Heat pump in the Canton of SchaffhausenHeating with less power.

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

Since 1 January 2024, a notification procedure (Meldeverfahren) has applied in the Canton of Schaffhausen to most heat pumps. The change affects the Building Ordinance and the Fire Protection Ordinance. Heat pumps inside the building and outdoor air-to-water units up to 2 cubic metres in volume are notified. A permit is still needed if the building is in a protected townscape area or is protected as a heritage building. Even in the notification procedure, the canton requires a noise protection assessment, and the local building authority can pass the project on to the cantonal offices.

For boreholes (ground probes), the notification does not change the canton’s water protection permit. We submit the notification and the application for you and check distances and the site in advance.

Replacing your heating system: what the Energy Act requires

Anyone replacing an oil or gas heating system must, under Art. 42n of the Building Act, use a minimum share of renewable energy. Since 1 January 2024, this share is at least 40 percent, previously it was 20 percent. A heat pump meets the requirement in full. Anyone who stays with fossil fuel needs additional measures and proof.

Subsidies in the Canton of Schaffhausen

The 2026 energy subsidy programme supports replacing oil, gas and electric heating. For a single-family home, it is CHF 3,000 for air-to-water and CHF 10,000 for boreholes. For apartment buildings with three or more flats, CHF 7,000 and CHF 18,000 apply, and for larger outputs, output-based amounts are added. The subsidy is capped at 50 percent of the investment. For a solar power system built at the same time, there is an additional subsidy of at least CHF 3,000. Replacing an electric heating system that already has a water distribution system with an air-to-water heat pump is not supported.

The application must be submitted before installation starts. For systems up to about 15 kW, a heat pump system module (Wärmepumpen-System-Modul) is required. We prepare and submit the application.

Grid operator and electricity price

The cantonal median is 32.2 ct./kWh excluding VAT, clearly above the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. The Elektrizitätswerk des Kantons Schaffhausen supplies 25 of the 26 communes at 32.2 ct., and the city of Schaffhausen is supplied by SH POWER at 30.2 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: high electricity price, many older buildings

At this electricity price, efficiency and self-generated power have more effect than elsewhere. We design the heating for a low flow temperature and check a suitable solar system. 62.1 percent of residential buildings date from before 1981, and 54.1 percent are still heated with fossil fuels.