Electrically powered self-sufficient barge/cruising houseboat 15.24m by 4.1m
This boat is groundbreaking, combining sophisticated insulation (Passive Haus), and the most up to date well proven energy producing devices and energy saving appliances to enable sustainable living and cruising.
- 25m² POLYCRYSTALLINE PHOTOVOLTAIC panels of which 7m² are on the Starboard side, rated together at over 1.7kw providing enough electricity to allow CARBON NEUTRAL cruising and/or living THROUGHOUT the year.
- over the course of a year the PV system produces in the current setup in London around 1400kw/h FREE carbon neutral energy, allowing over 2000km of carbon neutral cruising or living. Over the next 25 years this system allows you to harness around 30000Kw/h of free energy. If you are not familiar with this technology and have questions please see section: Photovoltaic Solar System
- electrically powered using the most efficient Lynch engine also saving you 25% on the British Waterways licence. Please see section: Motor/ propeller
- no gas, diesel or petrol needed! You cook and heat with the electricity the PV system generates
- huge, 1.2 ton battery bank made of 24 two Volt, 960Amp/h wet lead acid cells storing a total of ca. 22kw/h at 50% discharge. This battery bank is at the center of the boat in an stainless steel container vented to the outside.
- all steel flat bottom shell, built to the highest specifications 12/8/6/4mm (14 tonns of steel) by a very well established boat builder in Britain in 2010.
- hydraulic steering.
- unsurpassed multilayer composite insulation, also using the surrounding water as an energy source.
- under-floor heating throughout and an Art Deco – Bauhaus style 1930’s solid burning stove.
- Bauhaus is classified as category D-Inshore, has been surveyed, has been CE marked and has of course a Boat Safety Certificate.
- An air condition system or to be more precise a very energy efficient ‘Air Source Heat pump’ can be installed. cost: ca. £1300
- 1kw wind generator can be fitted, including collapsible tower for stern deck (little noise, no vibrations). This turbine will provide you on a similar site in London with at least another 1200kw/h a year. cost: ca. £4000
- The electric motor can be used as a tidal generator.
- Bow thruster can be fitted. cost: ca. £4000
DRAUGHT: With the current load/ballast at the lowest point centre stern 78cm, and between 48 to 53cm on bow and stern.
AIR DRAUGHT: With the current load/ballast the higest point is 2.18 to 2.23m in the center and 1.67 to 1.75m at a width of 4.04m the cabin is 14.40m long by 3.94m wide.
WEIGHT: 18 to 22 metric tons
Through its unique design and layout bauhaus offers much more internal space than many Dutch barges or double width narrow boats of 15.24m overall length, but importantly has exactly the same if not better manoeuvrability then any other vessel of this size. The inside dimensions of the cabin is 3.66 by 14m, apart from three steps into the boat everything is on the same level. Bauhaus is divided into a very big lounge/kitchen, 25m², a bathroom, and two cabins 13m² and 7m². There is plenty of light from a skylight, a large fully glazed door and windows. Plenty can be seen during cruising, but you don’t get the ‘I am sitting in a fish tank feeling.’ The roof can be used as a seating area.
- Concept & Design
There are many so called solar and electrically powered boats or barges and many very nice houseboats on the market but there is nothing like Bauhaus.
http://www.solarboat.co.uk/gallery.shtml
http://www.solarwaterworld.de/en/products/yacht/suncat-46.html
Above water Bauhaus look rather like a house however, there is much more to bauhaus than meets the eye on every level. This vessel is named after the amazing German Arts and Crafts school which was closed down by the Nazi’s in 1933 and, yes and the Band. Bauhaus Barge is absolutely unique and the concept is based on the manifesto of the Bauhaus school, using basic forms to create objects which are primarily functional but also aesthetically pleasing. Bauhaus-Barge is utilitarian or functionality at its best while offering environmental sustainability. It is the ultimate Wohnmaschine[1], Vergnügungsmaschine[2], providing greatest comfort whilst not being wasteful with resources. Economical and ecological living and cruising in every sense of the word. Everything is on board, which allows a comfortable cruising or indeed living and everything has been sourced for proven effectiveness, reliability, functionality and value for money. The windows, doors and skylight have been tailor-made in order to provide the best thermal and noise insulation as well as high-level security.
