In Switzerland, 2019 saw a sharp increase in both demand and supply of pellets.
The share of domestic pellets in total pellet purchases in Switzerland reached 77 percent: an impressive 257,000 tons of pellets, a 6 percent increase over 2018. Another 10% comes from Germany, 6% from Austria, as much from France, and 1% from other countries. From an environmental point of view, it is important to point out that Switzerland and the neighboring countries from which the rest of the pellets are sourced implement a sustainable and legally controlled forestry economy. Pellets are produced from waste from wood-processing companies and thus have an excellent ecological balance, winning the title of renewable fuel with flying colors!
In the past year, sales of pellet heating systems increased by about 10 percent, and about 332,000 tons of pellets were consumed, a 9 percent increase over 2018.
Despite the strong growth in sales of pellet systems, the share of this type of heating in Swiss households and businesses is still very small (about 30,000 installations). The Swiss Federal Office of Energy has calculated that 30,000 oil and gas heating systems will have to be replaced each year to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Especially in the case of old buildings with high heat demand, pellet heating is an excellent alternative to fossil fuel systems, benefiting the environment, health and also the pockets of property owners.
Photo: © proPellets.ch