Last Updated on January 30, 2018 by teamobn
Maastricht, Netherlands – Autarkhome and Pietet Kromwijik
Year built: 2011
Internal area: 140 m2 (1,512 sq. ft.)
Cost: From €455,000
Meet the Autarkhome – the houseboat that has full passivhaus certification and that generates 100% of it’s own power. Now add that it creates its own drinking and household water and treats it’s own effluent to a 90% purity before releasing it back into the water! It is literally fully self-sustaining.
External walls are rated at R10. The design totally eliminates thermal bridging – the cause of heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Solar panels generate ample power to run the home including the 4,000 litre reverse osmosis water filtration system and water heaters. If there’s ever another ‘great flood’, this is surely the home to have.
While the initial investment may seem high, heating and cooling costs and all utilities are totally eliminated meaning that the lifetime value of the home is very acceptable.
“Autarkhome is a floating passive house with European passive house certificate. The house has no dock connection and is completely self-sufficient. It’s extremely sustainable, using proven technologies and is an example for future building. All this with an EPC of 0.1
In the current context in which sustainable energy plays an increasingly important role in our society, Autarkhome offers an affordable and high quality opportunity for every person who likes to live in a floating self-sufficient house.”
If you want to know more about the passivhaus concept (also known as super-insulated houses, you’ll want to read this blog by Leonard Smit, our resident passivhaus expert…
There are links to three Autarkhome videos beneath the gallery. They’re in Dutch but easy to follow.