Bauhaus Barge allows carbon neutral, self sufficient cruising and living but does not guarantee it. Obviously, this very much depends on your usage of the boat and how wasteful you are with energy. Bauhaus is like a very economical car, arguably the most energy efficient and comfortable Vergnügungsmaschine money can buy.
- ENERGY
I first called this boat an ECO friendly barge but when I read how else this terminology was used I thought self sufficient is more to the point. Obviously anybody can name whatever they own whatever they like and that absolutely fine, but Volkswagen doesn’t call the beetle ECO beetle because they added a vase as standard and put a daisy in it.
Energy consumption is very relative and the vast majority of the world population has to live with less energy than we consume in Europe. I stated in FAQ that I used on a similar but less efficient boat just over 4kw/h a day. My daily usage can be broken down into the fridge freezer which takes ca.1kw/h a day, a few hundred watts for light and a decent size television or/and computer and around 2kw/h for cooking and cups of tea. Every second and third day the slim line dishwasher gets used 1kw/h, the 6kg wash uses 1.5kw/h, and a couple of showers 1kw/h. The dishwasher uses less water and less energy than anybody washing up by hand, you only boil the amount of water you really need, you use a multiple steamer for your vegetables, and the microwave oven is the most efficient way to cook your meals.
If you use Bauhaus as a weekend retreat and stay or cruise between early spring to late summer or even autumn, you will most likely not import electricity. Over the summer months, you will produce more energy than you consume and will be able to sell electricity. If you just stay or cruise the odd weekend during winter months, you do not need to import electricity either. However, if you stay/live on board or cruise extensively during the winter, you will need to connect to a shoreline just like other boaters and you will also need fire wood for the stove (carbon neutral). You don’t need to use the stove if you don’t like and you can also heat the whole boat even during the coldest periods with the under floor heating. Bauhaus is incredibly well insulated and energy efficient (Passive Haus) and additionally uses the surrounding water as a energy source. How?
In London the water at 40 cm. depth varies only from ca. +4ºC during the winter months to +22ºC in the summer whereas the outside temperature can varies from -11 to +32. Bauhaus is spray foamed (not the bottom plate) but importantly has an air gap between the next layer of insulation to ensure air flow from the bilge to the roof and down. The warmer air generated at the bottom plate and in the bilge will raise and keep Bauhaus frost free even in these cold periods. In hot weather the energy from the colder water is used to cool Bauhaus using the same principle in reverse.
If the wind speed on your mooring is on average above 15km/h th and you are moored outside turbulence’s i.e. quick changing wind direction you should consider a quiet but very efficient 1kw-wind generator http://www.futurenergy.co.uk/turbine.html can be installed.
At this wind speed which is by the way within the yearly average in London you will harvest around another 3kw/h a day. The only reason why its not there is because I have enough energy as it stands and I don’t have another £4000 for the tower and equipment needed. To give you an idea if this wind turbine is suitable for you check out your local weather forecast or www.windfinder.com
- The shell
I would describe without hesitation Bauhaus as brick shaped and this is by no means a criticism because this is what you see above water. However, there is much more to the hull than what you see. What many do not realise is that the construction of the back/stern, the position of the propeller and the water flow to the propeller is of the same importance as the shape of the bow. There is no point having the bow shaped like a racing boat with the propeller getting no water for the thrust. I have seen wide beam boats in dry docks with beautiful streamlined bows and I wondered how does the water gets to the propeller, of course it does, but terribly inefficiently.
