Installation price of 1 heat pump in Switzerland (Romande) - How much (100m2 / 200m2)

Heat pump price comparison Switzerland 2023

	Installation rate for French-speaking Switzerland (CHF HT)	Annual maintenance cost (CHF HT / year)	Annual consumption (CHF HT / year)
Geothermal heat pump	46'500.-	120.-	1'575.-
Indoor air/water heat pump	38'500.-	170.-	1'990.-
Outdoor air/water heat pump	32'500.-	220.-	1'990.-
Note	Average prices from our offer base	Contract : approx. 350-450.00 / 2 years	with kWh price approx. 0.27 cts (source)

based on a 200m2 house in the plain (< 800m) : average annual consumption 2800 liters of fuel oil at 1.17cts / liter = 3'276.- /year => source of fuel oil rate

COP considered for outdoor or indoor aerothermal heat pumps: approx. 3.8, and for geothermal heat pumps: approx. 4.8

Replacement of the oil boiler by a mid-range heat pump

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What factors affect the price of a heat pump in Switzerland?

The idea of lowering the energy bill, of obtaining a more ecological and economical heating system, is at the center of our thoughts when we think of install a heat pump.

But to get the right return on investment, it is essential to understand the influence of certain factors on the price of the installation.

In no particular order, the factors that affect price are:

• the brand of the machine
• the origin of the machine
• the company that installs
• sizing the heat pump
• your ability to negotiate
• your analysis of the quote
• clearing the oil tank
• or your ability to participate in the work site by your own means.

How does the brand of heat pump affect the price?

This is very much linked to the origin since each brand has a geographical origin.

There are an incredible number of brands of heat pumps, more or less expensive

Sites like topten.ch list these brands and their gross catalog prices

(your installer has a discount on this price: so he will generally offer you a lower or equivalent price, already including his margin).

We have:

• the Viessman heat pump
• Daikin heat pump
• the Alpha Innotec heat pump
• or Dimplex

and so on.

Of course, these brands are from different origins and each apply their own prices.

Daikin appears generally cheaper while Viessmann, Alpha Innotec, or Dimplex, appear a little more expensive.

The price can vary by a third on the material itself.

Most installers apply average margins that do not impact the price of the machine very much. 

The variation in these prices comes from 2 sources:

• The first is the price of labor in the country of manufacture.
• The second is the quality of the components used. 

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There is no need to go and find out the price of a machine in its country of manufacture.

If you buy it there, you will have to transport it, so you will have to pay a carrier, and clear it through customs, so you will have to pay tax.

And you will spend a lot of time there.

The price in Switzerland and abroad of the same machine can vary from simple to double.

However, if you buy the machine abroad

It will not be necessary to count on any subsidies since the certificates are granted to date only to machines of Swiss origin.

What influence does the installation company have on the price of a heat pump?

This is particularly related to the dimensioning.

You have to consider how you size the material.

If the machine turns out to be undersized in relation to the heat requirement of your home, the price will seem attractive.

And you will have heat most of the time.

However, the machine will be running at full capacity and your energy bill will go up instead of down.

If the machine turns out to be oversized (by more than 1.2 or 1.3 which is normal for the safety margin), the price will be higher for nothing.

And the machine will also over-consume

Since the compressor will never operate at its optimum or rated speed, the one at which it consumes the least energy.

NB: there is a power limit above which a label is not required to obtain a subsidy. 

This leads some installers to voluntarily opt for a heat pump that is too powerful, just to avoid applying for subsidies.

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Then you have to consider where the company's workforce comes from, which can influence the final price.

Indeed, employees with very low salaries for x or y reason that we will not mention, allow to lower the prices.

Your ability to negotiate the price of the heat pump installation?

For your renovation work and especially for the installation of the heat pump in Switzerland, you have to manage the budget.

Every heat pump installer is looking to sell to increase their business, and every supplier is looking to sell machines for the same reason.

These two actors are sometimes ready, depending on the season and the workload, to grant important discounts on the material.

You have to ask and find out what is the minimum price below which it will not go.

Your analysis of the heat pump estimate is important in the process

It is necessary to pay attention to the quotation and to all the positions that appear on it.

A mistake can be made in your favor but also against you.

The installer may have missed some settings during his visit.

Or you could do some of the positions yourself, without bothering the professional too much.

Look at which model is priced: maybe there is another cheaper model with the same power.

You can check this on the supplier's website. If you are on a tight budget, this may count.

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The quote may not include the removal of any components

It is good to note this to avoid unpleasant surprises at the end of the project.

Does the heat pump provide free heating?

No.

Even if your bill will be very low if the system is well dimensioned

There will always be a portion to pay to the electricity provider.

If the number 1 represents your heat requirement then :

• The air-water heat pump pumps about 2/3 free energy from the air
• And the remaining third is taken from the regular power grid.

The geothermal heat pump, on the other hand, is a little more efficient.

The ratio is more like 3/4 to 1/4.

One third of the consumption of an air-water heat pump is taken from the network

This corresponds approximately to the electrical output stated on the plate, multiplied by the number of hours the heat pump is in operation during the period in question.

This should be about 1/3 of your requirement.

Does the installation include the heating circuit?

If the estimate includes the installation of a heating system, then it is clear that the price will be much higher.

Indeed, the installation of a heat pump often goes hand in hand with the change of the heating water distribution circuit

Whether it is underfloor heating or water radiators.

