Heat pump Winterthur: incentives, procedures and costs when replacing your heating

This page brings together what really matters when replacing a heating system in Winterthur: which contribution comes from whom, which procedure applies to your project, what the decommissioning of the gas network means for you and which certificates must be ready before construction starts. In neighbouring municipalities such as Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Neftenbach or Elsau, the same cantonal subsidy applies; the procedural details there are set by the local building authority. Technology and scope of services at a glance: Heat pumps from ecoEn; the cantonal overview is available under Heat pump Canton of Zurich. If you are looking at your roof at the same time: Solar system Winterthur.

What does a heat pump cost?

Costs depend on the system, the condition of the heat distribution and the structural conditions. The reference is SwissEnergy's empirical values for a single-family home, including storage tank and hydraulic integration:

Guideline values according to SwissEnergy, before incentives; they include heat pump, installation, storage tank and hydraulics. Removal of the old heating and permits are not explicitly included. The individual quote is binding.

Who pays what in Winterthur?

The heat pump contribution is paid by the Canton of Zurich, not the city. For replacing an oil, gas or electric heating system in 2026, CHF 2,900 applies up to 15 kW of thermal output, plus CHF 160 per additional kW above that; for a ground probe or groundwater system CHF 6,800 up to 15 kW, plus CHF 420 per kW above that. A ground probe designed and operated without antifreeze brings an additional CHF 3,000 plus CHF 100 per kW. If you replace decentralised electric or fossil heating, the first installation of the heat distribution system is added: CHF 15,000 up to 250 m² of energy reference area, and CHF 60 per m² above that. All rates in detail: Heat pump incentives Canton of Zurich.

Stadtwerk's Energie Winterthur incentive programme supports consultations, the building envelope, photovoltaics and connection to a heating network – the latter with CHF 8,000 up to 15 kW of connected load, plus CHF 20 per additional kW, as well as CHF 1,600 plus CHF 40 per kW for the first installation of the heat distribution system. There is no city contribution to the heat pump itself. This is no minor detail: in Winterthur, connecting to the network is the deliberately subsidised route in some neighbourhoods – whether it's possible and sensible for you belongs before the system decision (District heating or heat pump).

The point at which incentive applications most often fail: district heating area and sequence. If, according to the canton's GIS browser (municipal energy planning map, «Förderung» layer), the property is in a district heating area marked in purple, the heat pump is not subsidised. There are three exceptions: confirmation from the network operator or municipality that the property is not to be connected; a network solution that is at least 10 percent more expensive than the heat pump according to EN-LCC-ZH; or a connection that is itself not eligible for incentives. And the application belongs before construction starts – installation of the heat pump or drilling of the ground probe counts as the start of construction. We check both for your address before planning.

Notification or building application: which procedure applies in Winterthur?

Three routes are open in the Canton of Zurich: the notification procedure, the permit procedure and the water-law concession procedure. The type, location and design of the system decide: air-to-water and brine-to-water heat pumps can go through the notification or permit procedure depending on the situation, groundwater heat pumps always go through the concession procedure. The notification is submitted digitally via the canton's upload tool. The basics on permits: Heat pump: permit or notification.

For air-to-water systems, the notification procedure also requires a noise protection certificate: LN-1a for easily assessable cases, LN-1b for complex ones – created via the Cercle Bruit web application, signed by the private inspection and submitted electronically via the EVEN platform. In addition, a cadastral plan with the location of the heat pump and the distance to the windows of noise-sensitive rooms is required. Living, dining and bedrooms and eat-in kitchens count as noise-sensitive – but not corridors, sanitary rooms, small storage rooms and closed kitchens under 6 m². What this means for placement: Location and noise and the noise regulations in detail.

For ground probes, the drilling location and the distance to the neighbouring property belong in the cadastral plan; if it is less than 2.5 metres, the neighbour's written consent is required. The utility cadastre plan must not be older than one year, and the cantonal application goes via the city's Building Permits Office to AWEL. Always required regardless of system: the GVZ WTA form, signed by a person authorised for private inspection, and the EN-103 heating and hot water certificate via EVEN.

