In May 2010, we surveyed 473 Swiss homeowners about their preferences for energy efficiency renovations in their homes. We used conjoint choice experiments that asked respondents to choose among hypothetical energy efficiency renovation projects. We find that homeowners are responsive to the...

Although Switzerland is not a EU-member country, in December 1999 the Swiss Parliament adopted the new Swiss Electricity Market Law (EML). The EML laid the foundations for reforming the Swiss electricity industry by moving from regulation to deregulation. The Swiss population will vote on this...

Although Switzerland is not a EU-member country, in December 1999 the Swiss Parliament adopted the new Swiss Electricity Market Law (EML). The EML laid the foundations for reforming the Swiss electricity industry by moving from regulation to deregulation. The Swiss population will vote on this...

Noise, air pollution and electromagnetic pollution (i.e. non-ionizing radiation, also called electrosmog) are typical negative local externalities in urban areas. They are side-effects of human and economic activity (e.g. road transport, telecommunication) and affect individuals’ well-being...

The electricity generation in Switzerland is mainly based on hydropower (55% of total production). The exploitation of water in the hydropower sector can generate significant so-called resource rents. These are defined by the surplus return above the value of capital, labor, materials and energy...

The gasoline price differential existing across the border between Switzerland and its neighbouring countries (gasoline price in Switzerland is generally lower than in the neighbouring countries) has encouraged the phenomenon of fuel tourism to develop. People living in the bordering regions of...

The electricity generation in Switzerland is mainly based on hydropower accounting for 58 percent of the total production. The exploitation of water in the hydropower sector can generate significant economic rents. These rents –the so-called resource rents - are defined by the surplus return...

This paper uses a choice experiment to evaluate the consumers’ willingness to pay for energysaving measures in residential buildings. These measures include air renewal systems as well as thermal insulation of windows and facades. In addition to considerable savings in energy consumption,...

This paper evaluates the impacts of electrosmog, noise and air pollution on the dwellings’ rents in the cities of Zurich and Lugano. The hedonic price regressions are estimated using a large micro-level data set and taking into account the spatial correlation in unobserved factors. The results...