Electricity and heating: This is how homeowners achieve energy self-sufficiency

Dusseldorf Climate crisis, high energy prices, fear of the gas supply stop – there are currently many reasons to wish for more independence in your own energy supply.

Those who are energy self-sufficient produce their own electricity and heat. High prices and supply bottlenecks then no longer play a role, and ideally the energy sources used are renewable.

Is the dream of self-sufficiency realistic? What are the requirements, how much does the changeover cost, and how reliable is the independent supply? A guide in four steps.

1. This is how you create a good basis for an efficient energy supply

Basically, the better a house is insulated, the less energy is required for heating. That doesn’t mean that complete insulation always has to be the first step on the way to saving energy. “Insulation is often relatively expensive and inefficient, it requires a lot of funding,” says Heinrich Tissen, energy expert at the management consultancy Arthur D. Little.