In Switzerland, the building sector is responsible for around 25 to 30% of CO₂ emissions, with the majority coming from heating with fossil fuels. At the same time, it takes 30 to 40 years for a replacement new build to offset the emissions of a carefully renovated, fossil-free heated historic building.

Our goal is to substantially reduce the CO₂ emissions of residential buildings by eliminating the use of fossil primary energy sources and preserving existing building fabric through repair, adaptation and energy optimisation. With targeted interventions we create long-term flexibility of use, enable selective densification and contribute to the sustainable transformation of the building stock.

ecobau simplifies sustainable planning and building by certifying building materials according to health and ecological criteria and providing user-friendly reference works (ecoProducts), checklists and tools.

A central tool is ecotool, a simple, browser-based life cycle assessment software. It allows us to monitor and optimize the environmental impact of construction projects in the early planning phase.

It is supplemented by the ecoDevis data sheets according to NKP, which we have integrated into our Messerli® tendering software. They formulate the specifications for the ecological and healthy choice of services when tendering for trades. Again with the aim of protecting users from emissions and pollutants indoors and minimizing harmful emissions into the environment.

Last but not least, with the building check, an organization is finally addressing building pollutants, which are often underestimated in conversions and renovations.

As an alternative to certification in accordance with SIA 380/1, the cantons recognize a Minergie® certificate. For older buildings, the Minergie® association offers four different system upgrades for certification. This is currently of interest in the canton of Aargau, as the introduction of the national weighting factors for energy sources fell victim to the rejection of the new Energy Act 2020. These would have been used to weight the energy sources in the system certificate in accordance with SIA 380/1 according to their contribution to the CO2 balance. In the case of Minergie® certification, this credit can still be applied.

The members of the GEAK association are the energy departments of the cantons. The association is named after its product, the cantonal building energy certificate GEAK. For many private individuals, the GEAK® is the first step towards energy-efficient renovation.

A GEAK® shows the energy class of the building envelope and building technology of an existing building in seven classes. It roughly indicates the need for action and contains recommendations for energy-related measures. The preparation of a GEAK® report is free of charge for the owner.

In addition to the building envelope, the GEAK® Plus also shows the overall energy efficiency. It is somewhat more comprehensive, showing two to three variants of energy upgrades tailored to the specific building. Depending on the trade and canton, the GEAK® Plus is also the basis for the award of subsidies.

We offer the GEAK® Plus as part of our building surveys in collaboration with our partner Steigmeier Bauphysik. In addition to the energy potential, together we also record the building physics conditions of the property (moisture problems, vapor diffusion, thermal bridges).

Interested? Please feel free to contact us!