A lot of heat is lost via the building envelope, i.e. the facade and the roof. Poorly insulated or (as yet) uninsulated facades are responsible for a quarter to a third of the heat loss of a single-family house. That's a lot of energy and therefore money. That's why thermal insulation is the most effective single energy renovation measure. It is even more effective if you replace the windows and the sun protection at the same time. This is step 1 of a total renovation in four stages. You can read more about it in the article "House Renovation: Costs for a Total Renovation in Switzerland".
A facade renovation has an energy and cost saving potential of 10 to 20 percent. The renovation protects the environment, relieves your budget and pays for itself in just a few years.
There are basically three ways to insulate a facade: from the inside, in the core of the facade or from the outside. Not every measure is suitable for every house or every facade:
The effort and thus the costs depend on several factors. Among other things from ...
In condominium ownership, the facade is the responsibility of the condominium owners' association. Read the articles "Renovation Funds in Condominium Ownership: All You Need to Know" and "Costs Distribution in Condominium Ownership" and check the status of the renewal fund.
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Interior insulation is less energy efficient. It is suitable for timber-framed houses, old farmhouses or listed houses. The walls are insulated with organic materials (hemp, wood fiber, sheep's wool or cellulose), mineral materials (glass wool, calcium silicate, Multipor insulation boards or rock wool) or synthetic materials (aerogel, polystyrene rigid, polyurethane or vacuum insulation panels). Expect to pay 80 to 200 Swiss francs per square meter of facade. That works out to about 10,000 to 24,000 Swiss francs for an average single-family home. Then in addition there are the costs for the scaffolding.
All cost estimates in this article are indicative only. If you want to know more, get offers from facade experts from our partner network and compare the best offers.
Core insulation or cavity insulation is the simplest and cheapest insulation method. Expect to pay 80 to 120 Swiss francs per square meter of facade. For an average single-family house, that's about 10,000 to 15,000 Swiss francs. Then in addition there are the costs for the scaffolding.
The thermal composite system is the simpler and cheaper insulation method from the outside. Expect to pay 150 to 225 Swiss francs or more per square meter of facade. For an average single-family house, that's about 18,000 to 27,000 Swiss francs or more - the thicker the insulation, the more expensive. Then in addition there are the costs for the scaffolding.
The curtain wall or curtain wall is the most complex and expensive insulation method. Expect to pay 240 to 300 Swiss francs or more per square meter of facade. For an average single-family home, that's about 29,000 to 36,000 Swiss francs or more - the thicker the facade insulation, the more expensive. Then in addition there are the costs for the scaffolding.
As a rough estimate, calculate with 10 to 25 Swiss francs per square meter of house facade. For an average single-family house with plus/minus 120 square meters of facade, that's 1,200 to 3,000 Swiss francs.
Cantons and municipalities promote energy-related renovation measures such as facade insulation. At dasgebaeudeprogramm.ch (available in German, French and Italian), you can check online how much money you would receive and how to proceed in order to receive your subsidy. If the U-value, or thermal transmittance, of the new insulation is less than 0.2 W/m2 K, you can expect to receive 40 to 80 Swiss francs per square meter, depending on the canton. The U-value indicates how much heat escapes in watts (W) per square meter of insulated facade (m²) at a temperature difference (K) of one degree Celsius.
If you only have the facade repainted with the same color as before, but do not insulate it, you do not need a building permit. For an energetic renovation like an exterior insulation or new facade material you need a permit as well as if you change the facade openings, which are the windows and doors. You can read more about this topic in the article "Building Permit: When Do You Need One and When Not?".
