Wood is one of the oldest construction materials, and it is experiencing an unprecedented renaissance in Germany. A low carbon footprint during construction, affordable material costs and an excellent energy efficiency make wooden houses a major champion in the new green consumer market. An interesting player in the wood house business is the Haas Group, a company which is known among German consumers for its prefabricated houses. The clou: each house comes packaged with a built-in renewable energy system.

The Haas Group has been active in the prefab home building business since the 1970s. In 2002, the company began offerning prefab houses with alternative energy solutions, starting with an integrated pellet heating systems. The system has become a standard offering by now and is enjoying great popularity especially in the South of Germany, which has ample wood pellet resources. Two years later, Haas offered an additional renewable energy option to house buyers, geothermal heat pumps. The deal included the consultation, the planning process, drilling and installation of the system complete with the (in Germany often extensive) paperwork. The company’s latest offer is the “Plus Energy House”, a solar-powered home which generates more revenue through power production than is needed to cover heating costs. (more…)

Angesichts der geradezu explodierenden Preise für Öl und Gas erfreuen sich alternative Methoden zur Energieversorgung immer größerer Beliebtheit. Private und KMUs decken sich verstärkt mit sauberer Energie ein und reduzieren ihre Stromkosten durch Solar- oder Kleinwindkraftanlagen (pressetext). In diesem milliardenschweren Stil erhoffen auch die Hersteller von Geothermiekraftwerken vom Energiehunger profitieren zu können und ein Stück vom Kuchen der großen Stromversorger abzubekommen. Über die gewonnene Energie, die ins öffentliche Stromnetz eingespeist wird, hinaus, werfen Geothermiekraftwerke mit Wärme ein besonders für Hausbauer interessantes Nebenprodukt ab.

“Wir konnten beobachten, dass die Nachfrage nach Erdwärme im privaten Bereich in letzter Zeit sehr stark angestiegen ist. (more…)