The award ceremony took place in the Kursaal in Berne on the 8th of January during a festivity with hunderts of representatives from the Swiss energy scene. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE awards the Watt d'Or – a giant snow globe – to persons and organizations that apply an entrepreneurial approach and a spirit of innovation to creating pioneering solutions for a sustainable energy future. The Watt d'Or jury comprises recognized experts from the fields of politics, research and business as well as from professional associations and environmental organizations.
In the category society the «Watt d’Or» was awarded to hotelleriesuisse and their project «Leuchturm – Energieeffiziente Hotels Graubünden». The project sents a very strong signal that it is possible to increase energy efficiency in the tourism industry.
Following a two-year construction period, Swisscom opened its new data center in Berne Wankdorf in the month of October. It is one of the few data centers in Europe certified for maximum availability and with top ratings for energy efficiency thanks to an innovative cooling concept. The project convinced the jury. Logically, the Watt d’Or 2015 in the category renewable energy goes to the leading telecommunication operator of Switzerland, which is a longtime myclimate partner too.
The Swiss Youth Hostels defy the difficult situation on the tourism market. Not least because of the comprehensive sustainability efforts, which they consistently implement in their modern houses. Therefore, the Watt d'Or 2015 award in the category building and room has been awarded to the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism, the Schmid Architekten AG from Basel and the Burgergemeinde Saas-Fee as building owners of the new wellnessHostel4000 in Saas-Fee.