Passivhaus, Minergie®, Geneva's HPE, SNBS, DGNB… Labels keep multiplying, and their names are sometimes actively confusing. This dossier compares them on the criteria that matter for your project.
Energy labels follow very different logics: some measure heating demand alone, others factor in renewable energy generation, and others again address health, materials or the whole-building sustainability picture.
Their geographic reach differs too. In French-speaking Switzerland the market is dominated by Minergie®. In Geneva, the cantonal energy act (LEn — L 2 30) defines the HPE and THPE levels, HPE being the legal minimum for any new buildLEn art. 15 para. 1: new buildings and extensions "respectent des standards de haute performance énergétique" — they meet high energy performance standards.République et canton de Genève — rsGE L 2 30 — Loi sur l'énergie (LEn), art. 15 al. 1 — not to be confused with identically named French labels that sit in an entirely different regulatory context. The Passivhaus standard (PHI Darmstadt) is international and recognised everywhere, but less common in routine Swiss practice.
The Passivhaus Institut (PHI) in Darmstadt has defined a full range of standards, all built on the same calculation tool — the PHPP — and the same principle: cut demand before you generate. Certification is issued by PHI-accredited bodies.
The reference standard. Two alternative heating criteria: space heating demand ≤ 15 kWh/m²·yr or peak heating load ≤ 10 W/m²PHI, criterion 1: "not to exceed 15 kWh per square meter of net living space per year or 10 W per square meter peak demand".Passive House Institute, Darmstadt — Passive House requirements. The second criterion often governs in colder climates. Airtightness n₅₀ ≤ 0.6/h and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery are mandatoryPHI, criterion 3: 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pa, verified in both pressurised and depressurised states. Heat recovery: at least 75 % of the exhaust air heat.Passive House Institute, Darmstadt — Passive House requirements. This is the threshold at which a conventional heating system becomes unnecessary. Compatible with Minergie®-P in Switzerland.
Same envelope requirements as Classic, but two criteria tighten at once: renewable primary energy demand (PER) and on-site renewable generation (usually photovoltaics). Classic: PER ≤ 60 kWh/m²·yr, no generation required. Plus: PER ≤ 45 kWh/m²·yr and generation ≥ 60 kWh/m²·yr. Premium: PER ≤ 30 kWh/m²·yr and generation ≥ 120 kWh/m²·yrPassipedia: Premium requires 120 kWh/(m²a) generated and a PER demand cut to 30 kWh/(m²a). Generation is referred to the building footprint, not the treated floor area.Passipedia — Passive House Institute — Classic, Plus, Premium: The Passive House classes and how they can be reached. The building becomes a net contributor to the grid.
Reaching the 15 kWh of Classic is not always realistic in a retrofit, given structural constraints (residual thermal bridges, existing geometry). EnerPHit allows 25 kWh/m²·yrPHI criteria: EnerPHit offers two routes, the energy demand method (25 kWh/(m²a) in a cool-temperate climate) and the component method, with target U-values per element.Passive House Institute (Passipedia) — Criteria for the Passive House, EnerPHit and PHI Low Energy Building Standard, or works through a component method in which each element meets target U-values. It is the right target for an ambitious retrofit.
An intermediate level (≤ 30 kWh/m²·yr), sometimes referred to in French as BaSE — Bâtiment Sobre en Énergie, which is not an official PHI designationThe PHI Low Energy Building standard does exist; the French wording "BaSE — Bâtiment Sobre en Énergie" could not be traced to any PHI publication.Source to be established — unverified figure. Recognised by PHI for projects where Classic is out of reach: architectural constraints, unfavourable geometry, difficult existing fabric. Not yet as widespread as the other levels, but useful as a transitional target or as a floor of ambition for complex retrofits.
Minergie® is a Swiss association founded in 1998Strategy page on minergie.ch: « The Minergie association, founded in 1998 and currently counting some 1,850 members and specialist partners, including all 26 Swiss cantons and the Principality of Liechtenstein ».Association Minergie — Minergie 2024-2027 : lignes directrices et champs d'action. Its labels are the most widespread in French-speaking Switzerland for both new builds and retrofits. The Minergie index (MKZ) covers heating, domestic hot water, ventilation, lighting and appliances — a broader scope than the PHPP's.
