Self-suf­fi­cient

Energy self-suf­fi­ciency played a major role in the reno­vation of the two Bir­kenhof buil­dings in the Uckermark region, which was com­pleted in 2020. Here, wood from the farm’s own forest is used for heating and the solar cells on the roof, in com­bi­nation with a battery storage system, provide enough elec­tricity for guests to charge their electric cars during the day. Those who don’t come by car can walk to the nearest train station in five minutes and be in Berlin in 90 minutes.

The Chiemgau architect Thomas Ziesel has been working on solar energy for decades. For example, he deve­loped a solar cata­maran in the 1980s. The A‑Frame house in an Upper Bavarian holiday complex from the 1970s, which he com­pletely moder­nised in 2018, is an exem­plary demons­tration of how energy sus­taina­bility can succeed. His guests receive a “solar holiday certificate”which shows the amount of solar energy con­sumed during their rental period and pro­duced by the house itself. The house has an EV charging station, and an electric car can also be rented on request.

The Nature Resi­dence Dahoam near Meran, com­pleted in 2010, impresses with its excellent sus­taina­bility. The passive building, which has been awarded the Kli­maHaus Gold cer­ti­ficate, uses solar energy both actively and pas­sively. Only regional timber was used, and the house sys­te­ma­ti­cally collects and uses rain­water. Those who want even more sus­taina­bility can jump into the natural swimming pond with a view of the South Tyrolean moun­tains.

Directly on the water and with your own boat behind the house, you live in the Sin­nehúskes on the site of a former shi­pyard on the edge of the his­to­ri­cal­Dutch town of IJlst. The wooden houses are energy-neutral and have solar panels and a geo­thermal heat pump. Even the boats are charged by the sun, so that you can explore the Frisian canals and lakes in an envi­ron­men­tally con­scious and whisper quiet way.

The Da Velio house in Faas on Monte Ten­china in the Carnic Alps is one of the pro­perties of La Marmote Albergo Diffuso, a kind of “scat­tered” hotel. Guests can not only use the kit­chens in the holiday homes, but also book catering and eat in various restau­rants in the town of Paluzza and the sur­rounding vil­lages. The house, self-suf­fi­cient in terms of energy, offers modern comfort, but with certain rest­ric­tions: Elec­tricity is gene­rated by solar cells on sunny days, and heating is pro­vided by a wood-burning stove in the upper and lower floors. The treated rain­water is used for washing, and the drinking water comes from a well on the pre­mises.

The house with its three holiday apart­ments near Gar­misch-Par­tenk­richen, which opened in 2021, was not only reno­vated in a bio­lo­gi­cally sus­tainable way, but has since been com­pletely climate-neutral with its own solar power system. If there are any supply pro­blems, addi­tional elec­tricity can be obtained up to 100% from hydro­electric power. An EV charging station for cars is available.