Buildings in the Swiss energy system – From consumer to prosumer

​

More than 70 participants from research, industry, energy supply, public administration and planning came together in Rotkreuz on 20 August 2026. The seminar focused on the role of buildings in an increasingly decentralised and renewable energy system: buildings not only consume energy, but also produce electricity and heat, store energy and manage when it is used. In this way, they are evolving from pure consumers into prosumers and can help relieve pressure on the grid while supporting the more effective use of renewable energy.

​​​

Seminar highlights

• Buildings interacting with the electricity grid: the expansion of photovoltaics, electric mobility and heat pumps is changing the demands placed on distribution grids. The presentations demonstrated how intelligent controls, dynamic tariffs and energy management systems can help use electricity when it is available, reduce peak loads and make more efficient use of existing grid infrastructure.

• Flexibility through generation, storage and control: buildings can not only generate energy but also shift some of their consumption and grid feed-in to different times. Heat pumps, battery storage, thermal storage, building automation and electric vehicles offer a range of possibilities. The key is to coordinate these components effectively and ensure that they operate reliably under real-world conditions.

• From individual buildings to neighbourhoods: local electricity communities, shared energy systems and heating and cooling networks broaden the perspective beyond the individual building. The projects presented showed how buildings, sites, neighbourhoods and energy supply networks can work together more closely in the future.

• The breadth of applied research: more than 20 speakers presented current work on load analysis, heat pumps, building automation, seasonal and thermal storage, façade-integrated photovoltaics, local electricity communities and heating and cooling networks. Many of the solutions developed are already being tested in pilot and demonstration projects.

• From technical solutions to widespread application: further research and implementation are particularly needed in monitoring, standardised interfaces, testing under real operating conditions and viable business models. Universities of applied sciences support this process through analysis, simulation, laboratory testing and pilot projects, as well as by transferring research findings into economically viable solutions for buildings and neighbourhoods.

 

Exchange between research and practice

Keynotes, specialist presentations and moderated cooperation forums provided space for different perspectives and new connections. The direct exchange made one point clear: enabling buildings to fulfil their role in the energy system requires more than technological solutions. It also calls for practical business models, clear regulatory frameworks and close cooperation between research, industry, energy providers and the public sector.

​

Thank you to everyone involved​

Our sincere thanks go to all speakers, moderators and participants, as well as to the Programme Committee, the brenet Board, the brenet member institutes and the organising team. We also thank Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts for its hospitality at the Zug-Rotkreuz campus.

​

The seminar was supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE, for which we are very grateful. We also thank Siemens, ABB, Solarmarkt and Belimo for their commitment as partners, as well as our communication partners SWKI, energie-cluster.ch and EN Bau.