Choice of supplier, invoice and solar income: what the Switzerland-EU agreement provides for and how to prepare your project without anticipating unknown prices.
Does the Switzerland-EU agreement already change your electricity contract?
No: signing the agreement does not mean that all the new rules are already applicable to your household. As of September 28, 2026, it is necessary to distinguish the signed text, the political process and a future entry into force. The official FDFA file on the Switzerland-EU package indicates a signature on March 2, 2026 and the transmission of the message to Parliament on March 13.
The subject is back in the news, particularly with the launch, on September 9, 2026, of an alliance supporting the agreement. This position, relayed by Swissolar, shows the importance of the debate for the sector; it constitutes neither a decision to enter into force nor a guarantee of a reduction in your bill. A solar project must remain understandable with the contracts available today.
What the project plans for small consumers
The Federal Council presented on January 28, 2026 a framework within which all consumers could choose their supplier. The project provides a basic supply at regulated prices for households and sites consuming less than 50 MWh per year, or 50’000 kWh, with the possibility of staying there or returning according to the applicable terms.
This describes a planned development, not a possibility of change already acquired by all households. Before accepting a commercial offer that invokes the agreement, ask about the applicable basis, effective date and conditions of access. A general promise of “market freedom” is not enough to determine your current contract.
For a small business or a grouped building, do not assume that the number of occupants corresponds to the number of consumption sites selected. Have the point of supply, annual volume and contractual structure identified. The announced framework also includes a specific possibility for certain very small companies consuming between 50 and 100 MWh; its criteria must be verified individually.
Supplier and network manager: two roles
The supplier sells the energy. The manager operates the network that serves your building. A change of energy contract does not physically replace the cable on your street and does not eliminate metering or network usage costs. This distinction remains essential when comparing prices advertised as “cheaper”.
Ask for a complete breakdown: energy, network, taxes and contributions, fixed costs and possible additional services. A reduction on energy alone is not an identical reduction on the entire bill. For a solar owner, a second contract or contractual component must be added: the recovery of the surplus produced. A good price to buy does not guarantee a good price to sell.
Why the agreement can count for Swiss solar
The agreement aims in particular at a more integrated framework for electricity exchanges and coordination with neighboring countries. At the scale of a building, this cooperation and local production fulfill different functions. Your panels produce according to the sunshine; your connection continues to ensure exchanges when production and consumption do not coincide.
It would therefore be excessive to conclude that the agreement makes the panels useless, or that a solar installation exempts the household from any network. The decision depends on the roof, the cost, the uses and the contracts. A national debate on security of supply does not replace a simulation of your home.
The point to watch out for: minimum remuneration
The official electricity sheet provides for the abolition of the minimum remuneration for installations of less than 150 kW upon entry into force of the agreement. A three-year transition is envisaged for those put into service after February 19, 2025 and before this entry into force. This is the intended framework, not a deletion already applicable.
So do not automatically extend a current mechanism for twenty-five years. Ask which revenues are guaranteed by contract, which are based on a current rule, and which are just assumptions. Also test a variant without a floor in the long term. Your household rate and your roof income must remain legible separately.
How to test your profitability without predicting prices
Separate self-consumed kWh from injected kWh. For self-consumption, use the truly avoidable cost of purchasing from the network. For injection, use the relevant recovery conditions. The fixed costs that remain due should not be counted as a saving proportional to each kWh produced.
Here's a made-up example. An installation directly consumes 3’500 kWh per year. At CHF 0.25 of avoided variable cost, this represents CHF 875. If this cost increases to CHF 0.20, the value becomes CHF 700, or CHF 175 less. This shows a sensitivity of the project; this is not a forecast linked to the agreement.
Let us assume separately 6’000 kWh injected. At CHF 0.08, the income is CHF 480; at CHF 0.05, it is CHF 300. The difference reaches CHF 180. In this example, the two variations together reduce the annual result by CHF 355. You can thus test your safety margin without pretending to know future market prices.
Then add maintenance, financing and possible replacement of equipment. Compare several years, identifying the parameters that your contract actually sets. Our guide on guarantees of origin in 2027 explains another line of income to keep separate from the sale of energy.
Should we wait for approval before installing?
Waiting can have a cost if an already interesting project does not produce for several seasons. But moving forward with a poorly prepared project can also lead to avoidable expenses. So compare two concrete timetables: availability of installers, condition of the roof, electrical work, financing, confirmed aid and tax constraints.
Request that the “install now” variation is based on current rules. For the “wait” variant, calculate the expected site savings and lost production, without taking a future price reduction as a given. The guide on solar before the 2029 tax reform helps to distinguish a deadline already set from a change still subject to the political process.
Does a battery protect against all uncertainties?
A battery can shift consumption over time, but it does not remove winter production limits or all grid purchases. Its interest depends on price differences, losses, the number of useful cycles and its cost. A more flexible rate can create opportunities; it may also require a paid energy management service and more attentive management.
Electrical backup constitutes yet another function. To power circuits during an outage, the battery and the installation must be designed for this use. Don't confuse connected storage with backup power. Specify powered circuits, available power and estimated duration with your real devices.
Questions to ask before any new contract
- Is the price fixed, indexed or changeable, and on what dates?
- Is the comparison for energy alone or for the entire bill?
- Who takes my surplus and under what different conditions?
- What commitments concern guarantees of origin and battery management?
- What are the duration, notice period, fixed costs and exit conditions?
- Which clauses really depend on future entry into force?
Keep a dated copy of the offer and conditions. A useful comparison must remain verifiable after signing. For your project, the strongest elements remain realistic production, suitable equipment and legible contracts. Monitoring the agreement makes it possible to update these hypotheses when effective rules are known.