Frequently asked questions about the EFFEL programme
What EFFEL means for you, answered concisely for SMEs, municipalities and private households. The basics first, then the questions that matter in your situation.
EFFEL basics
The key facts about the efficiency obligation under Art. 46b of the Energy Act.
What does EFFEL mean?
EFFEL stands for «efficiency improvements by electricity suppliers»: the efficiency obligation under Art. 46b of the Swiss Energy Act (EnG).
Who is affected by the efficiency obligation?
It affects electricity suppliers that sold an average of 10 GWh or more of electricity to end consumers over the previous three years (reference electricity sales). They must achieve annual electricity savings.
What deadlines and savings targets apply?
The obligation applies for the first time in 2026. The shares increase gradually: 0% in 2025, 1% in 2026, 1.5% in 2027 and 2% of reference electricity sales from 2028.
Which measures are eligible?
Eligible measures involve already installed, electrically powered electricity consumers in Switzerland: devices (e.g. heat pumps), systems (e.g. in industry) and vehicles (electric mobility).
How does EEAgentur help with EFFEL?
EEAgentur verifies eligibility, calculates the savings potential, prepares the savings protocols and connects your project with the right electricity supplier.
For SMEs and companies
You are investing in lighting, compressed air, refrigeration or drives anyway? Then the question is not whether, but how much.
Is EFFEL worthwhile for a small business too, or only for large consumers?
For small businesses as well. The funding contribution depends on the amount of electricity saved, not on the size of your operation. The higher your electricity consumption, the greater the leverage. But even a leakage analysis on a compressed-air network with a leakage rate of 250 l/min reaches around 21'900 eligible kilowatt-hours in the BFE catalogue's example. What matters is that the measure is covered by the catalogue and properly documented.
How much money do I receive for a measure?
The calculation is simple: funding contribution = eligible savings (kWh) × compensation (Rp./kWh). The electricity supplier sets the rate; we currently see around 5 Rp./kWh. Two examples from the catalogue: replacing the floor lamps in an open-plan office with 130 workstations yields around 227'300 kWh, converting the lighting of an industrial building of 10'785 m² around 1'160'000 kWh. At 5 Rp./kWh that is roughly CHF 11'000 and CHF 58'000 respectively.
Are the kilowatt-hours shown annual savings?
No. The kilowatt-hours shown are not annual figures. They follow the calculation method of the respective measure and are usually accumulated over its service life. The actual size of the funding contribution depends on the method chosen, on the electricity supplier and on the specific project.
Which measures typically apply to companies?
The BFE standard catalogue covers eleven categories: lighting, compressed air, commercial equipment, household appliances, heating technology, ICT, refrigeration technology, ventilation, motors and drives, pumps and power supply. For trade and industry, lighting, compressed air, refrigeration, pumps, motors and ventilation are the most common entry points. If your project does not fit any category, the route via a non-standardised measure remains.
What do I have to prove?
That depends on the measure. Every measure in the catalogue carries a «Requirements» table and an «Evidence» table. For replacing indoor lighting, for example, this means invoice documents, an explanation of the proper disposal of the old equipment, a measurement report on the illuminance levels and an energy verification in accordance with SIA 387/4:2023. We prepare these documents so they can be submitted directly to the electricity supplier.
What rules out funding?
Not eligible are measures that are required by law (federal government, MuKEn 2014), measures receiving financial assistance from the federal government, cantons or municipalities, measures at electricity-intensive end consumers (entitled to network charge reimbursement), measures within the scope of target agreements, and purely behavioural measures without a technical component. Clarify this before you invest. Double funding cannot be undone after the fact.
Do I have to be a customer of the electricity supplier that funds my project?
Not necessarily. Electricity suppliers compensate efficiency projects preferably at their own customers, but in principle at end consumers throughout Switzerland. We match your project with the supplier looking for exactly these savings.
For municipalities and the public sector
Municipalities encounter EFFEL in three roles: as the owner of buildings and infrastructure, as the sponsor of funding programmes and, if their own utility supplies electricity, as an obligated company.
