10 FRoM EFFICIENCY To SUFFICIENCY: INSIGHTS …
107
The “performance gap” (Gram-Hanssen and Georg 2017) between
these highly-energy-efficient buildings and usage is relatively well recognized by engineering companies and developers in Switzerland.
Currently, heating is mainly provided by fossil fuels (primarily petroleum
and gas) and electricity is mainly produced by hydroelectricity (60%)
involving nuclear energy (32%) (SFoE 2018).
Beyond the material arrangements of energy systems and building
standards, there are also less visible ways to shape energy demand: social
norms and related prescriptions also have an influence on how energyusing practices play out. In Switzerland, social norms around cleanliness
and tidiness appear to be quite strong, as the Swiss adage “propre en
ordre” (clean and in order) expresses, which have implications for energy-related practices, including laundry and cleaning. other normative
ways of doing may have more positive implications for energy usage: it
is not unusual for apartment buildings to have a shared laundry facility,
for washing and drying clothes (e.g. in a heated room in the basement),
although private ownership is on the rise. Laundry machine purchases
have grown exponentially in the past decades, along with the normalization of dryers (Sahakian and Bertho 2018). Nevertheless, the new trend
towards social and ecological building cooperatives means that collective laundry rooms are still being designed into these buildings, albeit
on a small scale. In the mobility domain, while private cars are the preferred means of transport for many, public transport is quite efficient
and car/bike sharing is becoming more popular. There are also public
events to “slow down”, involving biking and walking in city centres. In
September 2018, and with the Votation Vélo (Bike Vote), 73.4% of Swiss
voters agreed to integrate the right to bike lanes into the Constitution,
on equal footing with pedestrian ways; yet how this will translate into
local implementation remains to be seen.
energy poLiCy in switzerLanD
Partly due to a reaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Switzerland
has adopted a “2050 Energy Strategy” (Swiss Confederation 2016). In
addition to reduced energy usage, mostly expected through efficient
appliances and buildings, and the promotion of RE sources, new nuclear
power plant construction is prohibited and a progressive nuclear phaseout is planned. To set up these objectives, the government is promoting refurbishment of buildings (by providing monetary incentives for
107
The “performance gap” (Gram-Hanssen and Georg 2017) between
these highly-energy-efficient buildings and usage is relatively well recognized by engineering companies and developers in Switzerland.
Currently, heating is mainly provided by fossil fuels (primarily petroleum
and gas) and electricity is mainly produced by hydroelectricity (60%)
involving nuclear energy (32%) (SFoE 2018).
Beyond the material arrangements of energy systems and building
standards, there are also less visible ways to shape energy demand: social
norms and related prescriptions also have an influence on how energyusing practices play out. In Switzerland, social norms around cleanliness
and tidiness appear to be quite strong, as the Swiss adage “propre en
ordre” (clean and in order) expresses, which have implications for energy-related practices, including laundry and cleaning. other normative
ways of doing may have more positive implications for energy usage: it
is not unusual for apartment buildings to have a shared laundry facility,
for washing and drying clothes (e.g. in a heated room in the basement),
although private ownership is on the rise. Laundry machine purchases
have grown exponentially in the past decades, along with the normalization of dryers (Sahakian and Bertho 2018). Nevertheless, the new trend
towards social and ecological building cooperatives means that collective laundry rooms are still being designed into these buildings, albeit
on a small scale. In the mobility domain, while private cars are the preferred means of transport for many, public transport is quite efficient
and car/bike sharing is becoming more popular. There are also public
events to “slow down”, involving biking and walking in city centres. In
September 2018, and with the Votation Vélo (Bike Vote), 73.4% of Swiss
voters agreed to integrate the right to bike lanes into the Constitution,
on equal footing with pedestrian ways; yet how this will translate into
local implementation remains to be seen.
energy poLiCy in switzerLanD
Partly due to a reaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Switzerland
has adopted a “2050 Energy Strategy” (Swiss Confederation 2016). In
addition to reduced energy usage, mostly expected through efficient
appliances and buildings, and the promotion of RE sources, new nuclear
power plant construction is prohibited and a progressive nuclear phaseout is planned. To set up these objectives, the government is promoting refurbishment of buildings (by providing monetary incentives for