SHEDS
Understanding household energy use across Switzerland
The Swiss Household Energy Demand (SHEDS) survey is a long-running study that tracks how households across Switzerland use energy in their daily lives. Its goal is to understand energy-related behaviours, how they change over time, and where there is potential to reduce future energy consumption.
The Swiss Household Energy Demand (SHEDS) survey is a long-running study that tracks how households across Switzerland use energy in their daily lives. Its goal is to understand energy-related behaviours, how they change over time, and where there is potential to reduce future energy consumption.
About
SHEDS
The Swiss Household Energy Demand (SHEDS) survey is a long-running study that tracks how households across Switzerland use energy in their daily lives. Its goal is to understand energy-related behaviours, how they change over time, and where there is potential to reduce future energy consumption. SHEDS has collected data since 2016 and continues in regular survey waves, with around 5,000 respondents participating in each round. This creates a detailed longitudinal datasets on household energy demand in Switzerland.
Originally developed within the SCCER CREST (Competence Center for Research in Energy, Society, and Transition), SHEDS has operated since 2023 as part of the SWEET CoSi consortium, continuing its mission to support energy research and policy development in Switzerland.
What the SHEDS Survey Measures
SHEDS gathers detailed information on the installed technologies and use behaviour in different households across three major
Heating
| Electricity
| Mobility
|
Household Characteristics
To provide a rich understanding of energy behaviour, the dataset also includes a broad set of socio-economic and psychological variables.
Time-varying characteristics
| Time-invariant characteristics
|
With multiple waves spanning more than a decade, SHEDS offers a high-quality resource for studying energy transition, consumer behaviour, and long-term trends in Swiss household energy demand.
Technical description
Geographical coverage Switzerland |
Geographical resolution Households |
Temporal coverage 2016-2021, 2023 and 2025 |
Temporal resolution 1 year |
Method Online survey |
Questionnaires and data access
Data
Questionnaires
Data access
The data has open access for academic researchers within the legal limits imposed by confidentiality of respondents. All researchers using the data are required to send their request to Pieralberto Treccani enclosing a signed PDF version of the confidentiality agreement. Data accessible for commercial and societal purposes depending on financial agreement |
Team, references and how to cite
Project information
List of selected publications using SHEDS
How to cite
Farsi, M. and S. Weber (2024): Swiss Household Energy Demand Survey: Past experiences and new perspectives, IRENE Working Paper 24-06.
Team
Mehdi Farsi
Leader
UniNe
Sylvain Weber
Leader
HES-SO