Another aspect which has to be taken into consideration is simply the availability of water on the canals. If you cruise any wide beam barge at or above 6-8 km/h on the canal you will notice that the water level drops 10 and more meters ahead of you. You actually push the water underneath your own vessel away, creating a current which makes your drive very inefficiently. Many Dutch barges or replica Dutch barges can only show their full potential on open water but on most inland waterways this potential is wasted.
The first diesel powered canal barges carrying cargo, either tied next to or pulling an unpowered barge/butty, had around 5 horsepower. Bauhaus Barge does not pretend to be a seagoing vessel nor a vessel to do mileage quickly. You cruise leisurely and very energy efficiently at walking speed or slightly faster at 4-6km/h, and if you want to you can do 8km/h very energy inefficiently. By adding an extra motor, (very simply and costing around £3000) and you can get to 10-12km/h. However, the unwanted greenery and microorganism on your hull slow any vessel down more than any of the issues mentioned above.
The bow on Bauhaus is angled in two directions to allow easier water flow, not only downwards but also sideways, just like on a conventional boat just a bit more angular.
The sides go up vertically from the 12mm thick steel flat bottom to the roof and the 80mm square box section side decks are applied acting effectively as gunnels. From the bottom to 1m height, where side decks are applied, 8mm thick steel is used and from the side decks upward 6mm and the roof is 4mm thick steel. Having the side decks applied to the sides above the waterline has three advantages: Firstly, the hull itself is 16cm slimmer which increases manoeuvrability and uses less energy to cruise. Secondly, the 12 mm bottom plate extends further across the sides protecting the sides from low level side impact. However, in locks these are potected by the protruding applied sides. Thirdly the extended bottom plate on each side, over the whole length of the hull, helps to stabilise against rolling.
The propeller and rudder are lower than the bottom plate increasing the efficiency of the motor and increasing the manoeuvrability. Bauhaus has hydraulic steering and is steered from the stern back deck and has the same, if not better, manoeuvrability than any other wide beam barge of this length.
- The electrical installation
Is very complex and has been executed to the highest safety standards. The power the solar panels produce is fed via the Outback Flexmax 60 charge controller into the battery bank. The Outback charge controller is developed and assembled in the USA and is arguably the best on the market. The DC power stored in the 48V battery bank is converted to 230 AC for domestic use using the most sophisticated and energy efficient Studer Xtender XTH 8000-48 inverter. Built in Switzerland this is the only inverter on the market which converts continuous 7kw and 8kw to 20kw peak, and has the highest efficiency of any pure sine inverters, up to 96%.
The available electricity allows cooking with an electric cooker as well as using other electric appliances. However there is ample usage as there will not be enough power to fully turn on all electric appliances at the same time if you use the power from the battery alone. If you have enough power supplied from your shoreline then there is obviously nobody and nothing stopping you to turn everything on in full at the same time. During winter months the water is preheated to about 20° C in the calorifier and fully heated with a 6kw instantaneous water heater whenever required. As electric power is used for hot water and cooking there is no need for gas installation. Some of the 48V from the battery are converted to 12V using a Studer inverter to supply a 12V fresh water pump, a waste water pump for the shower and a bilge pump. There is a 16amp shoreline plug which can also be used for a generator. There is also a Victron Skyller charger on which you can adjust the charging current which is particular useful if you have only little current available. There is also an 3.6kw Victron Isolation Transformer.
- The insulation
Is better than on any other boat and much better then on the majority of houses in the UK. Using the principle of the Passive Haus, combined with the best suitable materials and taking advantage of the surrounding water, Bauhaus has the best thermal and acoustic insulation possible in the given space. The composite multilayer insulation is as compact as possible but in order to provide the insulation desired still 16cm thick.