How does a municipality benefit as the owner of its own infrastructure?
Municipal properties and installations are often the largest single items. Examples from the catalogue: replacing the lighting on through roads and neighbourhood streets reaches around 115'300 kWh, replacing a fan in the ventilation system of a school building around 188'538 kWh. Add to that sports-field lighting, pumps in the water supply and refrigeration and ventilation systems in public buildings.
Can we run a funding programme for our residents through EFFEL?
Bundling many small measures is exactly where the effort pays off. The catalogue contains such a case: a municipality promoted the replacement of 214 old dishwashers with energy-efficient models as part of an electricity savings programme, together around 101'850 eligible kilowatt-hours. Individually each appliance would be too small; as a package it becomes a project that can be properly documented.
Does our own municipal contribution rule out EFFEL funding?
This is the most important pitfall: measures receiving financial assistance from the federal government, cantons or municipalities are not eligible. Anyone who subsidises the same measure at municipal level and also wants to claim it through EFFEL loses eligibility. The design of a municipal programme should therefore be clarified early. We will review with you which variant remains eligible.
Are we obligated under EFFEL if our municipal utility supplies electricity itself?
Possibly yes. The obligation applies to electricity suppliers that sold an average of 10 GWh or more of electricity to end consumers in the previous three calendar years. Many municipal utilities are above this threshold. The savings targets increase gradually: 0% in 2025, 1% in 2026, 1.5% in 2027 and 2% of reference electricity sales from 2028.
Do renovations we are legally required to carry out count?
No. Measures required by law, for instance under MuKEn 2014, are not eligible. For municipal renovation projects it is therefore worth drawing an early distinction between the legally required part and the voluntary efficiency component.
For private households
Households are explicitly eligible. The amounts are smaller than in commercial settings, but quite relevant for hot water and electric heating.
Can private individuals benefit from EFFEL at all?
Yes. Electricity suppliers can compensate efficiency projects at companies, organisations, public institutions and explicitly at households too. As everywhere, the condition is that the measure is eligible and the savings can be documented.
Which measures apply in a residential setting?
From the standard catalogue above all: replacing household appliances (tumble dryers, washer-dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, wine coolers, range hoods, cooktops), replacing electric water heaters, replacing circulation and hot-water circulation pumps, replacing decentralised electric heating, and retrofitting remote control for electric heating in second and holiday homes. In apartment buildings, replacing or refurbishing lifts is added to that.
What do I have to prove as a private individual?
When replacing household appliances the evidence is remarkably lean: invoice documents in PDF, PNG or JPEG format. The decisive factor is the energy efficiency class according to the EU energy label. Among others, the following are required: tumble dryers B, dishwashers B, refrigerators and fridge-freezers D, upright freezers C, wine coolers A, range hoods A+, and for cooktops an energy consumption below 178 Wh/kg. For heating and hot-water measures the requirements are more extensive; they are listed in the «Requirements» table of each measure.
How much can I expect?
That depends heavily on the measure. The kilowatt-hours are also cumulative figures over the service life, not annual values. Examples from the catalogue: replacing decentralised electric heating in a single-family house (4-room flat) yields around 55'400 kWh, replacing ten decentralised electric water heaters in a residential building around 83'200 kWh, retrofitting remote control in a 2.5-room holiday flat around 4'800 kWh. At around 5 Rp./kWh that is roughly CHF 2'770, CHF 4'160 and CHF 240 respectively. The electricity supplier sets the rate.
Is the effort worthwhile for a single appliance?
Honestly, rarely. For a single dishwasher the administrative effort is barely proportionate to the contribution. Measures for hot water and heating deliver considerably more, for example replacing an electric water heater or electric heating, as does bundling: through the property management of an apartment building, through a programme run by your municipality or through your electricity supplier. Ask there before going it alone.
Your question is not listed?
Describe your project to us briefly. We will check eligibility, calculate the savings potential and tell you which route suits you. The initial consultation is free of charge.