heating must be designed for this. Almost 64 percent of residential buildings date from before 1981, and around 33 percent heat with oil. During the site visit, we check the site, flow temperature and eligibility for subsidies, and we calculate air-to-water and borehole options.