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 areas of energy consumption:

• Heating: heating systems, indoor temperatures, hot water use, and related behaviours
• Electricity: appliance types, energy efficiency ratings, and everyday usage of electrical devices
• Mobility: vehicle characteristics, fuel efficiency, travel distances, and commuting habits

Household Characteristics Collected

To provide a rich understanding of energy behaviour, the dataset also includes a broad set of socio-economic and psychological variables.

• Time-varying characteristics (e.g., behaviour changes, new technologies, updated practices) are collected in every survey wave.
• Time-invariant characteristics (e.g., basic demographics) are collected once, when respondents first join SHEDS.

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