Swiss electricity · Myth vs. Fact
5 things people believe
about their electricity bill.
How many are actually true?
Answer all five below — then scroll down for the facts that really matter about the energy transition.
Question 1 of 5
Your electricity provider buys solar energy from producers for roughly the same price they charge you.
Think about where the money actually goes.
🚫 Myth
They buy it for ~7 Rp. The energy component alone is ~12 Rp.
Your utility pays solar producers around ~7 Rp./kWh under the feed-in tariff (BFE Referenzmarktpreis 2025). The median energy component on your bill is ~12 Rp./kWh (ElCom 2026). The ~5 Rp. energy margin is what local energy communities can address. The remaining ~16 Rp. covers grid fees (~10.75 Rp.) and surcharges/levies (~4.84 Rp.), which apply regardless of source.
~5 Rp.
Energy margin per kWh between what utilities pay producers and the energy component they charge consumers (ElCom 2026)
Question 2 of 5
You need to own solar panels to benefit from solar energy in Switzerland.
Think about who actually pays electricity bills in apartment buildings.
🚫 Myth
No panels. No installation. Not even close.
Since January 2026, Swiss law allows renters and apartment owners to join a Local Electricity Community (LEG) and receive solar energy from a nearby producer — without installing anything, cancelling their provider, or modifying their home. You just register. Read our full guide on how solar energy works for renters in 2026.
60%
Of Swiss households are renters — the exact audience LEG 2026 was designed for
Question 3 of 5
Swiss electricity prices fell in 2025 and 2026, so the energy cost problem is basically solved.
Compare today’s price to 2010, not just to last year’s peak.
🚫 Myth
Prices ‘fell’ to a level still 73% above 2010.
Yes, prices dropped from 32.1 Rp./kWh in 2024 to 27.7 Rp./kWh in 2026 as crisis-era contracts expired. But in 2010 the median was 16.0 Rp./kWh. You’re paying nearly twice what you paid 16 years ago — for the same electricity. See our full analysis of Swiss electricity prices in 2026.
+73%
Swiss household electricity price increase from 2010 to 2026 — despite the recent falls
Question 4 of 5
Your landlord can legally block you from joining an energy community.
Swiss tenancy law vs. energy law — which one applies here?
🚫 Myth
Your landlord controls the provider. Not your rights.
Under the revised StromVG, joining a Local Electricity Community as a consumer is your individual right as a tenant. No landlord approval needed. No changes to your rental contract. No building modifications required.
0
Changes required to your tenancy, building, or existing provider to join an Upgrid community
Question 5 of 5
Austria has more energy communities per capita than any other country in Europe.
Austria passed their energy sharing law in 2021 — 5 years before Switzerland.
✅ Fact
6,000+ communities in 4 years. Austria is the blueprint.
Austria’s EAG, enacted in 2021, was the first full energy community law in Europe. By mid-2025, over 6,000 operational energy communities existed. Their renewable electricity share hit 90% in 2024. Switzerland starts in January 2026 — with the playbook already written.
6,000+
Energy communities active in Austria by mid-2025 — four years after their law passed
0/5
Good start — now you know 💡
Your utility has been quietly counting on you not knowing this.
You’re not alone. Most people don’t know the ~5 Rp. energy margin, or that they can legally address it through a local energy community. That’s exactly what Upgrid is changing.
Join an energy community— it’s free
Why it matters
The case for decentralised energy.
In 8 facts.
In 8 facts.
The myths above aren’t accidents. Here’s what centralised energy systems hide — and what becomes possible when communities take back control.
+73%
Swiss electricity prices rose 73% since 2010 — on the same infrastructure
The grid didn’t get 73% better. Solar physics didn’t change. What changed is procurement strategy, crisis-era contracts, and a monopoly structure with zero competitive pressure. In 2024 alone, prices jumped 46% in a single year — consumers paid for a crisis that was already over.
6,000+
Energy communities are already running in Austria — since 2021
Austria passed its energy community law four years before Switzerland. By mid-2025, over 6,000 communities were operational and 90% of Austrian electricity came from renewables. Solar installation hit national records. Switzerland starts in 2026 with the playbook already written.
60%
60% of Swiss people rent — and couldn’t touch their electricity bill until now
Renters couldn’t install solar. Couldn’t change provider. Couldn’t negotiate. For decades, the energy transition was a homeowner story. The LEG law changes that entirely. No installation, no landlord approval, no provider switch. Just register. Compare the LEG, ZEV, and vZEV models.
~5 Rp.
~5 Rappen energy margin per kWh — what communities can address
Solar producers receive ~7 Rp./kWh in feed-in tariff. The median energy component is ~12 Rp./kWh (ElCom 2026). The ~5 Rp. energy margin is what local energy communities address. Grid fees (~10.75 Rp.) and surcharges (~4.84 Rp.) cover infrastructure and apply regardless of source. Local energy communities share the energy margin directly between producers and consumers.
8 GW
Switzerland has 8 GW of installed solar — most of it still flows to utilities, not neighbours
Until January 2026, producers had no legal way to sell electricity directly to someone next door. It all went through the grid at 6 Rp./kWh. LEG means that electricity can now stay local — and its value stays with the people who generated it.