My house is my power station

Is this the future of living? In Brütten ZH there is a nine-family house with no connection to the electricity or gas grid and all the comforts of home. It is the most modern house in the world.

Living in an environmentally conscious way is a concern for many families, and housing plays a key role in this: Half of all electricity consumed in Switzerland is used in residential buildings, primarily for heating and hot water. In June 2016, eight tenants will move into a house designed to help them save energy and avoid emissions: In the Zurich municipality of Brütten is the world's first house that is completely self-sufficient in energy. More precisely, it uses solar radiation to provide the residents with electricity, heat the house and heat water. «People who live here don't have to do without anything,» promises Jörg Sigrist, Managing Director of Umwelt Arena Spreitenbach, which is constructing the pioneering building together with exhibition partners. «The people in this house will have enough electricity, hot water and fresh air at all times,» assures Sigrist. The building control system enables individual control of lighting, sockets and blinds in each flat and can be easily operated by the residents using a tablet.

Your electricity bill: 0 francs

«If you want, you can programme a goodbye button that switches off the lights and switches off all appliances,» Sigrist explains. There is an electric car in the underground car park that is charged directly with electricity from the roof. A second car runs on biogas produced from the residents' kitchen waste. The tenants share these two cars, but they can also use their own. Umwelt Arena has let the flats to a number of tenants who care about environmental protection. However, tenants who have not previously been particularly concerned with issues such as environmental protection or energy saving are also moving in. This is a deliberate choice, as the aim is to have a normal mix of tenants in this building. The residents hardly have to make any changes to their everyday behaviour.

Transparent energy consumption

The biggest difference is that they can permanently see on a display how much energy they are consuming - at the moment, in the last hour, week or even in the last year. This is not just about motivating them to further reduce their consumption. Each tenant has an annual energy allowance. If they exceed this, they have to pay extra. If they fall short, they are reimbursed a corresponding amount. You are not just renting a flat, but also a power station. And what about the rental costs? According to the people in charge, the rent is within the usual local range. Will we all be living like this soon? Probably not, and it's not necessary. It is more efficient for several houses, neighbourhoods or even cities to jointly supply themselves with electricity and heat from renewable sources and store temporary surpluses than if each house were to do this on its own. The energy self-sufficient apartment block in Brütten is not least a lighthouse and test object. It shows what is possible when we utilise existing technology consistently. Interested parties can take an exclusive tour of the first energy self-sufficient apartment block. In order not to disturb the residents, one flat will remain vacant and will not be rented out for the time being.
Picture: zvg

Environment Arena Spreitenbach

Due to the great public interest, the Umwelt Arena in Spreitenbach has developed a special exhibition entitled «Energy self-sufficient apartment block». Using a large 3D model, it presents the technical structure and innovative solutions of the building*. A visit to the Umwelt Arena Spreitenbach, an adventure centre for families, with interactive exhibitions, an energy slide and an indoor course, is worthwhile for young and old alike.
Thu/Fri 10am-6pm, Sat/Sun 10am-5pm, www.umweltarena.ch.
* Themed tours through the exhibition focussing on the «Energy self-sufficient apartment building» project can be booked for groups via fuehrungen@umweltarena.ch,
Phone 056 418 13 10.

Read more:

  • How do Swiss families live? And how will we live in the future? Our author took a look around and spoke to experts.
  • Interview: Whether a flat or house is child-friendly is decided outside the door, says educationalist Marco Hüttenmoser.