Experience from various pilot and demonstration projects and expert judgement suggest that heating and cooling systems are often oversized. However, as there were no systematic studies on this topic in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) commissioned the SPF and the IET - Institute of Energy Technology with the OptiPower project. The team analysed a total of 341 heating systems in apartment blocks and ten administrative buildings with regard to the heating and cooling capacity actually required. It was found that in the multi-family house sector, the systems are oversized by a median of 44 % and in the administrative buildings, the systems are oversized by a factor of 2-3.

The "Simulation" booklet from Faktor Verlag summarises the most important information on building simulations and uses practical examples to show the added value that simulation offers. The booklet thus serves as a source of information and inspiration for building owners, investors and experts. You can order the booklet here: https://faktor.ch/produkt/themenheft-57-simulation/

The building simulation industry is forming The Swiss Building Simulation Association held its first general meeting in mid-May. According to the unanimously re-elected board, the current focus is on expanding communication, building a comprehensive network and preparing for Swissbau 2024.

These Articles of Association were adopted at the inaugural meeting on 22 December 2022 in Zurich and came into force immediately. Zurich, 22 December 2022