energie ausserschwyz

What energie ausserschwyz does

Energie Ausserschwyz AG (EASZ) is a Swiss regional energy utility headquartered in Galgenen in the canton of Schwyz, founded in 2020 by EW Höfe AG and Züger Unternehmungen AG. The company operates a 20 MW wood-fired combined heat-and-power (CHP) plant that produces renewable heat and electricity, paired with a district heating network of approximately 30 km serving more than 250 active customers across residential, commercial, municipal and industrial segments in the Ausserschwyz region; 780 supply contracts have been signed in total, corresponding to ~28–30 MW of contracted connection capacity. Major shareholders are EW Höfe AG (approximately 75%), IWB Industrielle Werke Basel (20%), the Energiegenossenschaft Ausserschwyz community cooperative, the Brugg Group and Züger, with the company having been converted into an Asset-gesellschaft in 2025 to separate asset ownership from operations.

The business model is a regulated-style utility model: EASZ generates heat at its CHP plant, distributes it through its own buried pipe network under ~20-year supply contracts, and sells the co-generated electricity — sufficient to cover about 25% of EW Höfe's electricity needs, equivalent to roughly 6,000 households — back into the group. Revenue is therefore a mix of contracted heat tariffs and related-party electricity sales, with the company operating in a market structurally supported by Switzerland's Wärmestrategie 2050 and the effective ban on fossil-fuel heating systems by around 2030. Capital intensity is high: roughly CHF 60M has been invested in the plant and CHF 60–65M in the network to date, a CHF 25.5M capital increase was completed in September 2023, and a further raise is planned for fall 2026 to fund expansion into Wollerau, Obermarch and other municipalities. Management has guided to EBITDA in the lower single-digit million range and does not expect a first annual profit until 2027.

Name

energie ausserschwyz

Legal name

Energie Ausserschwyz AG

Website

https://easz.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Energie Ausserschwyz AG operates a 20 MW wood-fired combined heat-and-power plant and a ~30 km district heating network serving 250+ residential, commercial, municipal and industrial customers across the Ausserschwyz region of canton Schwyz, Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

District Heating

NAICS

Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (22133)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomass CHP & Cogeneration Plants (Industrial & Utility) (EUAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomass Combustion & Boiler Island Technology (Grates, Fluidized Bed, Burners) (EUAAAGAG), Heat Recovery & Thermal Integration for Biomass Plants (Economizers, ORC, Heat Exchangers) (EUAAAGAL)

Keywords

• District heating services
• Biomass combined heat power
• Renewable district energy
• Wood-fired cogeneration
• Heat supply contracts

Headquarters

HQ city

Galgenen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. District Heating Sales (Fernwärme Wärmeverkauf): The primary revenue stream is the sale of renewable district heating (Fernwärme) to connected residential, commercial, and municipal customers. Customers sign long-term heat supply contracts (Wärmelieferverträge), typically 20 years. Pricing is indexed annually to the green wood chip price index (Grünschnitzel) for energy costs and the Swiss consumer price index (LIK) for the base price. The revenue model combines a fixed capacity charge and a variable energy consumption charge. Revenues grow as more customers are connected to the network. The company targets profitability from 2027 onward with EBITDA in the lower single-digit million range.
2. Renewable Electricity Sales (Stromverkauf): The CHP plant generates renewable electricity sold to the grid. EW Höfe AG purchases all electricity produced, which covers approximately 25% of the Höfe district's electricity needs, particularly valuable in winter months when demand peaks and solar generation is low. Electricity production capacity serves approximately 7,100 households (originally stated), with actual production reported at ~6,000 households equivalent annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Energie Ausserschwyz AG operates a 20 MW wood-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Galgenen, canton Schwyz, producing renewable heat and electricity from wood biomass (87% waste wood, 12.4% fresh wood, 96% Swiss-sourced). The company distributes CO2-neutral district heating (Fernwärme) through an approximately 30 km pipeline network serving over 250 connected residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial customers in the March and Höfe districts. All electricity generated is sold to EW Höfe AG under a long-term offtake agreement.

