Nullpunkt AG

Cover Block

Name	Nullpunkt AG
Tagline	Swiss cleantech startup developing and selling an ice-storage heat pump system for building heating.
Headquarters	Oberengstringen, Switzerland
Founded	2025 [Startupticker]
Stage	Seed
Business Model	Hardware + Software
Industry	Cleantech / Climatetech
Technology	Hardware
Geography	Western Europe
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Thomas Degelo (CEO & co-founder) [Swissbau, 2024]
Funding Label	Undisclosed

Links

• Website: https://www.nullpunkt.ch/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nullpunkt-ag/

What an Investor Needs First

Nullpunkt AG is a Swiss cleantech startup developing an ice-storage heat pump system, a hardware play that merits attention for its technical approach to a critical decarbonization problem: heating buildings without the disruptive drilling required by ground-source alternatives [Startupticker, February 2024]. Founded in 2025 and led by CEO Thomas Degelo, the company is commercializing its Triton system, which extracts heat from ambient air and stores it in a water reservoir, harnessing the latent energy released during freezing to provide efficient, quiet heating [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2024] [Swissbau, 2024]. The core differentiation lies in this phase-change energy utilization, which aims to match the efficiency of geothermal systems while avoiding boreholes and reducing noise compared to conventional air-source heat pumps [Mercury-Reports, 2024].

Early validation comes from a strategic seed investment in early 2024 led by EBP Schweiz AG, an established Swiss engineering and consulting firm [Startupticker, February 2024]. The business model combines hardware sales of the integrated system, comprising an outdoor heat exchanger, ice storage unit, and heat pump, with a focus on the Swiss residential market, targeting single and multi-family homes [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product claims and investment event are reported by multiple Swiss trade sources; founder role is confirmed; funding amount and detailed team background are not publicly available.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Classification
Stage	Seed
Business Model	Hardware + Software
Industry / Vertical	Cleantech / Climatetech
Technology Type	Hardware
Geography	Western Europe
Growth Profile	Venture Scale

Inside the Company

Nullpunkt AG was established in 2025 as a Swiss joint-stock company (AG) headquartered in Oberengstringen, Canton of Zurich [Startupticker, 2024] [Moneyhouse, 2024]. The company's founding narrative centers on developing a novel approach to building heating, specifically an ice-storage heat pump system marketed under the name "Triton" [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2024].

A significant early milestone occurred in February 2024, when the startup secured an investment from EBP Schweiz AG, a Swiss engineering and consulting firm [Startupticker, February 2024]. This capital injection, structured as a seed round, was framed as a strategic partnership to support market development. The company has since maintained a public profile within the Swiss construction and cleantech ecosystem, evidenced by its participation as an exhibitor at trade events like Swissbau [Swissbau, 2024].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Company incorporation and investor relationship confirmed by multiple Swiss business registries and local press. Specific founding details and post-investment milestones are less widely documented.

Under the Hood

The core of Nullpunkt AG's proposition is a hardware system that replaces the ground probe of a traditional geothermal heat pump with a phase-change energy storage unit. The company's Triton system extracts ambient heat from the air and stores it in a water-filled tank; when heating is required, the heat pump extracts energy by freezing the stored water, harnessing the latent heat released during the phase change [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2026]. This process is marketed as "Heizen mit Eis" (heating with ice) and is designed to deliver the high efficiency associated with ground-source systems without the need for drilling boreholes [Mercury-Reports, 2024].

The product's differentiation rests on three claimed advantages over conventional air-source heat pumps:

• Efficiency. The system aims for a seasonal performance factor (SPF) comparable to ground-source heat pumps, which typically outperform air-source units, by using water's high latent heat of fusion [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2024].
• Installation. It eliminates the permitting, cost, and site disruption associated with drilling for ground probes, making it suitable for properties with space constraints or geological limitations [Mercury-Reports, 2024].
• Noise. The company emphasizes a quiet operational profile, a frequent point of contention for air-source heat pump installations in residential areas [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2024].

The system is a packaged solution comprising three main hardware components: an outdoor air-to-liquid heat exchanger, an insulated ice storage unit, and a heat pump unit [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2024]. The company's website includes reference images of installed systems, indicating the product is beyond a conceptual prototype [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2026]. The target application is clear: sustainable heating for single-family and multi-family homes within the Swiss and broader European market [startupticker.ch, retrieved 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product description is consistent across the company's own materials and secondary directories, but specific technical performance claims (e.g., SPF, noise levels) lack independent third-party verification.

Market Research

The European heat pump market is in a state of rapid, policy-driven transformation, creating a window for novel technologies that can circumvent traditional installation barriers.

The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) reported that the European Union installed approximately 3 million heat pump units in 2022, representing a year-on-year growth of 38% [EHPA, 2022]. This growth is projected to continue, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasting that heat pumps could meet 20% of global heating needs by 2030 under its Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, up from around 7% today [IEA, 2022]. For the Swiss market specifically, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has noted a steady increase in heat pump installations, which accounted for over 40% of heating systems in new residential buildings as of 2021 [SFOE, 2022].

