sonnenBatterie - Best Match for the Hütt 01 Passsivehaus
Featured on Grand Designs Australia in May 2021 and the recipient of numerous industry awards and recognitions, including the 2022 National Award for Sustainable Architecture, the Hütt 01 Coburg is a net zero home powered by the sun.
The homeowners, architects Felicity and Mark Bernstein, who live with their three children in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg, have a strong belief in achieving carbon neutrality without compromising on the comforts and luxuries that homeowners, like themselves, desire. While the primary reason for designing and building their home is their family, they also wanted to “create an inspiration for others and to show that you don’t have to compromise your lifestyle to be able to have a positive contribution to a better world. You can have both.”
What is the Hütt 01?
Certified ‘Premium’, the highest Passivhouse category, the Hütt 01 is architecturally distinctive with a modernist touch and a sense of spaciousness across its 2½ levels – despite an internal footprint of just 78m2! Luxurious but fun, the 8.4-Star all-electric home leverages Passive House principles augmented with passive solar design for the additional design flexibility, including reduced reliance on thermal mass and northern solar. As Mark explains, “with Passive House you can predict the amount of energy the house is going to use, and why, when and where – and you can respond to it.”
The Hütt 01 sets a positive example for small-scale urban densification by making innovative use of an unusually-shaped block in a compact inner-city Melbourne suburb. However, where it really shines is in demonstrating how we can get to ‘near-net-zero housing’ while enjoying an upscale lifestyle that doesn’t compromise on the comforts we want for our families. Felicity and Mark believe net-zero energy homes are the way of the future, and with the Hütt 01 Passivhaus, they’re helping to show others what net-zero housing can look like and how we can build better houses in Australia.
A net zero home powered by the sun.
Why sonnen?
As environmentally-conscious homeowners who love the idea of net-zero energy homes and want the power they use at home to be ethically sourced, having an ‘almost’ off-the-grid-electricity system – a rooftop solar PV system and home battery – enables their family to enjoy all the luxuries they need while maintaining a sustainable life at home with minimal impact on the environment. As Felicity explained,“I think I can recommend a battery to really everyone because it’s just that little bit extra that you need for a luxurious and sustainable lifestyle, …basically, we can use all the luxury appliances we want without having to feel guilty or having a negative impact.”
While the German connection may have played a role in their decision-making – both Felicity and Mark are originally from Germany – they chose sonnen primarily for environmental and quality reasons. Not only is the sonnenBatterie one of the few cobalt-free batteries on the market and recyclable at the end of its lifetime, but they value the quality of sonnen products that are backed by a heritage of German engineering. And they love the sonnenApp that enables them to access and visualise real-time sonnenBatterie system data, including live energy flow, state of charge, and energy consumption and production with daily, hourly and monthly reports.
How a sonnenBatterie can work for you
Like to see how a sonnenBatterie could help you move your home closer to net zero? Whether you’re building new or making your existing home lifestyle more sustainable, a sonnenBatterie is the smart choice. Contact us below to connect with a sonnen partner installer near you or learn more about our home batteries that are cobalt-free and more sustainable than other batteries on the market.
