📋 Tender Overview
Since November 4, 2024, program and project applications can be submitted as part of the 16th edition of the competitive tenders (ProKilowatt). A total of 70 million francs in funding is available for electricity-saving measures. Projects with higher investment costs can now apply for funding at any time throughout the year.
Applications for projects and programs can be submitted since November 4, 2024. Project applications with a funding contribution of up to six million francs can be submitted at any time between November 4, 2024, and November 2, 2025. The submission deadline for program applications is April 25, 2025. In the 2025 tender year, a maximum of 70 million francs will be available for projects and programs, of which a maximum of 20 million francs will be available for projects with funding contributions of more than two million francs. These subsidies are financed from the grid surcharge fund.2025 project tender with simpler procedure for more expensive projectsAs in the last two years, applications for projects with a grant of between two and six million francs can be submitted in the 2025 tender. A total of 20 million francs are available for this. More expensive electricity saving projects are therefore more economical and can be implemented.
These more expensive projects can be a large electricity saving measure in a company (e.g. energy optimization of a large production plant) or several similar smaller electricity saving measures that are bundled into one project (e.g. energy optimization of the lighting systems at 10 different locations of a company). The applications for these can now be submitted completely online at any time, as for all other projects. Ideally, the applicants will receive the funding decision just four weeks after submitting the application. This means that the funding process for ProKilowatt projects is optimally integrated into the companys own approval processes for electricity-saving measures.New programs in 2024 promote a wide range of electricity-saving measuresIn the 2024 call for proposals, 7 of the 13 program applications submitted received a funding commitment. The 7 newly approved programs support, for example, the replacement of commercial equipment with more efficient models in catering establishments or the optimization of electric drives for mountain railways. Among the 7 new programs is also a Switzerland-wide program that supports the energy renovation of indoor lighting systems and lighting systems for outdoor workplaces.
As with the first national lighting program, which was awarded the contract two years ago, the new lighting systems will only be funded if they have been professionally commissioned. This ensures that the newly installed systems achieve the maximum electricity savings. In total, the 7 new programs will receive a maximum of 21 million francs in funding, of which 10 million francs will go to the second national lighting program.Competitive tenders: an overview of the funding instrumentWith competitive tenders, the federal government supports uneconomical energy-saving measures that would not be implemented without the funding. Two different funding mechanisms are used: For the projects, the funding goes directly to the company that implements the measure. For the programs, the funding is paid out to the participating companies and households by a third party, the so-called program sponsor (e.g. industry association or engineering office). The projects and programs that save the most electricity per franc of funding are supported. The company CimArk SA in Sitten is responsible for the implementation on behalf of the Federal Office of Energy.
