Chile-Switzerland Scientific Project Aims to Develop Sustainable and Equitable Heating Systems

Original article: Proyecto científico Chile–Suiza busca avanzar hacia sistemas de calefacción ambientalmente sostenibles y socialmente justos To advance towards environmentally sustainable and socially just heating systems in cold climates facing high energy poverty, the University of Talca will participate in the international project «Promoting Sustainable Heating Under Energy Poverty: A Life Cycle Approach. » This initiative will enhance scientific collaboration between Chile and Switzerland. The exploratory project will be carried out in 2026, funded by the Research Partnership Grant 2025 from the Leading House for Latin America at the University of St.

Gallen, mandated by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation. As an associate researcher, Carlos Chávez Rebolledo, a faculty member from the School of Economics and Business at the University of Talca, is participating in the study. Regarding the project, Roberto Jara Rojas, the Director of Research at the University of Talca, emphasized that «this international project strengthens our insertion into global research networks like the Sustainable Energy Transitions Initiative and also highlights our academic community’s capacity to provide scientifically impactful solutions for societal and environmental challenges.

» Furthermore, the scholar noted that «by collaborating with Swiss institutions and local partners, this project enables the generation of rigorous knowledge and useful tools to design fairer, more efficient, and sustainable heating policies, especially for the most vulnerable families. » Efficient Heating The central objective of the initiative is to accelerate the transition towards more efficient and equitable heating systems, addressing a common challenge shared by both countries. In central-southern Chile, up to 95 percent of households use firewood as their primary fuel, leading to high levels of air pollution and respiratory problems.

Meanwhile, in Switzerland, around 65 percent of households still rely on fossil fuels, which has slowed the shift towards cleaner energy sources. Within this context, the research will focus geographically on the municipality of Ancud, chosen as a representative case of isolation, high energy poverty indices, and significant pressure on native forests due to firewood extraction. Fieldwork will include measurements of thermal comfort within homes, air quality monitoring, and socioeconomic surveys of participating households.

«We will combine temperature and indoor pollution measurements with socioeconomic information from households, such as income, energy consumption and expenditure, and housing characteristics, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of what occurs in Ancud during the winter,» detailed researcher Carlos Chávez Rebolledo. The project includes collaboration with the Municipality of Ancud, which will facilitate access to homes and logistical support, as well as joint work with national and international student and research teams. The initiative is structured into three phases: conceptual development and training in Life Cycle Analysis; data collection in the field; and dissemination of results through a ‘policy brief,’ with presentations in both countries and an open-access repository.