Two things belong at the beginning, not the end: whether the building is in the inventory of buildings worthy of protection or in the core zone – then the city's heritage preservation office is involved – and whether the service connection is sufficient for the heat pump. For this, the technical connection application is submitted to Stadtwerk early on. Basis: Energy Office of the City of Winterthur, «Bewilligungs- und Meldeverfahren für Wärmepumpen», summary of 20 January 2026. The current provisions apply.

Gas heating in Winterthur: the gas network is being decommissioned in stages

Stadtwerk Winterthur is withdrawing from building heat and decommissioning the gas network in stages. The dates are set by the municipal energy plan (in force since January 2023) – what matters is the area in which your property is located:

According to Stadtwerk, around two thirds of the properties formerly supplied with gas must switch to another energy source by the end of 2033. The formal termination notice arrives at least two years before decommissioning. A new gas boiler is no longer an option anyway: since September 2022 the cantonal energy law has effectively prohibited replacing a gas heating system with a new one – details under Zurich energy law: heating replacement.

Residual value compensation: If the network is decommissioned before your gas appliances have reached the end of their service life, Stadtwerk compensates the residual value – for appliances installed before 1 January 2022. The calculation assumes a service life of 20 years: 5 percent of the purchase price for each year the appliance still has left at decommissioning. With decommissioning in 2033, gas appliances installed from 2014 to 2021 are eligible; with decommissioning in 2030, those installed from 2011 to 2021. The gas line (40 years, 2.5 percent per year) is only compensated for the years in which the appliance itself would still be running. Example from the information sheet: gas heating from 2018 costing CHF 28,000, decommissioning in 2033 – five remaining years, so CHF 7,000 for the heating and CHF 1,250 for a line that cost CHF 10,000 in 2018.

Important for planning: if you voluntarily switch to a heat pump earlier, you keep your entitlement – the calculation still uses the decommissioning date of your area. Keep the invoices for the appliance and the line; if they are missing, Stadtwerk uses standard industry prices. So you do not have to wait for the termination notice, but can schedule the switch for a time of year when a heating interruption affects nobody. If a heating network is planned for your area, the comparison District heating or heat pump is worthwhile; the city’s energy portal shows which solution is possible in your neighbourhood. The cantonal subsidies also apply when replacing a gas heating system – except in the heating network area, see above.

Sources: Stadtwerk Winterthur, «Zukunft Winterthurer Gasnetz» (accessed on 20 October 2026) and information sheet «Stilllegung Gasnetz: Restwertentschädigung» (as of 05.2024); implementing ordinance to the ordinance on the supply of gas (VVAG), city council decision of 10 May 2023. The municipal energy plan and the information from Stadtwerk Winterthur are authoritative.

References

Our documented reference systems are photovoltaic and storage projects, several of them in and around Winterthur – see Projects & references. For heating replacement, we show you comparable properties from the region in the consultation instead of stock images.

How your project works

1. Inventory. Heating, distribution, hot water and consumption – ideally while the old system is still running.
2. Procedure and zone clarification. Notification or permit procedure, district heating area, heritage protection, noise distances – clarified before choosing the system.
3. Heating load calculation & quote. Sizing based on calculation, quote with individually listed items.
4. Incentive application before construction. Submit and wait for confirmation of receipt – only then is anything ordered.
5. Certificates & registrations. Noise protection certificate, EN-103, WTA form and the technical connection application to Stadtwerk.
6. Removal & installation. Old heating out, heat pump in – a few working days for a single-family home.
7. Commissioning & fine-tuning. Set the heating curve, instruct, readjust – the point at which efficiency is decided.

Frequently asked questions

Guides on heating replacement

• Heat pump costs Switzerland: the items
• Heat pump incentives Canton of Zurich 2026
• Permit or notification: what applies
• Location and noise: the regulations
• Heating replacement: the process in 7 steps
• Air-to-water or ground probe?
• District heating or heat pump?
• Zurich energy law: what applies to heating replacement
• Heat pump or gas heating? The comparison
• Heat pumps in older buildings
• Combining a heat pump and photovoltaics