Everyone is talking about it and some cantons, such as Fribourg, Vaud and Neuchâtel, even require it in certain cases! But what is CECB really?

The CECB, Cantonal Energy Certificate for Buildings is a standardised certificate designed, established and recognised by all cantons of the Confederation to improve the quality of a building.

It thus allows the evaluation of the energy efficiency of:

• the envelope of a building
• technology for heating and domestic hot water
• electricity consumption for lighting, ventilation and electrical appliances and/or household appliances

The strength of CECB is that it provides a comprehensive and global view of the factors that directly affect the energy efficiency of your property.

But why do some cantons require this certificate when selling and/or changing the boiler? What is the justification behind this restrictive legislation?

In 2017, the 2050 energy strategy was adopted by the Confederation. At the same time, it was noted that in Switzerland, domestic heating and hot water represent almost a third of the total final energy consumed in the country.

The next step is self-evident: the renovation of the residential, commercial and administrative building stock through CECB and CECB Plus becomes a priority and main focus of federal policy.

Since then, the focus has been on reducing energy waste and consequently fossil fuel consumption.

The price of the service depends on the surface area of the property, the architectural complexity, the availability of plans and the consumption data.

A table below gives you an overview of the prices that apply for standard buildings, without any particular complexity. The price includes the various services provided by the expert in order to deliver a valid CECB certificate.