1. Using another supplier’s tariff
Identify the DSO, electricity product and year on your bill. Then find the tariff schedule for your address. Geneva’s SIG conditions are not a tariff for a house in Vaud. Ask for an explanation of any charge missing from the schedule.
2. Confusing prices with consumption
Compare matching dates and kWh. Check actual readings, estimates, advance payments and adjustments. Separate energy, network, metering, levies and VAT. Compare a new metering charge with the total bill rather than assessing it in isolation.
3. Assuming electricity is always cheaper at night
Check your contract’s time bands and prices before rescheduling laundry, hot water or charging. With solar, daytime consumption can avoid a grid purchase. Compare the cost of the same activity across time bands, including fixed charges and household comfort.
4. Replacing heating without an assessment
Request a building assessment, heating-distribution temperatures and an estimate of seasonal consumption. Compare control adjustments, insulation and replacement. An advertised performance coefficient alone cannot guarantee annual savings for your home.
5. Counting a grant before approval
Check the specific measure in Vaud’s Buildings Programme. Confirm whether a GEAK Plus assessment is required and when to apply. Ask the canton what needs approval before ordering or starting work. GEAK Plus adds renovation recommendations to the energy certificate; it does not automatically qualify every appliance for a grant.
6. Valuing all solar generation at the purchase price
Separate electricity used on site from exports. Apply the cost actually avoided to the first and the feed-in contract to the second. Include investment, maintenance and financing. Compare a battery with a version without storage using the same assumptions.
7. Signing without clear responsibilities
Keep bills, readings, quotes and DSO responses in a dated project file. Identify who handles grants, grid connection, inspections and handover. Then compare the forecast measurements and budget with a full year of actual operation.