Heat pump Zug: incentives, regulations and costs when replacing your heating
When replacing a fossil or electric heating system, the Canton of Zug pays CHF 8,500 for an air-to-water heat pump up to 30 kW and CHF 20,000 plus CHF 400 per kW for a brine-to-water or water-to-water system – significantly more than the neighbouring cantons. Since 1 February 2024, the Energy Act has also required that, when replacing the heating, at least 20 percent of the heat demand be covered by renewables or efficiency be increased to that extent, and a building notification must be submitted to the municipality before the replacement. (As of August 2026)
This page brings together what concretely matters when replacing a heating system in the Canton of Zug: the incentive rates, the 20 percent rule of the revised Energy Act, the building notification and the process from inventory to commissioning. Technology and scope of services at a glance: Heat pumps by ecoEn. If you're switching from oil, start with Replacing an oil heating system; for the roof in the same canton: Solar panels Zug.
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:
| System | SwissEnergy reference (single-family home, complete) | Cost drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Air-to-water heat pump | CHF 45,000–60,000 | Unit, installation, hydraulics, boiler room adaptation |
| Brine-to-water (ground probe) | CHF 55,000–80,000 | Ground probe drilling (depth and subsoil) |
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.
The heat pump's electricity demand and the yield from your own roof are interlinked – we calculate both sides together.
Heat pump incentives in the Canton of Zug
Zug subsidises the replacement of an oil, natural gas or electric heating system – central or decentralised – and pays the highest rates in the region. For an air-to-water heat pump up to 30 kW thermal rated output, there's CHF 8,500, above that CHF 4,000 plus CHF 150 per kW. For brine-to-water and water-to-water heat pumps, CHF 20,000 plus CHF 400 per kW applies. If you replace decentralised electric resistance heating or decentralised fossil heating without a hydraulic distribution system, a flat-rate contribution of CHF 15,000 for the new heat distribution system is added for up to 250 m² of energy reference area, and CHF 60 per m² above that.
What limits the contribution is part of an honest calculation. For the assessment, output is capped at 50 watts per m² of energy reference area – so 10 kW for 200 m², regardless of how large the unit actually is. The contribution may not exceed 50 percent of the total investment. And: replacing a heat pump with a heat pump is not subsidised, nor are new buildings, and the heating to be replaced must usually have been in operation for at least five years. Up to 15 kW, a system certificate for the heat pump system module is mandatory.
On the sequence: the incentive application must be submitted before installation starts, otherwise there is no entitlement. Anyone who starts after submitting the application but before the incentive is approved bears the risk themselves. The processing body is Effienergie AG; the settlement documents must be submitted no later than two years after approval. Rates and conditions: 2026 energy incentive programme of the Canton of Zug, version of 1 January 2026.
The 20 percent rule: what the Zug Energy Act requires
A revised Energy Act has applied in the Canton of Zug since 1 February 2024. When replacing the heat generator, existing buildings must cover at least 20 percent of the heat demand with renewable energy or increase energy efficiency to that extent (§ 4c EnG-ZG, § 7 V EnG-ZG). A heat pump meets this requirement without additional proof – it is the easy way through the regulation, not the complicated one.
Regardless of the type of heating, a building notification with complete energy certification must be submitted to the municipality before replacing the heat generator. This is a separate step alongside the incentive application, and both belong before the order, not after.
Buildings with a Minergie certificate and buildings with high overall energy efficiency, specifically GEAK class C or better, are exempt from the 20 percent requirement. So if you're already in good shape, you can choose the type of heating freely – for everyone else, the heat pump is in practice the solution with the least proof required. Whether your house is ready for it is decided by the heating load calculation, not the year of construction: heat pumps in older buildings and sizing correctly. Basis: Canton of Zug, energy regulations and enforcement. The current provisions apply.
References
Our documented reference systems are photovoltaic and storage projects, several of them in and around Zug – 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
- Inventory. Heating, distribution, hot water and consumption – ideally while the old system is still running.
- System and legal clarification. Air-to-water or ground probe, drilling permit, noise distances, requirements under EnG-ZG.
- Heating load calculation & quote. Sizing based on calculation, quote with individually listed items.
- Incentive application before installation. Submit and wait for approval – only then is anything ordered.
- Building notification to the municipality. With complete energy certification, regardless of the heating type chosen.
- Removal & installation. Old heating out, heat pump in – a few working days for a single-family home.
- Commissioning & fine-tuning. Set the heating curve, instruct, readjust – the point at which efficiency is decided.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Canton of Zug pay towards a heat pump?
What does the 20 percent rule in the Canton of Zug say?
Do I have to notify the municipality of a heating replacement?
Is the replacement of an old heat pump subsidised?
Why is my incentive lower than expected?
When do I have to submit the incentive application?
Air-to-water or ground probe – which suits the Canton of Zug?
Guides on heating replacement
- Heat pump costs Switzerland: the items
- Heat pump incentives Switzerland: overview
- Ground probe: when drilling pays off
- Air-to-water or ground probe?
- Heating replacement: the process in 7 steps
- Replacing an oil heating system: obligations, costs, tank
- Sizing a heat pump correctly
- Heat pumps in older buildings
- Combining a heat pump and photovoltaics
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