Is your oil or gas boiler nearing the end of its life? What you can install instead depends on the law of your canton. The MoPEC 2025, the cantons' new joint model, sets the direction: at replacement, a renewable-energy system. Here is what the model provides, what already applies today, the solutions and the available support.
What the MoPEC 2025 provides
The MoPEC is the model of energy regulations that the cantons write into their laws. The 2025 version was adopted by the Conference of Cantonal Energy Directors on 29 August 2025 (MoPEC 2025, EnDK, in French). For heating replacement (article 1.29 of the basic module), it raises the bar:
| MoPEC 2014 (still applied by most cantons) | MoPEC 2025 (to be adopted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings concerned | Dwellings | All existing buildings |
| Requirement at replacement | At least 10% renewable, through a standard solution, Minergie or CECB class D | Heat demand covered entirely by renewables or waste heat |
| If renewables cost too much | — | If lifetime costs are at least 25% higher than a fossil solution: at least 20% renewable or savings |
The model also allows some flexibility: a deferral of up to three years after the next change of owner in case of financial hardship, a period of up to eight years if a district heating connection has been contractually agreed, and a limited fossil share to cover peak loads in large installations. All fuels must be renewable from 2050.
It is not an overnight ban on heating oil: as long as your boiler works, you do not have to replace it. It is the moment of replacement that triggers the obligation — except in cantons that set a deadline, such as Vaud (2042 or 2047 depending on the year of installation).
Which renewable solutions?
Heat pump
The most common solution for a detached house. Air-to-water (the simplest to install) or ground-source (higher efficiency, drilling required).
Wood heating
Pellets or logs, relevant depending on the layout and available storage space.
District heating
Where a heat network exists, connecting to it is often the simplest and least space-consuming solution. Some communes require it within their perimeter.
Solar thermal as a top-up
For domestic hot water, alongside a heat pump or a wood boiler.
How much it costs, and what support exists
Replacing a fossil boiler with a heat pump requires a higher investment than a like-for-like replacement, but it is subsidised. The Buildings Programme of the Confederation and the cantons, complemented since 2025 by an impulse programme, supports the replacement of fossil heating; several cantons add their own grants.
Plan ahead rather than react
A heating replacement in a rush — in mid-winter, boiler broken down — leaves little room to compare solutions and prepare a subsidy application. It is better to plan ahead: energy assessment, choice of system, grant application.
It is also the right moment to look further ahead. If you are considering an extension, an added storey or a major renovation in the future, the sizing of the new heating system and whether to install rooftop solar depend on it. Knowing what your plot allows avoids installing equipment today that your plans will make unsuitable tomorrow.