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LiviosThe Limburg fruit region forms the backdrop for Bart and Graziela’s semi-off-grid holiday home. “We want our guests to experience conscious use of water and electricity. We will be independent of the power grid for 9 months.” Take a look at the Livios construction site.
Semi-independent accommodation
There are numerous holiday homes in the Limburg fruit region. But Bart and the Brazilian Graziela’s holiday home caught our attention. Not only because of the architectural wooden frame construction and the designer furniture, but also because of their special style of living. Bart decided on a semi-off-grid new building with an attached holiday home. “The two are completely separate. But all the materials, technical gadgets and techniques that we have at home are also available in the holiday home. This allows visitors to experience and taste life off the grid.”
Is timber frame construction for you? Find out everything about this construction method here.
Natural, reclaimed materials
The modern half-timbered house stands on a triangular plot and this immediately presented many challenges. Bart, together with the architectural firms Eprojecten and in-Lijn, had to think outside the box, especially when it came to the layout of the space. The result is an open, airy house with a 6 meter high glass facade with panoramic views of the surrounding fruit trees and lawns. The materials used in the private house can also be found in the holiday home. “The wooden floors are recycled and this creates a special pattern as not all boards have the same width and cutting line. They were used for trade fairs and we recovered them directly from the manufacturer.”
© Huis van Hout / Bart Goossens – mbargo.be
Drywall wooden frame
By the way, wood is the main theme, because Bart has opted for wooden frame construction. “The wood frame is a dry construction method, not a drop of water is used and you can feel that in this house. “When we moved here from a 1970s brick house, it was a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.” He dealt also with natural alternatives to insulation. Flax and cellulose (paper flakes) provide insulation for the energy-efficient house. A ventilation system D ensures an even temperature and supports underfloor heating and cooling.
There is a large selection of insulation materials for insulating your home: from mineral wool to PUR and PIR to paper flakes.
Self-sufficient holiday home
This wooden frame house is (almost) self-sufficient for water, heat/cold and electricity. Almost all of the water you use in the holiday home is filtered rainwater. To do this, Bart installed a plant filter with two 10,000 liter water reservoirs underneath. The plant filter was filled with lava stones (because of their cleansing effect) and aquatic plants. The filtered rainwater is also used to fill the Weltevree whirlpool.
“Guests have access to firewood from the surrounding apple orchards to heat the water. From the tub you have a wonderful view of the surrounding area, and it is also a real eye-catcher on the terrace. We then let the water run back into the plant filter.” The collected rainwater is also used for the shower. An LED strip in the holiday home also shows the water temperature. “The color of the LED strip in the living space changes from blue to red as the water heats up.”
© Huis van Hout / Bart Goossens – mbargo.be
Detect energy leaks
Bart uses solar panels to heat domestic water and underfloor heating. The help of the heat pump is only welcome in the depths of winter. This is then intelligently controlled with a surplus of self-produced solar energy. Bart has really focused on his home’s energy consumption.
“When we first moved here I was really frustrated. Despite our sustainable installations and techniques, our energy costs remained high. I started looking into it and seeing what we could adapt. This is how I discovered that my solar panels were not being used to full capacity: they were connected incorrectly! But I also had the heat pump adjusted in detail and had the solar panels placed at a different angle so that they could capture the sunlight better. I’m constantly making adjustments and figuring out where the energy leaks are.”
LOOK ON. You can find more photos of this unique holiday home here.
Monitor energy consumption
According to Bart, it’s all about night-time consumption. “The sleep consumption of the television, the drivers of the LED lighting, … consume more at night than you think.” That’s why I installed a lot of relays in the control box and smart plugs in the sockets. A total of 50 smart sockets are distributed throughout the house and holiday home. I monitor everything through an open source software system and continually make adjustments.”
Thanks to this intelligent control, Bart has significantly reduced energy consumption. “The load on the home battery is low because everything is coordinated as best as possible. This way of life means we are not dependent on the electricity grid for 9 months. And I would also like to pass this on to our guests. I want to show them what is possible in the energy sector. So you don’t have to be as fanatical about it as I am, but every little bit can help,” laughs Bart.
© Huis van Hout / Bart Goossens – mbargo.be
Save energy with Bart’s tips
1. Try to use as little electricity as possible at night as the solar panels cannot absorb your consumption. For example, leave your dishwasher running during the day so you can use your self-generated solar power in real time.
2. You can save a lot of energy by lowering the hot water temperature (45°C instead of 70°C).
3. Do you have a heat pump? Note that it will not work efficiently if you want more than 45 degrees.
4. Manage your sleep consumption. The standby consumption of an average family is 500 kWh per year, or 10 percent of total consumption. You can measure your sleep consumption with an energy meter. Turn off your digital decoder, leave chargers unplugged, unplug your coffee maker (or install a pass-through switch or intermediate switch), etc.
Would you also like to build an energy-efficient house? Be inspired and informed by the free magazine “Mijn Nieuwbouw”.
Monitor your energy consumption: how to do it yourself?
Make optimal use of the yield from your solar modules: our tips & tricks
How much does a heat pump consume? Save with these tips
This article was written by our partner Livios.be, an expert site focused on construction and renovation.
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