Heat pump in the Canton of ZugHeating system, Zug.

Permit: building notification, building application and boreholes

For replacing a heating system, you usually submit a building notification (Bauanzeige) to the commune. For air-to-water heat pumps with an outdoor unit, the commune decides whether a building application is also needed. A noise protection assessment is part of it. We clarify this before the quote and submit permit and subsidy applications.

Boreholes (ground probes) need a cantonal permit from the Environment Office. Whether drilling is allowed at your site is shown by the geothermal map. It takes into account groundwater, protection zones, geology and contaminated sites.

Replacing your heating system: what the Energy Act requires

The revised Energy Act of the Canton of Zug has applied since 1 February 2024. Anyone who replaces a fossil heating system must cover at least 20 percent of the heat demand from renewable sources or improve efficiency by that share. Buildings with a Minergie certificate or GEAK class C or better (cantonal energy certificate for buildings) are exempt. A heat pump meets the requirement. Proof is provided through the energy proof submitted with the building notification.

Subsidies in the Canton of Zug

The cantonal Energy Subsidy Programme 2026 supports replacing oil, gas and electric heating:

• Air-to-water up to 30 kW: CHF 8,500
• Air-to-water above 30 kW up to 70 kW: CHF 4,000 plus CHF 150 per kW
• Boreholes up to 70 kW: CHF 20,000 plus CHF 400 per kW

Among other conditions, the heat pump system module (Wärmepumpen-System-Modul) is required up to 15 kW. The application must be submitted before installation starts. Anyone who starts before approval bears the risk. Alternatively there is the federal climate bonus (Klimaprämie), but the two cannot be combined. You can find further options under heat pump and ground-source heat pump.

Grid operator and electricity price

In the Canton of Zug, electricity is supplied mainly by WWZ (10 communes) and the Wasser- und Elektrizitätswerk Steinhausen. The cantonal median is 21.9 ct./kWh excluding VAT, below the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. This lowers the running costs of a heat pump. We register the connection with the grid operator. With your own solar system, you can reduce your electricity purchases further.

A special feature: dense settlement and many oil heating systems

In the Canton of Zug, houses are often close together. For air-to-water units, the installation location and the distance to the neighbour therefore matter. We calculate the sound in advance. Around 36 percent of residential buildings still heat with oil, and almost half of the buildings date from before 1981. During the site visit, we measure the required flow temperature and check whether the existing radiators are sufficient.