Error n°1: Search for a competitor
Forget energy brokers and comparison platforms (Uswitch, Selectra). The Swiss legislator protects its more than 600 “municipal industrial services” (mini-companies often owned by cantons and municipalities). They are inseparably concerned with water pipes, local security and the line under your feet. Buying new real estate three kilometers away across a cantonal border will mathematically capsize your monthly payments. Take this criterion to the stage and visit the Homegate real estate portal.
Error n°2: Assuming that state coverage will cover you
The Swiss energy system is the pride of a liberal-protectionist umbrella policy. If the inverter collapses on the wall 5 years later, do not cry about the hidden legal defect covered by 10 consumer laws. Unlike the very repressive European criminal law for defective workmanship, your safety net in the event of an installer's problem (if he has gone bankrupt without solidity insurance) is thin. Be sure from the outset to explicitly request equipment with absolute transferable hardware guarantees (example: microinverters at 25 years assumed in California) with a certified expert installer (SIA / Swissolar), rather than running the cleanest mandate on the web.
The beauty of the devil: Swiss quality has its counterparts
In defense of its network: The expulsion of the competitive liberal system justifies why Switzerland has an average blackout time 10x lower than the France/South average. The monolythic architecture is maintained via the famous heavy “network usage charges” on your bill (Network Stamp). The expatriate then quickly understands that becoming self-producer, via a beautiful photovoltaic wing of pure and simple self-consumption (to escape the addition of this structural monopoly), retaliates against the most urgent decision of adaptation for this dear peaceful Switzerland.