Published
Heating oil costs rose by a good half in the past year. “There will be a significant increase in ancillary costs,” says tenants’ association president Carlo Sommaruga.
- from
- Daniel Graf
- Daniel Krähenbühl
Homeowners and tenants must expect significant additional costs.
20min / Simon Glauser
How much more the tank filling will cost depends on various factors.
20min / Simon Glauser
Heating oil has become significantly more expensive compared to the previous year.
For an average single-family house, heating oil is likely to be more than 1,000 francs more expensive for a year.
Tenants are also asked to pay via the utility bill.
The heating costs are largely dependent on the insulation of the building and the behavior of the residents.
A normal heating oil tank in Switzerland holds around 3000 liters. A year ago a filling cost around 2100 francs. It is now 3150 francs – a price increase of 50 percent. And at the turn of the year, Swiss homeowners and tenants have to accept further price increases: Because the reduction target was missed in 2020, the incentive tax on heating oil will rise. This increases the price of a liter of heating oil by a further six cents.
According to Hans Egloff, President of the Home Owners Association (HEV), it is difficult to say how high the additional costs for homeowners and tenants will be. A single-family house of average size and energy standard consumes around 3000 liters of heating oil for hot water and heating. This would increase the costs by over CHF 1,000. “But that depends extremely on how well the building is insulated. In addition, the residents of the house can control the costs significantly through their behavior. ”
“Residents can massively reduce costs”
If you reduce the room temperature by about three degrees, this saves 15 to 20 percent of the heating energy. Ventilation also has a major impact on heating costs: “Tilting windows does not make sense at all. This cools the room and the heaters run continuously, but the air still doesn’t get really fresh. ” The HEV therefore recommends opening all windows and ventilating them a few times a day.
Carlo Sommaruga, SP National Councilor and President of the Tenants’ Association also says: “There will definitely be a significant increase in ancillary costs. All tenants who do not live in well-insulated buildings or buildings heated with renewable energies will be affected by an increase in ancillary costs. ”
Sommaruga calls for price controls on gas and heating oil costs
“The increase will be very different for the individual tenants,” says Sommaruga. It depends on the advance payments made, the type of boiler and, of course, the insulation of the buildings. Sommaruga emphasizes that an energetic renovation of the apartment buildings in Switzerland must take place. “But this must not be done at the expense of the tenants.”
In addition, social measures would have to be taken if the effects of rising gas and heating oil prices were financially unsustainable for tenants. “There should be a price control, for example,” says Sommaruga. He advises carefully checking the utility bill and having it checked by the tenants’ association. “In addition, the apartments are generally heated too much,” says Sommaruga. “Therefore, you should lower the temperature in the apartments by a degree or two and cover yourself better.”
According to the Center Council of States and HEV Vice President Brigitte Häberli-Kohler, there are several reasons for the rise in heating oil prices. «The quotations on the international stock exchanges, the freight costs on the Rhine and the exchange rate of the US dollar have the greatest influence. Other fundamental factors are measurable variables such as economic data from the major economic areas, effective changes in global production volumes or the interest rate policy of the major national banks. ” Currently, a certain price influence is also likely to be due to the “pandemic effect”.
As a member, you become part of the 20-minute community and benefit from great benefits and exclusive competitions every day!