The -ECO variant adds a layer of requirements on indoor health (air quality, construction materials) and building ecology (embodied energy, recyclability). It can be combined with any of the three levels: Minergie-ECO, Minergie-P-ECO, Minergie-A-ECO.
NRG positive is a member of the Minergie® associationStatement by the author of this site. Not checked against the membership list published by Minergie.Source to be established — unverified figure — which allows support and advice on the standards, but not the issuing of certification (that is handled by the association or its cantonal bodies).
In Geneva it is the energy act (LEn — L 2 30) and its implementing regulation that define the HPE and THPE levels for new buildings and major retrofits. HPE is not a voluntary label: it is the legal minimum for any new build ; THPE is required for new buildings owned by public authorities and by public-law institutions and foundations. Monitoring of the existing stock, meanwhile, relies on theIDC (heat consumption index), traditionally expressed in MJ/m²·yr — but increasingly converted into kWh/m²·yr, including by the cantonal energy office itself.
New buildings must meet the limit values of the cantonal directive, which refers to the cantons' model energy regulations (MoPEC). HPE and THPE correspond to performance levels that go beyond that regulatory minimum:
Exact thresholds vary with building type (single-family, multi-family, commercial) and with the version of the cantonal regulation in force. Refer to the OCBA or OCEN for up-to-date values.
SNBS and DGNB share the same ambition: to assess a building as a whole — not only its energy, but its materials, its environmental impact, the comfort of its occupants, and its economic and social dimension. These approaches rest on several dozen indicators.
LEED (US) and BREEAM (UK) are also present internationally. In French-speaking Switzerland and neighbouring France they remain uncommon for mid-sized residential or institutional projects — you mostly meet them in international headquarters or university campuses.
For projects in neighbouring France (Haute-Savoie, Ain, Jura…), it is French thermal regulation that applies, not Swiss. The key markers:
Passivhaus Classic is compatible with — and goes beyond — the requirements of the French RE2020. A Passivhaus-certified project in France automatically satisfies thermal regulation and can aim for the BEPOS label with a reasonably sized PV array.
Every label side by side. Scroll right to see the whole table.
| Criterion | PHI Low Energy |
Passivhaus Classic |
Passivhaus Plus |
Passivhaus Premium |
EnerPHit (retrofit) |
Minergie® | Minergie®-P | Minergie®-A | +ECO (variant) |
HPE Geneva |
THPE Geneva |
SNBS | DGNB | RE2020 † (France) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Origin / body | PHI Darmstadt | PHI Darmstadt | PHI Darmstadt | PHI Darmstadt | PHI Darmstadt | Minergie® CH | Minergie® CH | Minergie® CH | Minergie® CH | Canton of Geneva | Canton of Geneva | NNBS CH | DGNB DE/EU | French state |
| Scope | New + retrofit | New + retrofit | New build | New build | Retrofit | New + retrofit | Mainly new build | New build | + to any level | New + retrofit | New + retrofit | New + retrofit | New + retrofit | New + retrofit (France) |
| Heating demand * | ≤ 30 | ≤ 15 | ≤ 15 | ≤ 15 | ≤ 25 | ≤ 90 % MoPEC 2025 | ≤ 70 % MoPEC 2025 | ≤ 90 % MoPEC 2025 | depends on base | SIA 380/1 limits | SIA 380/1 targets | integrated | integrated | Bbio + Cep † |
| Renewable generation required | — | — | ≥ 60 kWh | ≥ 120 kWh | — | PV: 60 % of roof (new build) | PV: 60 % of roof (new build) | generation ≥ demand | — | ≥ 50 % non-fossil | ≥ 80 % non-fossil | — | — | encouraged (Bbio) |