The steel on the sides and roof is spray foamed with a thickness of 2-3 cm which is mainly to stop condensation but will give some basic insulation. This is followed by multilayer foil insulation. Importantly, between the spray foam and the multilayer foil is an air gap of 5-12cm, this allows the air to circulate. freely from the bilge/bottom of the boat along the sides to the roof and down to the bilge again. In hot weather the air rises along the south facing side, passing under the roof and falls on the shaded side to the bilge, which is the coldest area being cooled by the surrounding water. In harsh winter, even with frozen water, the water below the ice will be warmer than the air above. The warmer water below the ice will generate warm air within the bilge helping to keep Bauhaus frost free even in the coldest periods. This arrangement of an enclosed passive ventilation keeps also condensation to an absolute minimum.
The next layer of insulation is 5cm thick slabs of Rockwool placed between the 5 by 7.5cm tanalised pine battening, which is a much higher specification battening than used on most fit outs. Using 5cm thick battens allows us to add the Rockwool insulation in between the battens which is then followed by 2.5cm Xtratherm polyboard. The polyboard is 2.5cm thick and backed on both sides by aluminium foil. The use of polyurethane foam (spray foam and polyboard) may not seem very green but I am afraid there are not many alternatives. You would have to spend even more money, and the insulation as it stands is not cheap, or you would need more space. The insulation already takes up to 16 cm measured from the outside hull; this is one foot of width which is a great deal on a 4 meter wide craft. To finish off 12.5mm plasterboard to is applied on top of the polyboard. The use of plasterboard may seem quite unorthodox but makes perfect sense for a inland waterway vessel. Plasterboard is not flammable, has mass which helps to maintain a good room climate, buffering the temperature extremes and insulates very well against air-bound noise. The plasterboard is screwed onto the battens with trumpet headed screws, moisture proofed and sealed using specially formulated plasterboard primer and fibre glass wallpaper is glued onto it and painted. If you hit an obstacle these boards will not fly off the wall or turn to dust and if you leave the window open by mistake and they get wet they will not disintegrate.
The ceiling is finished with 11mm thick OSB boards to give bauhaus a more industrious look and been easily taken down to accsess wiring etc. The floor is also different, above the multilayer insulation foil 5cm Rockwool is placed, followed by 18mm WPS plywood, 6mm XPT foam, underfloor heating and 7mm oak effect laminate flooring.
The windows are specially made in Germany and are the most energy efficient safety widows money can buy, a combination of toughened and laminated double glazing filled with argon gives you a K factor of just over 1. The sky light is again toughened and double glazed and so is the door which has a additional aluminium shutter. This means that this boat is not only exceptionally insulated but also safe.
And if you still awake…some more info: In the July 2011 edition of Waterways World ‘boats & pieces’ section the man behind Bauhaus Barge was described as furniture restorer and that he fitted out the boat. Well, there is never enough space and time to explain all in detail. The boater, (me) behind Bauhaus Barge employed various specialist firms to get Bauhaus built, a professional boat fitter carried out the installations and fitted out the boat with my help and advice. I have been living on numerous boats and barges for over 15 years and cruised extensively on the British canal system. Disappointed by the lack of truly innovative, ecological sustainable barges and self powered houseboats, I put my boating experience and a great deal of research into developing this vessel and had Bauhaus built. Every part of the build is well documented and recorded. I have a ‘Meister’ in cabinetmaking and a degree in art conservation. I am, for many years now, a furniture restorer/conservator and this is what I doing for a living, however I previously worked as part of a team or supervising the building of high class very energy efficient prefabricated houses in continental Europe. The experience I gained during this time guided me whilst designing this vessel. I advise and help fellow boaters on boat fit outs and advise on energy efficiency, I have seen some beautiful boats as well as many example on how not to do it. I received further help and inspiration from my brothers, one an electric engineer, and the other an electrician specializing in the installation of PV systems, and friends working in the huge carbon neutral industry in Germany.
Still got the will to live,,,still got the mental strenght?? Well, read was ist das
[1]Translates as ‘living machine.’ See The Bauhaus Group a book by Nicholas Fox Weber Wohnmaschine
[2] can be related to the above and translates as ‘pleasure machine’