Product overview

Energie Ausserschwyz AG operates as a regional energy utility company offering a unified district heating ecosystem built around the Energiezentrum in Galgenen. The core offering is Fernwärme (district heating), which distributes CO2-neutral warmth produced from wood biomass at the company's Holzheizkraftwerk (20 MW wood heating power plant) and Biogasanlage (biogas plant) through an extensive Fernwärmenetz (district heating network) spanning approximately 30 km across the districts of March and Höfe. Supporting services include the Heizkostenrechner (online heating cost calculator), professional Leitungsbau (pipeline construction), and customer advisory services. The Energiegenossenschaft (energy cooperative) allows public participation in the project. The company delivers both heat and electricity, with the wood power plant supplying approximately 7,100 households with renewable electricity and 9,600 households with renewable heat.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fernwärme (District Heating) Renewable CO2-neutral district heating delivered via an approximately 30 km pipeline network to connected buildings. Customers sign long-term heat supply contracts (typically 20 years). Pricing combines a fixed capacity charge and a variable energy consumption charge, indexed annually to the green wood chip price index and Swiss CPI.
• Renewable Electricity (CHP Strom) Renewable electricity generated as a by-product of the wood-fired combined heat and power process. All output is sold under a long-term supply agreement to EW Höfe AG, which distributes it to end customers in the Höfe district. Equivalent to supplying approximately 6,000-7,100 households with electricity, particularly valuable in winter peak demand.
• Energiezentrum Galgenen (Wood-fired CHP and Biogas Energy Center) Central production facility located in Galgenen (Bodenwies) that combines a 20 MW wood-fired CHP plant (Vorschubrost grate furnace, steam boiler at 420°C/60 bar, MAN steam turbine) with a biogas plant. Includes multi-stage flue gas cleaning (SNCR, cyclone, fabric filter) and condensation heat recovery. Investment of approximately CHF 60 million.
• Fernwärmenetz (District Heating Pipeline Network) Underground twin steel pipe distribution network (20 cm diameter pipes with 11 cm insulation inside a plastic sheath) operating at 80-120°C flow and 45-50°C return temperatures. Pipes are pre-stressed (vorspannt) during installation to achieve a service life beyond 70 years. Investment of CHF 60-65 million as of 2024.
• Energiegenossenschaft Ausserschwyz (Energy Cooperative Shares) Cooperative share program (Anteilscheine at CHF 1,000 each, minimum 5 shares) allowing local residents to participate as equity holders in the Energie Ausserschwyz AG project. Over 115 members invested approximately CHF 1.7 million in equity by mid-2024. Members receive a CHF 350 per-share discount on connection fees.
• Wärmelieferung und Hausanschluss (Heat Delivery and Building Connection Service) Full-service building connection including on-site technical consultation, installation of the house connection line, mounting of a compact heat transfer station, commissioning, and ongoing delivery of renewable heat. All maintenance, service, and future upgrades are included in the heat price.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2-neutral heating: The wood-fired CHP plant produces renewable heat and electricity with net-zero CO2 emissions. A typical customer's building heating becomes CO2-neutral upon connection.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, future and minor.

