In Geneva, two funders pay out energy renovation subsidies: the canton, through its energy office OCEN, and SIG-éco21. The federal Buildings Programme co-finances the cantonal grants and provides the platform on which they are filed — it is not a third window. This dossier sets out the framework: who pays what, through which channel, and which deadlines to respect so you do not lose your entitlement. For the amounts, consult the official GEnergie schedule of rates before submitting any application.
In Geneva, energy renovation subsidies are organised under the common label GEnergie. Two funders pay out: the cantonal energy office OCEN for the cantonal grants, and SIG-éco21 (Geneva's utility company). The federal Buildings Programme, by contrast, is not a third window you apply to as well: it co-finances the cantonal grants and provides the national platform on which they are filed. For an owner, the useful question is therefore not how many windows exist, but which channel each measure goes through: measures M-01 to M-18 and IP are filed on the Buildings Programme platform, measures MI-01 to MI-16 on SInergie2026 rate schedule, « Filing applications »: M-01 to M-18 and IP measures via the Buildings Programme platform; MI-01 to MI-16 via SInergie; SIG-éco21 under its own conditions.République et canton de Genève — OCEN — Barème des subventions GEnergie 2026, applicable dès le 1er février 2026, and SIG-éco21 grants follow their own conditions.
| Body | Role | What is covered | Where the application is filed |
|---|---|---|---|
| OCEN Canton of Geneva |
Pays the grant | Building envelope (façade and roof insulation, window replacement), heating and hot water systems, moving off fossil fuels, solar panels. Whole-building improvement (measure M-10): 2026 rates from CHF 60.– to CHF 390.– per m² of energy reference area, depending on use2026 rate schedule, sheet M-10: single-family 150/230/390 CHF/m² ERA, multi-family 90/140/210, other uses 60/90/150, for +2, +3, +4 or more classes.République et canton de Genève — OCEN — Barème des subventions GEnergie 2026, applicable dès le 1er février 2026 and the number of CECB classes gained. | The Buildings Programme platform for measures M-01 to M-18 and IP; SInergie for measures MI-01 to MI-16. Residential and non-residential buildings in the canton of Geneva; the application must be filed before works begin. |
| SIG-éco21 Geneva utility company |
Pays the grant | Electricity-saving measures, energy efficiency, building services, lighting, heat pumps | SIG-éco21's own window, under its own conditions. SIG customer connected to the Geneva grid; combines with OCEN grants under conditions. |
| Buildings Programme Confederation + cantons |
Co-finances and hosts the platform | No direct payment to the Geneva owner: the Buildings Programme tops up the funding of the cantonal grants, in particular the envelope and whole-building measures. | No separate application. Its national platform receives the OCEN's M-01 to M-18 and IP applications: one file, one grant decision. |
The largest grants in Geneva require certified performance levels to be reached. Two frameworks coexist: the CECB (cantonal building energy certificate), the Swiss reference standard, and the HPE/THPE labels (high and very high energy performance) defined by Geneva's energy act (LEn, L 2 30).
| Label | Legal reference | Minergie equivalent | CECB Plus class (envelope / overall efficiency) | Main heat supply | Floor-area ratio bonus (LCI art. 59) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPE High energy performance |
REn art. 12B paras. 4 and 5 REn GE L 2 30.01 |
Minergie Renovation | C / B | Non-fossil and local — or a district heating network whose non-fossil, local share reaches 50 %REn art. 12B para. 5: main supply « from non-fossil and local energy or from a district heating network whose share of non-fossil, local energy is at least 50% ».République et canton de Genève — rsGE L 2 30.01 — Règlement d'application de la loi sur l'énergie (REn) | +2,5 % |
| THPE Very high energy performance |
REn art. 12C paras. 3 and 4 REn GE L 2 30.01 |
Minergie-A or Minergie-P | B / A | Non-fossil and local — or a district heating network whose non-fossil, local share reaches 80 %REn art. 12C para. 4: same construction as art. 12B, with a district heating network whose non-fossil, local share is at least 80 %.République et canton de Genève — rsGE L 2 30.01 — Règlement d'application de la loi sur l'énergie (REn) | +5,0 % |
Sources: LEn GE L 2 30, REn GE L 2 30.01 (art. 12B/12C)REn art. 12B paras. 4 and 5 let. b: Minergie Renovation or class C/B on the CECB Plus. Art. 12C paras. 3 and 4 let. b: Minergie-A or Minergie-P, or class B/A.République et canton de Genève — rsGE L 2 30.01 — Règlement d'application de la loi sur l'énergie (REn), LCI art. 59. The floor-area ratio bonus applies to projects requiring a building permitLCI art. 59 para. 1: floor-area ratio of 25 % in zone 5, raised to 27.5 % for an HPE building and 30 % for a THPE building, including for renovated or extended buildings.République et canton de Genève — rsGE L 5 05 — Loi sur les constructions et les installations diverses (LCI), art. 59 under the LCI — check applicability with your architect.
The IDC (heat consumption index) is separate from the subsidy system. It is a regulatory monitoring tool: when a building exceeds certain thresholds, the owner is required first to commission an audit and then to carry out works. It does not directly trigger grants, but it makes a strategy urgent — and in that strategy subsidies play a key role.
GEnergie grants can in principle be combined with one another, which is a strength of the Geneva system compared with other cantons. But combining them is not automatic: it depends on the type of works, the performance level reached, and the order in which the applications are built.