This installation requires more manpower and more material.

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The installation of each radiator can cost you on average between CHF 1500 and CHF 2000 per unit

The most common radiators are Zehnder or Arbonia, which are of very good quality.

Does the installation include the production of domestic hot water?

In the same way, the addition of domestic hot water to the heating system alone increases the price since it requires the addition of a hot water tank.

It can be a classic tank that will be connected to the heat pump.

Then the heat pump will produce the hot water directly.

It can also be a thermodynamic balloonIn this case, it is the thermodynamic water heater itself that will produce domestic hot water independently, because it behaves like a heat pump.

The thermodynamic water heater consumes a minimum of electrical energy on the network

And pumps the rest into the air in the room or sometimes outside.

This energy is then returned to the water to heat it.

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Either system increases the price by the same amount. (approx. 10 or 15% of the total price)

Unless a solar water heater is included. In which case it will be much more expensive.

Because solar heating requires quite expensive solar collectors.

Does the cost of installing a heat pump include a maintenance contract?

If the price of the heat pump installation includes the maintenance contract, it is normal that it is higher.

Often it is the supplier of the equipment who wants to take care of this and come every one or two years for a check.

Does the heat pump quote include one or more outdoor units?

Sometimes your heating needs are greater than the maximum capacity of the largest heat pump.

Then you need a second, third, etc. heat pump.

The price increase is substantial, about 1/3 more than a single outdoor unit installation.

Which heat pump model?

In general, a geothermal heat pump is much more expensive because it requires a technically complex drilling.

An aerothermal heat pump is less expensive because there is no drilling in this case.

And moreover, aerothermy is much more democratized since these last years.

The manufacturers manage to lower the prices.

Is it an air-to-air heat pump?

So in this case it's really cheaper but the yields are lower 

Because it is physically much less economical to transmit energy to air than to water.

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This is due to the heat capacity of the fluid. The air-to-air model is not recommended except for air conditioning.

How much does an air-to-water heat pump cost in Switzerland?

We must distinguish the pump from its installation. The price of an air-water heat pump in Switzerland varies between 7'000 and 15'000 CHF. But to this must be added the installation labor.

The total price can vary from 15,000 to 40,000 francs for the installation of a heat pump with a single outdoor unit for heating only.

Adding the hot water, we have to add about 5'000.00 Fr.

And the average is therefore between Fr. 32,500 and Fr. 37,500, which, as mentioned above, depends on many factors.

Price of a heat pump for a 100m2 house in French-speaking Switzerland

A 100m2 house, especially if it is new, generally requires no more than 3 to 5kW of heating power. Therefore the heat pump models that can be considered are among the smallest and therefore the cheapest.

The installation price of a heat pump for a 100m2 house in French-speaking Switzerland is around CHF 30,000 and sometimes goes a little below this price, CHF 27,000-28,000. It all depends on the type of installer you use and the model you choose.

As for any product, you have the choice between low-cost (Japanese model, non-labeled team), standard (German model, labeled team), and high-end (Swedish model, labeled team with nice installers' opinions) => personal opinion

Price of a heat pump for a 200m2 house in French-speaking Switzerland

The price of an air-to-water heat pump for a 200m2 house will be in the upper range, i.e. between CHF 35,000 and 40,000, from which you will be able to deduct the subsidies if you manage to obtain them a few months or even years after the building work.

These prices are based on estimates from certified installers, highly qualified, rather high-end in French-speaking Switzerland. There are also slightly less expensive teams from France, which do not always have the necessary labels to obtain the aid.

Is it more expensive than other solutions?

It depends on the heating solution in question: 

• Compared to a gas condensing boiler it is generally much more expensive by about 30 to 40% but the return on investment is 10 to 15 years.
• Compared to a condensing oil boiler, it is about the same.
• Compared to a geothermal heat pump, it is about 30 to 40% less expensive because you have to include the price of drilling which is quite substantial. The geothermal heat pump is less expensive in itself compared to its air-to-water equivalent, but there is more installation work.
• Compared to an air-to-air heat pump, the air-to-water heat pump is also more expensive, but we are not talking about an air-to-air heat pump for heating. Rather for air conditioning with brands like Daikin.
• Compared to pellet heating, the price of an air-water heat pump is more or less the same if you install a pellet storage with a vacuum cleaner for the pellet boiler.

Does the installation price of the heat pump already deduct the subsidies you are entitled to?

Sometimes your installer may decide to send you a quote after deducting the subsidy prices.

It optimistically assumes that you will get them automatically. Then you have a very attractive price.

The cantonal building program is there to help homeowners finance their energy renovation

But it requires many conditions that are not always easy to meet.

In this case we invite you to verify that all the criteria for obtaining the cantonal heat pump subsidies are well filled out and that there is no reason why you should not receive them.

Has your installer planned to clear the oil tank?

When replacing an oil system, you have the option of keeping the tank or having it removed.

This operation has a high cost. It must be carried out by CITEC approved companies. 

The cost will be even higher if the tank is made of steel.

Indeed, it must then be cut up, then evacuated, recycled, etc. A lot of labor is required.

It is not uncommon to see offers of CHF 5'000.00 to clear a steel tank.

Heat pump prices 2023 - Interesting links

Comparison of dozens of heat pumps available in Switzerland