LichtAktiv Haus is the Energy Efficient Home of the Future

If you've ever wondered what your house might look like in 2050, the LichtAktiv Haus might give you a taste. The <a href="http://www.velux.de" target="_blank">VELUX</a> Group renovated this typical 1950s home outside of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/herzog-de-meurons-elphilharmonie-concert-hall-tops-out/" target="_blank">Hamburg</a> into an <a href="http://inhabitat.com/sneak-peek-20-stunning-energy-efficient-homes-in-the-2011-solar-decathlon/" target="_blank">energy-efficient</a> masterpiece. The home is part of the German competition “Model Home 2020,” which asked entrants to transform preexisting homes into modern climate neutral residences.

The LichtAktiv Haus looks nothing of its traditional<a href="http://inhabitat.com/restored-barrel-vaults-and-local-stone-give-this-italian-home-a-rustic-facelift/" target="_blank"> former self</a>. VELUX opened up the boxy design, created larger rooms, outdoor areas, and an extended living area. Each room has been fit with large windows on the walls and roof, flooding each interior with natural light.

The open plan living room, part of the new extension, is lined with a glass wall that reveals the lush garden in the yard. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/forsaken-60s-trailer-renovated-into-a-happy-hippy-house-in-france/" target="_blank">extension</a> is connected to the original home via a large slant-roofed porch, which doubles as the main entrance.

The home is powered completely efficiently with renewable resources. The interior is passively heated in winter through the skylights. The interior is cooled by closing <a href="http://inhabitat.com/elevated-prefab-home-on-cusabo-island-is-perched-to-withstand-fire-and-hurricane/" target="_blank">shutters</a> and blinds to block the sun in the summer. An air water heat pump combined with polycrystalline <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-decathlon-team-chinas-y-container-upcycles-shipping-containers/" target="_blank">photovoltaic panels</a> line the roof, collecting energy to provide heat and hot water. The solar panels provide clean, greenhouse gas emission free energy.

The windows and skylights have been placed by light designer Peter Andres, to meticulously <a href="http://inhabitat.com/gorgeous-light-filled-swiss-home-overlooks-lake-lugano/" target="_blank">maximize daylight</a>- making it appear like electric lights. Artificial lights are not needed at all during the day. The home is also has an automatic system, powered with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-decathlon-middlebury-colleges-self-reliance-home-resembles-a-traditional-new-england-farmhouse/" target="_blank">solar energy</a>, to control blinds, roof windows, and awnings- raising and lowering at various points of the day.

When roof windows are open, which are set at varying heights, hot air is funneled out the top while fresh air stays below. All the fixtures of the home are water saving, and rainwater is used in the washing machine, irrigation and toilets.

The LichtAktiv Haus is truly a home of the future, modern and airy in design, and completely <a href="http://inhabitat.com/dyson-unveils-hot-bladeless-heater-that-doubles-as-a-cooling-fan-in-summer/" target="_blank">energy saving</a> to boot.