Fossil Heating Phase-Out in Existing Buildings
#00048
Basel-Stadt must disconnect 11,000 gas connections by 2037 under its constitutionally mandated carbon neutrality target. IWB is expanding the district heating network by 60 km at a cost of CHF 460 million, with gas shutoffs beginning in 2026/27 and reaching approximately 1,000 disconnections per year from 2028. The cantonal Energiegesetz already bans new fossil heating installations.
Parent issue
#00047 Fossil Heating Phase-Out in Existing Buildings
Description
In November 2022, Basel-Stadt voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring the canton to reach net-zero direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2037 — the most ambitious target of any Swiss canton, 13 years ahead of the federal 2050 goal. The vote passed with 64% support.
The heating transition is the largest single challenge. IWB (Industrielle Werke Basel) operates Switzerland's largest district heating network and is expanding it by 60 km of new pipeline between 2022 and 2037. By end of 2024, 10.6 km had been built, on schedule. Active expansion projects include Wettstein/Kleinbasel (2024–2026), Gellert (2026–2027), and Bachletten (2025–2026). Once complete, approximately 120,000 people will be served.
The gas network will be fully decommissioned by 2037. IWB maintains an interactive map showing every address's planned district heating arrival date and gas shutoff schedule. Property owners receive written notice at least 3–4 years in advance (the law requires minimum 2 years). From 2028 onward, IWB will disconnect approximately 1,000 gas connections per year.
The cantonal Energiegesetz (SG 772.100) already prohibits new fossil fuel heating installations. When an existing fossil boiler reaches end-of-life, only renewable replacements are permitted — heat pumps, district heating, or biomass. Basel-Stadt exceeds the MuKEn 2025 standards approved by the EnDK in August 2025.
The renovation rate in Switzerland hovers around 1%, needing to at least double. The federal Gebäudeprogramm paid out CHF 528 million in 2024, and the Impulse Programme (since January 2025) provides CHF 2 billion over ten years for heating replacement. A tax reform planned for 2028 may change energy renovation deductibility, creating a "renovate now" incentive.
Basel's 64-measure Klima-Aktionsplan (October 2024) estimates total transition investment at CHF 3.6 billion between 2020 and 2037, with annual energy cost savings of approximately CHF 189 million. The cantonal administration itself committed to net-zero by 2030, though this is now considered unachievable for all government buildings.