| Airtightness | recommended | n₅₀ ≤ 0,6/h | n₅₀ ≤ 0,6/h | n₅₀ ≤ 0,6/h | n₅₀ ≤ 1,0/h | not required | qE50 ≤ 0,8 | qE50 ≤ 0,8 | — | — | — | — | — | Q4 mandatory |
| Ventilation with heat recovery | strongly advised | mandatory | mandatory | mandatory | mandatory | automatic air renewal required | mech. ventilation (SIA 382/1:2025) | mech. ventilation (SIA 382/1:2025) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Calculation tool | PHPP | PHPP | PHPP | PHPP | PHPP | EnDK-certified software | EnDK-certified software | EnDK-certified software | — | SIA 380/1 | SIA 380/1 | multi-criteria | multi-criteria | Th-BCE (official FR engine)The Th-BCE method is approved by the French order of 4 August 2021 and cited in the RE2020 FAQ (annex III, Th-BCE method).Ministère de la transition écologique — portail RT-RE bâtiment — FAQ RE2020 — Champ et calendrier d'application |
| Ecology / health criteria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | yes — ECO | — | — | yes — broad | yes — broad | Ic construction (carbon) |
| On-site verification | — | Blower Door | Blower Door | Blower Door | Blower Door | QA inspection | QA inspection | QA inspection | depends on base | — | — | audit | audit | permeability test (Q4) |
| Relevance, French-speaking CH | ✦ technical reference | ✦✦ recognised | ✦✦ | ✦✦ | ✦✦ ambitious retrofit | ✦✦✦ dominant | ✦✦✦ dominant | ✦✦ | ✦✦ growing | ✦✦✦ Geneva only | ✦✦✦ Geneva only | ✦✦ public sector | ✦ offices/corporate | France only |
| Certification cost (indicative) | — | CHF 1 000–3 000 | CHF 1 000–3 000 | CHF 1 000–3 000 | CHF 1 000–3 000 | CHF 800–2 500 | CHF 1 000–3 000 | CHF 1 500–4 000 | +CHF 500–1 500 | permit process | permit process | CHF 5 000–20 000 | CHF 8 000–30 000 | FR permit process |
* Space heating demand per PHPP (Passivhaus, in kWh/m²·yr) or as a % of the MoPEC 2025 limit values computed per SIA 380/1:2016 (Minergie®, 2026.1 regulation — absolute minimum 15 kWh/m²·yr, fossil fuels prohibitedClause 6.1: at least 15 kWh/(m2a) even where the computed limit value is lower. Clause 8.1: fossil energy carriers not permitted for heating and hot water, all labels.Association Minergie — Règlement des labels Minergie/Minergie-P/Minergie-A, version 2026.1, ch. 6.1 et 8.1). Reference floor areas are computed differently across standards — a direct comparison of thresholds is approximate. Airtightness: n₅₀ in h⁻¹ (Passivhaus), qE50 in m³/(h·m²) per EN ISO 9972:2015 (Minergie®)Clause 6.2: qE50 ≤ 0.8 m³/(h·m²) for new builds and 1.6 for retrofits, for Minergie-P and Minergie-A. The regulation cites SIA 180:2014 and SN EN ISO 9972:2022.Association Minergie — Règlement des labels Minergie/Minergie-P/Minergie-A, version 2026.1, ch. 6.2. ✦ = market relevance (indicative). Certification costs exclude engineering fees.
† RE2020 is a mandatory French thermal regulation, not a voluntary label. Its indicators (Bbio, Cep, Ic) are not directly comparable with the kWh/m²·yr of the Passivhaus or Minergie® standards — hence the partial comparison in this table.
Three questions are enough to steer the choice for the great majority of projects in French-speaking Switzerland and neighbouring France.
In every case the final choice also depends on the subsidies available (some cantons subsidise Minergie® more heavily than Passivhaus), on how the project is positioned in the market, and on whether the client actually wants certification or simply wants to build to the standard without the formal process.
Every figure and every claim in this dossier links back to its source. Hover or tap a footnote marker to see it.
Choice of label, HPE/THPE floor area bonus, weighing the standards against each other — let's talk before the permit application, while everything is still open.
Get in touch