Solar panels in Lancy

Installing solar panels in Lancy means first looking at very different roofs: those of the apartment blocks of Grand-Lancy and Petit-Lancy, those of the villas along the parks, and those of the more recent buildings around Lancy-Pont-Rouge station. This page is for anyone looking for a solar installation in Lancy, whether they are an owner, a co-owner or the manager of a small building.

You describe your project online; the request is then passed on to craftspeople and companies in the region, who contact you to prepare a free, no-obligation quote.

Photovoltaics or hot water: what goes on Lancy’s roofs

Two families of products sit side by side. Photovoltaic panels produce electricity; thermal collectors heat water. In a villa in Petit-Lancy, the choice often depends on the household’s consumption and the hot water system already in place. In an apartment block in Grand-Lancy, the thinking is more about how the electricity produced will be used: common areas, lift, lighting, ventilation, or sharing between several flats.

Typical work in the commune therefore includes:

• a photovoltaic installation on a villa roof, for self-consumption;
• panels on a rental block, with a project often led by the agency or the co-ownership;
• thermal collectors to reduce reliance on an electric water heater or a boiler;
• adding panels during a roof renovation, when the scaffolding is in place anyway.

This last point is worth planning ahead. Installing solar on a roof that is near the end of its life means taking the installation down a few years later. In Lancy as elsewhere, the condition of the roof covering, insulation and waterproofing should be checked before anything is fixed in place.

A city-canton, hot summers and often unobstructed roofs

Geneva is a very urban canton, beside the lake, with mild winters on the plain and hot summers in town. For solar, this mainly means that output depends on orientation, pitch and shade, more than on extreme climate constraints. Snow building up on roofs, a central issue at altitude, matters little on the Geneva plain; it does not vanish from the questions to ask the installer, however, notably regarding the strength of the structure.

What matters more in Lancy is the layout of the built-up area. The apartment-block districts offer large roofs, sometimes flat, where panels can be placed on an angled structure. The villa and park areas have smaller, more broken-up roofs, and trees that cast shade for part of the day. A well-oriented but shaded roof produces less than a more modest but unobstructed one: ask for an estimate that takes your own situation into account, not an average case.

In a dense neighbourhood, also look at the neighbouring buildings. An extra storey or a new block built next door can change the sunlight reaching a roof that was thought to be clear.

Notification, heritage protection and Geneva rules

At federal level, Article 18a of the Spatial Planning Act (LAT) provides that in a building or agricultural zone, a solar installation that is sufficiently well adapted to the roof generally requires only a notification, not a permit. This relaxation does not apply everywhere: on a cultural heritage building or in a protected site, the procedure is different.

In Geneva, building permits are issued by the canton, through the Office des autorisations de construire. The canton has protected districts, and some older buildings may be affected. If your building lies within such a perimeter, do not assume that notification is enough: check the status of the plot with the commune of Lancy or the competent cantonal service before signing a quote. A serious company will raise the question from the first exchange.

On the energy side, the canton relies on the cantonal energy law (LEn) and on the Office cantonal de l’énergie (OCEN). Buildings Programme subsidies in Geneva depend on this office. The precise rules, conditions and timetables should be checked directly with it.

Rental blocks, agencies and co-ownerships in Lancy

A large share of Geneva’s housing stock is rented, and many buildings are managed by agencies (régies). In Lancy, where apartment-block districts play an important part, this changes how a solar project is run.

• Tenant: you cannot alter the roof. You can suggest the idea to the agency or landlord, who decides what happens next.
• Villa owner: the decision is yours, subject to the notification or permit rules and the status of your plot.
• Co-ownership: the roof is a common area. An installation goes through the co-owners’ meeting, with a quote in hand and a clear split of the costs and of the use of the electricity produced.
• Agency (régie): it generally expects a complete file, with a plan, technical description and maintenance conditions, before putting the project to the owner.

In a block of flats, the question of how the electricity is shared arises very early: who benefits, how consumption is accounted for, what happens when a tenant changes. It is better to clarify this before requesting quotes than during the works.

Preparing your request and comparing quotes

So that companies can reply precisely, simply describe your situation:

• the type of building (villa, apartment block, co-ownership) and its address in Lancy;
• the shape of the roof, its covering, its orientation and any known shade;
• what you expect: electricity, hot water, or both;
• your status (owner, co-owner, agency representative);
• the condition of the roof and any works already planned;
• a recent electricity bill, if you can find one, to gauge your consumption.

A good quote itemises each item: panels or collectors, inverter, mounting structure, cabling and connection, scaffolding, administrative procedures, commissioning. It also states who deals with the notification or permit application, and with the one-off remuneration application to Pronovo. The cost varies with the size of the installation, the complexity of the roof, access to the site, the connection to the electrical panel and the type of equipment. There is no useful figure without a visit: the quote sets it.

Compare offers on the same scope. A cheaper quote may simply leave out the scaffolding or the connection. Also ask how output will be estimated, and on what assumptions about shade and orientation.

To get started, you can request a quote: describe your roof and your project, and craftspeople in the region will contact you.

Useful pages for your project in Lancy

• The trade: solar panels
• The commune: works in Lancy
• The canton: canton of Geneva
• In the same commune: windows and double glazing in Lancy, heat pump in Lancy, kitchen renovation in Lancy

Solar pairs well with a heat pump, which can use the electricity produced on the roof. A window renovation, for its part, reduces heating needs and changes the sizing of the whole system: raising it from the start avoids sizing each project separately.