Digital pathways to reach the climate target | Part 3: How innovative solutions can decarbonise the Swiss building sector

The effects of climate change can be felt worldwide, but as an Alpine country, Switzerland is particularly affected. In the study ‘Smart and Green – Digital Paths to Net Zero’, digitalswitzerland and economiesuisse, in collaboration with Accenture, analyse how digitalisation can help to close the climate gap and what concrete measures the economy can take to achieve this goal. In this blog series, we want to take a closer look at individual industries and make concrete recommendations for action. In the third part of our blog series, we take a closer look at the building sector and discuss how we can use digital technologies to advance the decarbonisation of the transport sector.

As a result of ongoing climate change, temperatures in Switzerland are rising at twice the global average. To slow down this process, urgent measures to reduce CO₂ emissions are needed. One of the biggest savings potentials lies in the building sector, which is responsible for approximately 45% of energy consumption in Switzerland. The study highlights how digital solutions such as smart homes and building management systems can be used to transform the building sector and achieve significant reductions in emissions.

In residential buildings, smart home technologies such as intelligent thermostats and lighting systems have high efficiency potential and therefore, significantly reduce energy consumption. They regulate heating and electricity use based on real-time data and usage habits, which can save up to 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year in private households. This equals the approximate emissions produced by 10 million ski tourists in Switzerland per year. By integrating smart home technologies, energy savings by up to 0.9 terawatt hours could be achieved annually. This corresponds to the approximate electricity use of all SBB services in one month. Through integrating smart home technologies, for example connecting IoT devices and automatically controlling lighting and room temperatures, the savings potential is immense.

In large buildings and commercial properties, automated management systems enable precise control of heating, cooling and ventilation. This means that building functions can be efficiently aligned with actual use. The savings potential of such systems is considerable: up to 3.9 % of emissions (approx. 400,000 tonnes of CO₂eq) could be saved in the non-residential building sector.

The Siemens Campus in Zug shows how emissions can be significantly reduced by innovative building management systems. Thanks to the comprehensive integration of measurement, control and automation solutions, the campus optimally manages its energy consumption and operates in an almost climate-neutral manner.

Another example is the residential development Rütihof in Zurich, where intelligent lighting systems with presence detectors and daylight sensors are used. Here, energy consumption in communal areas has been reduced by an impressive 95 %. The development demonstrates how effective digital solutions can be in the residential sector.

The study includes a number of experts. Lars van der Haegen, CEO of Belimo Holding AG, emphasises in the study that digitalisation is an important prerequisite for energy-efficient buildings. While new buildings are often equipped with the latest technologies, retrofitting existing buildings poses both a financial and a technical challenge. Experts Tommy Clausen and Daniela Sauter-Kohler from Climatch Switzerland, part of Swiss Life Asset Managers, explain that long-term investments into complete renovations and the switch to fossil-free heating systems will be indispensable in the medium term. However, both emphasise that digital technologies can significantly improve energy management even without major structural measures.

The study also identifies challenges, such as the need for extensive renovations of older buildings and the lack of skilled workers to implement emission-reducing technologies. To make the most of the savings potential of digital solutions in the building sector, supportive measures are therefore needed, including financial incentives and regulatory frameworks.

Overall, Switzerland can save up to 0.9 Mt CO₂eq by 2030 through digitalisation in the building sector. This corresponds to approximately 8% of Switzerland’s building sector emissions. A significant step towards achieving Switzerland’s climate targets, which would also promote the country’s technological development and competitiveness.

In the next article, we will focus on the energy sector. The topic will be the expansion of renewable energies and the challenges of electrification, which plays a central role in the energy transition.

The effects of climate change can be felt around the world. But as an Alpine country, Switzerland is particularly affected. In the study ‘Smart and Green – Digital Pathways to Net Zero’, digitalswitzerland and economiesuisse, in collaboration with Accenture, analysed how digitalisation can help close the climate gap and what concrete measures industries can take to help achieve the climate goals. In this blog series, we want to take a closer look at different industries and give concrete recommendations for action. In this first post, we shed light on the question: ‘What is the climate gap and why does Switzerland need to close it by 2030?’

To prevent the increase of extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods and winters with little snow, Switzerland urgently needs to take measures to reduce its emissions. Evidently, increasingly frequent extreme weather events not only have a devastating impact on the environment, but also on human health and the economy. Climate scientists, politicians and the Swiss population all agree that action is needed. A central concept in this discussion is the so-called ‘climate gap’. But what exactly is the climate gap? And why is it so important to close this gap by 2030?

The climate gap is the difference between current greenhouse gas emissions and the emission reduction targets required to limit global temperature increases to a safe level. More precisely, it is the amount of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases that still need to be reduced in order to achieve the defined climate targets.

As part of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Switzerland has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. This means that emissions must be reduced from 55.3 million tonnes of CO₂ to 27.7 million tonnes of CO₂. Currently (as of 2023), emissions are around 43.9 million tonnes. A considerable reduction (16.2 million tonnes) is therefore still required to close the gap.

The study results show that digital technologies can make a significant contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. Two digitalisation scenarios were examined in the study: one in which Switzerland continues to push ahead with digitalisation at its current pace, and one in which Switzerland could more than double its CO₂ savings through ambitious digitalisation efforts.

Effectively, this means that we could save between 1.2 and 3.2 million tonnes of CO₂ through digitalisation. This corresponds to a closure of 7% to 20% of the existing climate gap.

Companies in particular play a key role in closing this climate gap. By investing in technologies and processes, they can not only reduce their own emissions, but also contribute to achieving the national climate targets. For example, by using energy-efficient machines or using IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and big data to optimise processes.

Promoting innovation in the field of sustainable digitalisation is crucial. When companies invest in research and development projects leading new technologies and solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they not only improve their internal processes, but also contribute to the resilience of the economy in times of climate change.

Closing the climate gap by 2030 is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Switzerland has set an ambitious target for itself, and now must act decisively to achieve it. The quickest way for this is for politics and business to pull together. The targeted use of digitalisation and technologies can have a significant positive impact on processes and industries. If we use these levers effectively, we can make great strides towards this goal and thus contribute to a future worth living for generations to come.

In the next parts of this blog, we will take a closer look at the five sectors analysed: energy, agriculture, buildings, transport, and industry, providing specific recommendations on how companies can use technologies to reduce their emissions and operate more sustainably.