Walchwil also receives label as an Energy City

The ambition to be recognised as an Energy City expressed by the Walchwil municipal council in 2019 has now been rewarded.

In order to express the energy commitment of the municipality of Walchwil to the outside world, the municipality of Walchwil decided in 2019 to strive for the Energy City Label. According to its own information, a municipality thereby needed at least 50% of the maximum achievable points. Following an inventory in 2020, the municipality successfully carried out the official Energy City Audit in 2021, and, in September, the Label Commission named Walchwil as an “Energy City”, with 55% of the possible points. The label was recently awarded to Walchwil by Zug City Councillor (Stadtrat) Urs Raschle, who is a board member of the Energiestadt association.

According to the announcement, a number of measures in the field of energy have already been implemented in Walchwil. From 2012 onwards, the municipality has been carrying out "energy accounting" and operational optimisations for all municipal buildings. The buildings and facilities in the village are now fully supplied with renewable electricity. In addition, almost 90% of its own heat consumption is provided from a wood chip local heat network (Holzschnitzel-Nahverband)

Zug city councillor Urs Raschle (right) hands over the Energy City label to Walchwil councillor Eveline Hunziker and municipal president Stefan Hermann
Image: PD

Commitment to mobility
The municipality also counts the introduction of 20 km/h and 30 km/h speed limits among the successes, as well as the local bus, which is operated at self-cost. In addition, the first charging station for electric vehicles was also installed in the current year.

With regard to the implementation of energy measures in the coming years, the municipality of Walchwil has defined “an energy policy programme for the next four years." Among other things, the installation of photovoltaic systems is planned, and it has set up an Energy Commission as of 1 January 2021. The municipality of Walchwil is guided by the goals of the 2000-watt society, according to municipal councillor (Gemeinderätin) Eveline Hunziker.

Following Baar, Cham, Hünenberg, Oberägeri, Risch, Steinhausen, Unterägeri and Zug, Walchwil is now the ninth municipality in the canton to receive the Energy City label.