SHEDS

Understanding household energy use across Switzerland

Since 2016

Longitudinal
Long-running study tracking household energy behaviors with multiple survey waves over time

~5,000 Respondents

Per wave
Comprehensive dataset from thousands of households providing detailed energy use insights.

8+ Survey Waves

Active
Regular survey waves from 2016-2021, 2023, and 2025 capturing behavioral changes over time.

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

    Heating systems, Indoor temperatures, Hot water use, Related behaviours

  • Electricity

    Appliance types, Energy efficiency ratings, Everyday usage of electrical devices

  • Mobility

    Vehicle characteristics, Fuel efficiency, Travel distances, Commuting habits

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

    Collected in every survey wave, Behaviour changes, new technologies, updated practices

  • Time-invariant characteristics

    Collected once when respondents join, Basic demographics and stable household attributes

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

2025

979 kB

2023

856 kB

2021

1.5 MB

2020

1 MB

2018

2 MB

2017

3 MB

2016

607 kB

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

Publications using SHEDS

SHEDS_Publications.pdf

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