Which works are covered by the Building Programme?

The Building Programme does not cover a vague category called “building works”. It supports defined energy measures, and those measures are then applied through cantonal rules. The right first filter is therefore not your contractor’s wording, but the official measure your project may match in your canton, for your building type, and at your project stage.

At a general level, works can fall within scope when they are presented as an energy-improvement measure rather than as ordinary upkeep. In practice, users most often look at four families:

• insulation-related works on the building envelope
• heating-related system changes
• ventilation-related measures
• broader or bundled renovation approaches

That list is a map, not an approval. A project only becomes readable once you know which measure family is actually driving the application.

This distinction matters because the same physical job can be described in two ways:

• as a construction task on a quote
• as an official subsidy measure in an application

The Building Programme works from the second logic. A “roof renovation”, for example, may include structural repair, waterproofing, insulation, finishes, and associated site works. The programme question is not whether the roof is being renovated in general. It is whether the project includes an officially recognisable energy measure, and under what local conditions that measure is assessed.

So the short answer is:

• Some energy-related works can fall within scope.
• Scope is measure-based, not merely trade-based.
• Final eligibility depends on the competent canton and the concrete project file.

The exact measure matters because subsidy systems do not assess intentions; they assess a defined intervention. “Insulation”, “heating replacement”, or “ventilation” are only useful starting labels. The decisive question is which official measure the project corresponds to, what technical definition applies, and whether your canton treats that measure separately, jointly, or not at all.

This is the point where many misunderstandings begin. Owners often ask, “I am replacing my heating” or “I am insulating the façade.” Administratively, that may still be too vague. The relevant measure can depend on factors such as:

• which part of the building is being improved
• whether the change is partial or complete
• whether the work is a standalone intervention or part of a wider renovation
• whether the canton requires a specific application path, form, or technical evidence
• whether the project has already started, been ordered, or remains at the planning stage

The practical consequence is simple: work type alone does not answer the subsidy question.

A reliable reading usually follows this order:

• Name the main measure.

Do not stop at “renovation” or “replacement”. Identify the official measure family first.

• Check the canton.

The programme framework is not applied as one uniform national file. Conditions, portals, and measure presentation can differ by canton.

• Read the project as it really exists.

A mixed project may combine one potentially supported measure with other items that are neutral, separate, or outside the same route.

• Check project timing.

If a canton attaches procedural conditions to the application sequence, that can matter as much as the technical scope.

• Verify the supporting documents.

Quotes, plans, technical descriptions, and building information may all influence how a measure is classified.

This is why copying a friend’s result, a neighbour’s subsidy amount, or a contractor’s sales wording is risky. The Building Programme does not reward works because they sound energy-efficient in general terms. It works through defined measures, each of which has to be matched correctly.

Insulation, heating, ventilation, and global renovation should not be read as interchangeable labels. They describe different decision layers: one may target the building envelope, another the energy system, another air handling, and another a broader renovation approach. The useful method is to identify which family is primary, then verify whether your canton treats the others as separate measures, linked conditions, or a combined path.

A common error is to read all energy works as if they lived under one identical rule. They do not play the same role in a project. Some are component-based, some are system-based, and some only make sense when the whole renovation is assessed together.

The table below is a reading tool to help you place your project before you open the detailed project page.

The value of this comparison is not to rank the measures, but to show that they answer different questions:

• Insulation asks which envelope element is being improved.
• Heating asks which system is being changed.
• Ventilation asks whether the ventilation intervention is recognised as its own energy measure or linked to a broader standard.
• Global renovation asks whether the project should be judged as a package rather than by isolated lines.

Read together, these families help you avoid two opposite mistakes:

• assuming one supported measure automatically carries the whole renovation with it
• assuming a bundled renovation must always be split into unrelated pieces

The correct reading depends on canton, measure design, and project structure.

The most frequently confused works are borderline items: they sit next to an energy measure, they may be necessary to carry it out, but they are not automatically covered under the same logic. Similar-looking projects often need separate verification because the administrative question is narrower than the construction question.

This is where “looks similar” becomes misleading. Several types of project deserve extra caution.

• Maintenance versus energy improvement A building element may be repaired, refreshed, or replaced without necessarily being read as the same thing as an energy-improvement measure. If a project combines upkeep with thermal improvement, the energy part may need to be isolated clearly in the file.
• Main measure versus associated works A heating or insulation project can include enabling works, preparatory works, finishing works, or adaptations elsewhere in the building. Those associated items may be technically necessary for construction, but that does not mean they automatically follow the same subsidy treatment.
• Standalone measure versus bundled quote Contractors often present a single commercial package. Subsidy reading may still separate that package into:
• the core measure
• related but separately assessed items
• items outside the same route
• Ventilation for comfort versus ventilation as a defined measure A ventilation intervention may be marketed for comfort, indoor air quality, compliance, or energy performance. The subsidy question is narrower: does the canton define the actual project as a supported measure under the relevant route?
• Broad renovation versus multiple single measures A whole-building project may look like one operation from a project-management perspective. Administratively, it may still need to be read either:
• as one broader renovation path, if offered by the canton, or
• as several distinct measures that each require their own verification

The safest reflex is to ask not “are these works connected on site?” but “are these works treated under the same official measure?” That one question prevents most scope errors.

Move from the general page to a project page as soon as you can name the dominant measure family. The general page answers scope. The project page is where you begin checking conditions, documents, sequencing, and the specific points that change from insulation to heating to ventilation. If you still cannot identify the measure, go back to the parent programme page before going deeper.

Use this sequence:

• You need the overall subsidy framework first

Go to the parent page: Building Programme overview.

• Your main project is thermal improvement of the building envelope

Continue to the insulation route: Insulation project page.

• Your main project is a heating-system change

Continue to the heating route: Heating project page.

• Your main project is a ventilation measure

Continue to the ventilation route: Ventilation project page.

• Your renovation combines several work families

First identify which measure would most likely anchor the application in your canton. If your canton offers a broader renovation route, verify that path before assuming that one component page tells the whole story.

A useful rule of thumb is this:

• stay on the general page when your question is “what kind of works can be concerned?”
• move to a project page when your question becomes “how is this specific measure usually verified?”

That shift matters because the next stage is no longer about broad scope. It is about the real file: canton, building, measure, timing, and documents.