Guesthouse gets an energy makeover

• Traditional guesthouse refurbished to the state of the art in terms of energy efficiency
• The whole refurbishment process was performed with natural renewable resources

The Bräuer guesthouse, which is located in Weiβkirchen in Styria, Austria, places great importance on sustainability and ecology. Management undertook a major refurbishment which included a series of energy efficiency measures including installation of a 39 m2 solar thermal system providing localised hot water to hotel rooms and upgraded heating control system throughout the hotel building.

Other measures included the replacement of existing windows with modern thermally insulated glazings that still respected the traditional styling of the rural hotel. Ceilings and external walls were insulated using environmentally friendly cellulose materials for the upper storey and stone wool for the external parts, again in keeping with the traditional appearance of the structure.

Key results

As a result of these measures, Guest House Bräuer was able to achieve primary energy savings of some 5.63 TOE per year and reduce CO2 by some 65.4 tonnes per year. This amounts to total savings of approximately € 5 000 a year.