A well-conducted energy renovation generates a foreseeable reduction in tenant charges (BPC), which the landlord may claim as a rent increase supplement under art. 6 para. 3 and art. 9 para. 6 LDTR. But the GEnergie schedule is explicit: the award of a subsidy definitively excludes the application of that supplement. The two routes do not add up2026 rate schedule, general conditions: « The award of a subsidy definitively excludes the application of the rent increase supplement justified by the foreseeable reduction of the tenant's energy charges (BPC) […] art. 6 para. 3 and art. 9 para. 6 LDTR ».République et canton de Genève — OCEN — Barème des subventions GEnergie 2026, applicable dès le 1er février 2026 — they must be weighed against each other, figures in hand, before filing. Subsidised landlords also undertake to pass the resulting cost reduction on to rents2026 rate schedule, general conditions: « Landlords undertake to pass on in the rents the reduction in property costs obtained thanks to the subsidies ».République et canton de Genève — OCEN — Barème des subventions GEnergie 2026, applicable dès le 1er février 2026.
| Type of measure | OCEN (canton) | SIG-éco21 | Condition for combining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Façade / roof insulation | ✓ M-10 if gain ≥ 2 CECB classes |
— | Can be combined, a single application |
| Window replacement | ✓ M-10 if gain ≥ 2 CECB classes |
— | Careful: windows before external insulation = loss of performance |
| Heat pump / geothermal exchange | ✓ | ✓ | Maximum combination possible — check for double counting |
| Solar thermal / PV panels | ✓ | ✓ | Keep the PV application separate from the envelope renovation application |
| Balanced mechanical ventilation | ✓ | Case by case | Subsidised if linked to the envelope renovation |
| M-15 bonus (staged renovation) | ✓ | — | Achievable over several years; plan from stage 1 |
The Buildings Programme has no column in this table: it pays nothing directly to the Geneva owner, it co-finances the grants in the OCEN column and opens no separate application. This table is indicative. The conditions for combining grants may change as the rate schedule is updated. Always check the version in force on ge.ch before filing your application.
The most important rule in the GEnergie system is also the most frequently overlooked: the grant application must be filed before the works begin. Otherwise the grants are lost, with no remedy. This is not a formality — it is a substantive condition.
The most expensive mistakes with subsidies are not miscalculated amounts but errors of sequence and method. Here are the situations we regularly encounter in files that arrive too late.
For owners of property in neighbouring France (Haute-Savoie, Ain), the national scheme is called MaPrimeRénov'. The « rénovation d'ampleur » (whole-house renovation) pathway is the only one that reaches significant funding levels for complete works. No rate or ceiling is reproduced here, deliberately: this scheme has been revised several times since 2024, and a figure copied onto a web page ages badly.
Rates, ceilings on eligible expenditure, capping and combination with the ANAH, energy saving certificates and local authorities: these parameters are set out on france-renov.gouv.fr or can be calculated using the official simulator. The first step is free in any case: an appointment at the nearest France Rénov' advice centre.
GEnergie and the Buildings Programme: one file or two?
One, contrary to a widespread beliefge.ch: cantonal grant applications for measures M-01 to M-18, IP-04 to IP-08 and IP-19 are filed « on the Buildings Programme platform » — a single circuit, not a second window.République et canton de Genève — OCEN — Subvention énergie pour les bâtiments. In Geneva, the federal Buildings Programme is not a separate window you apply to as well: it co-finances the cantonal grants, and its national platform is the entry point for the OCEN's M-01 to M-18 and IP measures. One application, one grant decision, one completion file. What genuinely combines are the measures with one another — and the SIG-éco21 grants, which follow their own circuit.
My building is under condominium ownership: how does the application work?
For a condominium, the grant application for the common parts must in principle be made by the management or collectively by the co-owners. For the privately owned parts (an individual flat), each co-owner may file their own application. The decision to renovate the common parts generally requires a qualified majority at the owners' meeting — build that delay into your schedule.
Is AMOén (client-side energy advisory support) still subsidised?
No — since 1 February 2026, AMOén has been removed from the GEnergie rate schedulePress release of 2 February 2026: « Removal of the AMOén energy client-side advisory grant, having reached the end of its three-year term ». The 2026 rate schedule no longer contains an AMOén sheet.République et canton de Genève — OCEN / DEE — Subventions énergétiques 2026 : 80 millions de francs pour accélérer la rénovation du parc bâti genevois. Expert support remains strongly recommended in order to optimise the combination of grants and avoid timing errors, but its cost is no longer covered by the cantonal programme. It can, however, be included in the project agent's fee.
My building has a high IDC but I have not yet received a letter from the OCEN. Should I wait?
No. The OCEN's letter confirms that a threshold has been exceeded — it does not create the obligation, the law does. Waiting for that letter wastes preparation time and risks leaving you under pressure to choose between poor options. Having the building read without delay allows a chosen rather than an imposed renovation strategy, with the grants correctly assembled before the works.
What is the ideal order if I have to spread the works over several years?
The generally recommended sequence is: roof first (the fastest thermal gain, with the solar obligation to factor in), then façades and external walls with external insulation, then windows — taking account of their final position in the insulated wall, which must be decided before installation. Heating systems and ventilation come after, or at the same time as, the envelope. The golden rule: design the whole project from the outset, even if the site work spreads over 5 or 10 years. That is what makes the M-15 bonus achievable and avoids costly mistakes between stages.
Every figure and every claim in this dossier links back to its source. Hover or tap a footnote marker to see it.
Identifying the grants, weighing up the channels, advice on the timeline: let's talk about your building before the works start.
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