Low water is making inland shipping less reliable. More freight may move by road and rail, pushing up transport costs—and, eventually, consumer prices. In August the Rhine at Kaub, a key measuring point in Germany, fell to just six centimetres, a record low, according to Reuters. The Rhine was not alone. Rivers across Europe, including […]
Swiss voters look set to reject neutrality and food initiatives
A clear majority of Swiss voters oppose both initiatives due to be put to a referendum on September 27, according to the second poll conducted by gfs.bern for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). More than 60% now say they intend to reject the neutrality and food-security proposals. Support for the two initiatives has fallen sharply […]
Diesel prices hit record high in Switzerland
Diesel prices in Switzerland have risen to a record high. A litre now costs an average of CHF 2.41 nationwide, according to the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS), surpassing the previous peak reached in 2022. Since the begining of the year the price has risen 35% from CHF 1.78 a litre. Petrol prices are also climbing. […]
Swiss rail travel hits all time high
Switzerland travelled by train more than ever in 2025. Passengers covered almost 24bn passenger-kilometres, a third consecutive annual record, according to federal data. That was 3% more than in 2024 and confirms the recovery in rail travel since its sharp fall during the covid-19 pandemic. The increase was driven mainly by more journeys rather than […]
A quarter of Swiss buildings now have heat pumps
Switzerland’s housing stock is becoming greener. In 2025 one in four residential buildings was equipped with a heat pump, six times the share in 2000. Among homes built over the past decade, the technology is already dominant: three-quarters use one. Yet oil and gas still heat half of the country’s 1.8m residential buildings. The figures, […]
Most Swiss electricity bills to fall in 2027
Swiss households will get some relief from high electricity bills next year. Prices in the regulated basic-supply market will fall by a median 4% in 2027, according to ElCom, the federal electricity regulator. A typical household consuming 4,500kWh a year will pay about CHF 1,194, CHF 53 less than in 2026. The decline is being […]
Switzerland’s biggest battery joins the grid — for now
This week, a 58.4MW battery-storage plant has opened in Gurtnellen, in the canton of Uri, reported Axpo. It is the largest of its kind in Switzerland, though probably not for long. What is it? Switzerland’s biggest battery-storage facility has been connected to the grid in Gurtnellen. The project was developed jointly by Axpo and Energie […]
Switzerland just had its hottest summer ever
Switzerland has endured its hottest summer since records began 162 years ago in 1864. Between June and August 2026 the national average temperature reached 17.2°C, MeteoSwiss said on Thursday, 0.4°C above the previous record set in 2003. The summer average was also 3.4°C above the 1991-2020 norm. The heat was especially intense in north-western Switzerland, […]
Swiss shift strongly in favour of air conditioning
A hot summer has shifted attitudes towards cooling. Swiss voters also favour stronger protections for workers and pupils when temperatures soar. Air conditioning remains uncommon in Switzerland. Only about one household in ten has it. But that may be changing.A survey by Leewas for 20 Minuten and Tamedia, conducted after the hot summer of 2026, […]
Swiss government unlocks 70m to help farmers and forest owners with drought damage
Switzerland’s government is stepping up support for forestry and agriculture, two sectors hit particularly hard by drought and extreme heat. On Wednesday the Federal Council approved CHF 17.5m for forests and CHF 54m for farms. Switzerland is enduring an exceptional drought. Never before has the country recorded so little rainfall by mid-August, Albert Rösti, the […]
