Prices are therefore expected to adjust downwards due to an increase in the offer.
Source: 24 Heures
For Swisster readers still looking for a place to live, this news may not be so bad.

The Vaud Socialist party wants the canton to step up the construction of low cost housing, since an additional 100′000 residents are expected before 2020. Furthermore, as the number of persons per household diminishes, the trend has been for an increase of meters square per inhabitant.

The Vaud Parliament has rejected the motion from the Socialist Party, on the grounds that the regulation of market forces should induce the private sector to respond to the crisis.

Source: 24 Heures

Although the vacancy rate is also low at the higher end of the property rental market, specialists say that it is in no way comparable to the situation of low cost housing.

The Lausanne Hotel School (EHL) recently completed the first stage of a major development plan with the inauguration of a wing to house its administration. The new building was built to the strict standards of Minergie, a process that certifies best practices, but it is going a step further to actually produce energy.

Green energy and sustainability are the driving themes of the development plan. In the new wing, organic refuse is segregated and recycled to form biogas; a wind turbine has been installed on the roof and more spectacularly, the energy produced by the sun panels is actually given in real time on a screen in the reception area.

The next stage of the development plan will increase the capacity of the kitchens, the gastronomic restaurant and the food court, as well as the auditorium.

By going green, EHL hopes to set a strong example for its students who can carry the message further when they will then be dispersed throughout the world.

Better late than never.

Thomas Edison’s light bulb has survived 130 years but it is now on its way out because the light it emits is only 5% of the energy it uses!

A savings of 80% in energy use is expected with the new generation of light bulbs.

The city of Morges, just outside the Vaud capital of Lausanne, is intensifying its Christmas decorations, but reducing its electricity bill by using a) an LEC (Lighting Energy Controller) that stabilizes the current and reduces consumption by 20% to 30% b) LED  (electroluminescent light-emitting-diodes) instead of the traditional bulbs.

But bulbs aren’t everything. We still need to learn to turn appliances off entirely and not leave them on stand-by.

Nordmans (bluish,/green) are bushier, don’t dry out, but are more expensive. You can buy them on-line.

Expect to pay between 5% and 10% more for your Christmas tree this year if its imported.

The guideline rate is used for top-quality residential properties and borrowers with impeccable creditworthiness.

As for construction loans, the new rate will 2.60 percent.

He accuses the communal and cantonal authorities who are delivering building permits in a region that is now a Unesco World Heritage Site to be too lax. The mayor of Villette, one of the targeted communes, says that the accusation is ridiculous.

The initiative will need 12’000 signatures in order to be presented to the cantonal government and subsequently put to popular vote.

Swisster will be consulting experts to bring you timely ideas and bright flowers. From balconies to estates, seasonal suggestions and good addresses will keep your thumbs green.

Galerie Blavignac offers contemporary furniture and art icons for sale either on-line or in a gallery rue Verdaine in Geneva. From Eames chairs to Roy Lichtenstein original prints, the 20^th Century is available at a price.

The recently opened Ormond Gallery, 21 rue des Bains in Geneva, is filling a different niche since the partners, Frédéric Ormond and Francis Chabloz propose exclusive and unique pieces by established or emerging designers.

In a singular environment, Uniquement Vôtre, a brand new design store in Lausanne’s SoHo-looking industrial area showcases generally recognizable pieces by good contemporary designers. The stiking decor is a converted wine storage-house.

For the time being, the reference rate for rents, as published on 1 December by the Swiss Federal Office of Housing, remains at 3.5%.