Zernez Energia 2020

No fossil fuels used for heating or hot water in an entire village – that was the ambitious goal of the Zernez Energia 2020 research project. 

Located in the Engadine, Zernez has set the goal of using only renewable sources to meet its energy requirements for buildings in the municipality, thus reducing CO2 emissions to zero. The project "Zernez Energia 2020" was supported by the Swiss federal government. An interdisciplinary team from ETH Zurich in the fields of urban design, building systems, construction physics, energy research and ecological system design were closely involved in the project. These researchers analysed the feasibility of the project and presented the initial findings in an exhibition in Zernez in the summer of 2014. The conclusion is that essentially the ambitious goal is possible and will not compromise the townscape, though perhaps not before 2020.

To reduce energy consumption, the researchers proposed measures including the refurbishment of buildings and converting oil heaters and electric heating to district heating from the municipality’s woodchip heating system and to heat pumps. This transformation depended heavily on the active participation of house owners. "These measures can greatly reduce CO2 emissions, but not completely to zero," says Michael Wagner, project manager and colleague of Kees Christiaanse, Chair of Architecture and Urban Design at ETH Zurich.