Sustainability Miracle: The Plus-Energy Home

Plus-Energy houses generate more energy than they consume – even in a German climate. This innovative and future-proof way of building was developed by students at the Darmstadt University of Technology guided by Prof. Manfred Hegger and endowed with research funds by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Construction and Urban Development (BMVBS). At present, the Plus-Energy Home is touring major German cities as part of a travelling exhibition. After stops in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt it will also be on display in Düsseldorf during glasstec.

With the Plus-Energy Home the German Federal Government provides information on forward-looking possibilities of energy-saving construction. Designed as a transportable and fully operative lightweight structure the house won the internationally renowned Solar Decathlon competition in Washington DC in 2007. Back then the BMVBS assumed the patronage for the German entry and supported the project as part of the research initiative “Zukunft Bau” (Future Construction). In its extended version the German entry also won the 2009 Solar House World Championship organised by the US Department of Energy every two years. This makes the Plus-Energy Home internationally the most successful model project of the BMVBS’ research initiative.

Designed as a mobile and fully operative lightweight structure the House won the international 2007 Solar Decathlon Competition in Washington DC and will be open to all visitors at the Ehrenhof, Inselstrasse in Düsseldorf, from 24 June to 4 October 2010. It informs visitors on energy-efficient and sustainable building with an exhibition, daily guided tour and technical lectures.

www.oekozentrum-nrw.de/peh.