This brick-built detached house is situated on a sloping plot; it has a partial basement and two storeys above ground. On the south side of the house stands an annexe containing an office, a workshop, a storeroom and a covered parking space.
On the ground floor of the house there is a main living room with an adjoining kitchenette, a bedroom, a bathroom, a toilet, a utility cupboard, a laundry room and an entrance hall. On the floor above the living room, there is a gallery, two attic bedrooms and a small bathroom with a shower cubicle.
The house features premium amenities including a hot tub, a sauna and an outdoor swimming pool. The pool’s utility room, along with the storage areas, is situated in the basement of the house. The covered parking space also includes a wallbox for charging an electric car.
The owner had an attractive plot of land at his disposal and wanted to build a modern house on it, which would primarily serve him and his partner,
but would also function as a meeting place for their children, grandchildren and friends. He preferred a home offering the utmost in comfort, complete with a small swimming pool, a sauna and facilities for cold-water therapy. Furthermore, he is keen on modern technology and wished to create a smart home with advanced features similar to those offered by state-of-the-art smart systems. Although he is an older man, he enthusiastically embraces new trends – from smart household solutions to electric mobility.
The built-up area of the house is 90 m², with a usable area of approximately 150 m². According to the Energy Performance Certificate (PENB), the property falls into category B; the house’s heat loss is calculated at 4.4 kW. The house is permanently occupied by two people. It is mainly heated by electricity, with part of the energy for heating provided by a wood-burning radiant stove. This smart family home is equipped with a 15.4 kWp photovoltaic system, a heat-recovery ventilation unit, electric heating and a 41 kWh HES home battery storage system from FENIX Group.
We have also installed electric heating in the house, which is controlled by an algorithm in the control unit. We opted for a combination of a large-area low-temperature system in the floor or ceiling (ECOFLOOR floor mats, ECOFILM C floor foils, ECOFILM MH ceiling heating modules in plasterboard ceilings) and localised direct heaters, which can quickly adapt to the occupants’ needs (electric ladder radiators, ECOSUN GS glass radiant panels, ECOSUN TH outdoor terrace panels). We have also supplemented the electric heating system with wood-burning radiant stoves. These two sources heat the house reliably and very cost-effectively.
Running costs
Thanks to an ongoing research project, very detailed information is available from this house regarding the individual energy consumption of each technology. The following monthly overview lists only the key figures.
Heating costs also take into account the use of wood in the fireplace (the amount of wood burnt is roughly converted into the thermal energy obtained). When comparing the house’s various energy consumptions, the high proportion of electric vehicle charging is particularly significant. In low-energy households, the costs of charging an electric car are comparable to, or even exceed, the previously traditional costs of heating or hot water, making the electric car by far the largest energy consumer in the household. With the gradual development of electromobility, the public will therefore need to prepare for this reality.
Since autumn 2021, the homeowner has been with an electricity supplier offering a spot tariff. A monthly electricity bill is therefore available. From March 2022, a test mode was launched for the HES battery storage control algorithm, which operates based on spot prices. Thanks to this mode, a negative bill was even achieved in June 2022 – i.e. the quantity and average price of energy fed into the grid were higher than the quantity and average price of energy drawn from the distribution network. The supplier therefore refunded the overpayment to the homeowner that month.
We can provide previews of individual monthly invoices to interested parties on request.
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