• Energiegenossenschaft Ausserschwyz (EGAZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021The Energiegenossenschaft Ausserschwyz is a cooperative founded in April 2021 that enables residents and property owners in the March and Höfe districts to participate as shareholders in the EASZ project. Members purchase share certificates (Anteilscheine) at CHF 1,000 each (minimum 5 shares). As of June 2024, the cooperative had ~115 members who invested approximately CHF 1.7 million in EASZ equity. Members receive a CHF 350 discount per share certificate on connection fees. The cooperative had ~100 members as of 2023. Diego Föllmi (Bezirksrat, EW Höfe AG supervisory board) serves as president; Tanja Kaufmann (EASZ Finance Lead) serves as managing director.
• KVA Linth (Kehrichtverbrennungsanlage, Niederurnen)futureStrategic or Co-development PartnerA feasibility study has been conducted between EASZ and KVA Linth examining how waste heat from the waste-to-energy plant in Niederurnen could be integrated into the EASZ district heating network. The plan is for KVA Linth to build a pipeline toward Bilten, while EASZ builds from Schübelbach, Buttikon, and Reichenburg to Bilten/ARA, enabling a future heat exchange between the two networks. This represents a potential future major heat source for the EASZ network.
• Hagedorn AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHagedorn AG is the primary pipe-laying (Tiefbau/Rohrbau) construction contractor for EASZ's district heating network expansion. The company conducts night work where needed (e.g., along Seedamm Center and Alpamare in Pfäffikon) to minimize disruption to businesses. The firm is based in Pfäffikon, SZ.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IWB (Industrielle Werke Basel): Basel-based municipal energy utility operating Switzerland's largest district heating network, predominantly biomass and waste-heat based. IWB is also a 20% shareholder of Energie Ausserschwyz, making it both a strategic investor and the most directly comparable operator in terms of technology, business model, and customer segments.
• Energie Wasser Bern (ewb): Bern municipal utility operating a district heating network (Fernwärme Bern) powered in part by the Forsthaus wood-fired combined heat and power plant. Highly comparable as a Swiss mid-sized public utility building biomass-based CHP and district heating for residential, commercial, and institutional customers.
• Energie 360°: Zurich-region energy utility (formerly Stadtwerk Winterthur) operating district heating networks around Zurich using a mix of biomass, waste heat, and biogas. Comparable regional CHP-and-Fernwärme utility model serving residential and commercial buildings under similar Swiss regulatory conditions.
• Sankt Galler Stadtwerke: St. Gallen municipal utility operating district heating for the city and surrounding municipalities, including connections to waste incineration (KVA St. Gallen) and biomass sources. Closely comparable as a Swiss multi-source district heating operator serving mixed residential and commercial demand.
• Energie Wasser Luzern (ewl): Lucerne municipal energy utility with a district heating network and renewable heat generation assets serving residential, commercial, and institutional customers in central Switzerland. Operates under the same Swiss regulatory framework and serves a comparable mid-sized city-region customer mix.

Broad incumbents

• AEW Energie AG: Aargau-based regional energy utility offering electricity, heat, and grid services. While AEW operates across a broader portfolio, it is comparable as a Swiss regional utility developing renewable heating solutions and district heating infrastructure for residential and commercial customers.
• Dalkia (EDF Group): European leader in district heating networks operating across France, the UK, and Central Europe with biomass, waste-heat, and geothermal assets. A scaled incumbent peer that demonstrates the long-run economic and operational trajectory of EASZ's model and provides benchmarking for unit economics and expansion strategy.

Emerging players

• Agro Energie Schwyz AG: Biogas/biomass energy project based in Ibach, canton Schwyz, connected to IWB. Operates in the same canton as Energie Ausserschwyz and shares the renewable gas/heat generation profile, though at a smaller and less integrated scale than EASZ's CHP-plus-district-heating model.
• Hoval AG: Liechtenstein-headquartered HVAC and heat-pump manufacturer selling decentralized heating technology across Europe. Functions as a competing decarbonization pathway to district heating; relevant for understanding substitution risk and the broader Swiss/European heat market in which EASZ competes for end customers.

Others

• KVA Linth (Kehrichtverbrennungsanlage Niederurnen): Regional waste-to-energy incineration plant in Niederurnen with which EASZ has a feasibility study to integrate waste heat into its district heating network. Comparable as a thermal energy infrastructure asset; in a future scenario it becomes a key heat source and quasi-partner to EASZ's network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/energieausserschwyz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/easz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about energie ausserschwyz