Tag Archives: environment

According to a report published this week, 40% of employees in Switzerland are predicted to regularly work from home within the next 10 years. Photo by Justin Neal on Pexels.comIn 2001, less than 1% of Switzerland’s employees did more than half of their work from home. By 2019, the same figure was 25%. Then Covid-19 struck. During the first lockdown in spring of 2020, 50% of workers worked from home, 20% partially and 30% exclusively. Since then many have returned to the office. But...

On 31 August 2022, when an energy shortage loomed, Switzerland’s federal government launched a campaign to cut the nation’s energy consumption. Targets were set to cut gas consumption by 15% and electricity use by 10%. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comData published this week showed cuts to gas consumption exceeded the voluntary target set, while cuts to electricity were well below, reported RTS. Gas consumption in Switzerland fell by nearly 18%, well in excess of the 15% target. Electricity...

More and more soil is being impacted by drought. Clay soils in particular are affected by drought. These soils expand and contract depending on their water content and often crack when dry. Building on them can be risky and requires a particular structural design. © Zimmytws | Dreamstime.comHome owners in parts of France have already been impacted by recent dry spells. Roughly half of France is at risk of the effects of droughts on clay soil and 10 million homes have already suffered...

After slaughtering and freezing 12,000 pigs, Switzerland still has 50,000 more pigs than it can digest, reported RTS. With Swiss pig farms so full, vets are concerned animal welfare may be compromised. Photo by Mark Stebnicki on Pexels.comDuring the Covid pandemic when movements across national borders were restricted, Swiss farmers increased the number of pigs. When restrictions eased and imports returned Switzerland was left with a surplus of animals. The Swiss porc market is...

Data centres are expanding rapidly in Switzerland, with such facilities already accounting for 4% of national energy – more than the farming sector. The SonntagsZeitung reports that Switzerland is now home to 86 data centres, and only Netherlands has a higher rate per capita in Europe. The paper cites a 2021 study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts estimating that the energy usage of Swiss data centres will double in the next five years,...

Switzerland’s federal government plans to restrict the use of electric vehicles if there is a serious shortage of electricity, reported RTS. Photo by Mike B on Pexels.comElectric vehicles consume substantial amounts of electricity. An average Swiss car travels 13,500 km per year. An average electric cars consumes nearly 200 Wh/km. This means a household with two electric cars could be consuming 5,400 kWh annually powering their vehicles, a substantial amount and more than the electrical...

Electricity prices are going up in Switzerland in 2023. For those expecting to consume less electricity in 2023 than in 2022, reading the meter at the end of 2022 could save you money. © Thorsten Nilson | Dreamstime.comMost electricity bills are calculated by taking the difference between two meter readings and dividing total consumption by the number of days between readings to calculate average daily consumption. This average daily consumption figure is then applied to the relevant...

© Hai Huy Ton That | Dreamstime.com For the seventh consecutive year, the price of tickets on Swiss public transport will remain unchanged. It will also become easier to buy tickets for bicycles and canine companions, reported RTS. News of no price increases is likely to be welcomed given the relatively high price of Swiss public transport. A survey several years ago put the cost of travelling 100km on public transport in Switzerland at CHF 52, far above France (CHF...

For the seventh consecutive year, the price of tickets on Swiss public transport will remain unchanged. It will also become easier to buy tickets for bicycles and canine companions, reported RTS. © Hai Huy Ton That | Dreamstime.comNews of no price increases is likely to be welcomed given the relatively high price of Swiss public transport. A survey several years ago put the cost of travelling 100km on public transport in Switzerland at CHF 52, far above France (CHF 19.28), Austria (CHF...

Federal buildings and other infrasructure are to be installed with photovoltaic panels in the next 12 years. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally The Swiss government has pledged to install solar panels on as many federal buildings as possible to help boost the production of energy from renewable sources. On Wednesday, the government said it wants solar energy generation to rise from 13 gigawatt hours to 87 gigawatt hours in Switzerland. To help achieve this target, it has...