Demand is driven by a confluence of regulatory, economic, and environmental tailwinds. The European Union's REPowerEU plan targets the installation of 10 million additional heat pumps across the bloc by 2027 [European Commission, 2022]. National-level policies, such as Germany's Building Energy Act (GEG) and Switzerland's ban on fossil fuel heating systems in new buildings across several cantons, are creating regulatory pull. Concurrently, volatile natural gas prices and rising carbon costs under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) are improving the economic case for electrified heating [BloombergNEF, 2023].

Metric	Value
EU Heat Pump Installations (2022)	3 million units
EU Annual Growth Rate (2022)	38 %
Swiss Share in New Residences (2021)	40 %

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing figures are from established third-party reports (EHPA, IEA, SFOE) but are not specific to the ice-storage segment. Tailwind and regulatory claims are corroborated by public policy documents and industry analysis.

Competition and Substitutes

Nullpunkt AG enters a heating market defined by entrenched incumbents and a growing number of climate-focused challengers, positioning its ice-storage system as a middle ground between established heat pump technologies.

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator
Nullpunkt AG	Swiss cleantech; ice-storage heat pump system (Triton)	Seed (2024); investor: EBP Schweiz AG [Startupticker, February 2024]	No-drilling installation; uses phase-change energy from freezing water
Viessmann	Global incumbent; full range of heating systems	Private company	Deep channel integration, brand trust, extensive service network
Isocal	Specialist in seasonal thermal energy storage	Private company	Focus on large-scale seasonal ice storage for district heating/commercial

Nullpunkt's defensible edge today appears to be its technology configuration and early strategic backing. The phase-change energy approach is a specific engineering solution, and the investment from EBP Schweiz AG provides validation and potentially early access to planning and specification channels within the Swiss construction ecosystem [Startupticker, February 2024].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor positioning and funding stages are based on public company profiles; Nullpunkt's differentiation is confirmed by company materials and one trade report.

Opportunity

If Nullpunkt AG can establish its ice-storage heat pump as a preferred, drill-free alternative for retrofitting European homes, it could unlock a multi-billion-euro segment within the continent's urgent residential heating transition. The headline opportunity is to become the category-defining, high-efficiency heat pump for the Swiss and broader DACH retrofit market, where ground-source drilling is often infeasible. The company's technology, which uses the latent heat of freezing water, aims to deliver ground-source-like efficiency without the prohibitive cost and disruption of boreholes [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2024]. The strategic investment from EBP Schweiz AG provides a crucial channel for initial market credibility and deployment [Startupticker, February 2024].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- The core product description and investor relationship are confirmed. Growth scenarios are extrapolated from cited market positioning and the European regulatory environment.

Sources

1. [Startupticker, February 2024] Junges Cleantech-Startup gewinnt EBP als Investor | https://startupticker.ch/en/news/junges-cleantech-startup-gewinnt-ebp-als-investor
2. [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2024] Nullpunkt - Heizen Mit Eis | https://www.nullpunkt.ch/
3. [Swissbau, 2024] nullpunkt AG | https://swissbau.ch/de/p/nullpunkt-ag.142606
4. [Mercury-Reports, 2024] Nullpunkt AG | https://mercury-reports.com/companies/5536b02c-4e4f-4fbb-a91c-97ca6641c931
5. [nullpunkt.ch, retrieved 2026] Triton - Nullpunkt | https://www.nullpunkt.ch/produkte/triton/
6. [startupticker.ch, retrieved 2026] Nullpunkt AG | https://startupticker.ch/en/companies/nullpunkt-ag
7. [Startupticker, 2024] Nullpunkt AG | https://startupticker.ch/en/companies/nullpunkt-ag
8. [Moneyhouse, 2024] Nullpunkt AG in Oberengstringen - Reports | https://moneyhouse.ch/en/company/nullpunkt-ag-5337205961
9. [EHPA, 2022] European Heat Pump Market and Statistics Report 2022 | https://www.ehpa.org/about/news/article/european-heat-pump-sales-grew-by-38-in-2022/
10. [IEA, 2022] The Future of Heat Pumps | https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-heat-pumps
11. [SFOE, 2022] Swiss Federal Office of Energy - Heat Pumps | https://www.bfe.admin.ch/bfe/en/home/supply/renewable-energy/heat-pumps.html
12. [European Commission, 2022] REPowerEU Plan | https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_3131
13. [BloombergNEF, 2023] European Energy Transition Outlook | https://about.bnef.com/blog/european-energy-transition-outlook/
14. [Fraunhofer Institute, 2023] Noise Emissions of Heat Pumps | https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/press-releases/2023/noise-emissions-of-heat-pumps.html
15. [EHPA, 2023] Skills for the Heat Pump Transition | https://www.ehpa.org/about/news/article/ehpa-calls-for-action-to-address-the-skills-gap-in-the-heat-pump-sector/