Damüls heating plant

The fact that you can take a deep breath in Damüls Faschina, the highest vacation resorts between the Bregenzerwald and the Großes Walsertal, is not only due to the good mountain air: the biomass heating plant in Damüls, which has been in operation since 2003, is responsible for the fact that CO2 emissions in the climatic health resort have been reduced by an impressive 85% since then! Instead of the chimney smoke you used to see on almost every house in winter, the heating plant uses industrial wood chips from the Sonntag sawmill and logs from the regional forest to distribute ecological heat.

The then and current Deputy Mayor Karl Türtscher initiated the project, which is extremely unusual for a scattered settlement. An initial study had deemed the project difficult due to the pipeline issue, but a subsequent detailed study gave the go-ahead. Thanks to meticulous communication with all homeowners, a connection rate of over 96% of properties in the biomass catchment area was achieved. This puts the Damüls heating plant in a special position throughout Europe - almost every house in Damüls is connected and supplied from the local energy source. In addition to the benefits for agriculture and forestry - more wood grows in Vorarlberg than is consumed - the added value remains in the region.

The municipal council at the time, with Mayor Wilfried Madlener, Karl Türtscher and local councillor and hotelier Andrea Klauser, acted according to the motto "Nothing is as strong as the idea whose time has come". With strong partners and shareholders such as Vorarlberger Kraftwerke, Damülser Seilbahnen, Raiffeisenbank, the Feldkirch diocese, the provincial road construction office and a number of private individuals, the municipality realized the highly acclaimed biomass plant. Almost all Damüls residents were optimistic and enthusiastic - and the success story of the plant proves them right. Karl Türtscher: "It was important to us that all the shareholders are involved themselves and that the municipality has the majority. This ensured from the outset that the heating plant would not operate exclusively for profit, but that the citizens would be guaranteed a reasonable heating price in the long term!"

A depot of 4000 bulk cubic meters of wood serves as a large warehouse and strategic capital. "We buy wood when it's cheap and use it when it's expensive," explains Karl Türtscher. In winter, there is therefore no need to carry the wood up the mountain - which is usually more difficult due to the snow. Guests to the mountain village also benefit from the unique biomass plant. After all, the Damüls climate is known to have a positive effect on the recovery and healing of bronchial and respiratory diseases. Intact nature on site and the elimination of transportation routes are further benefits. The security of supply of local wood is guaranteed and CO2-neutral heating in the cycle of nature is a strong commitment to the climate goals of the state, federal government and EU.

Millions of liters of heating oil have now been saved. Anyone who turns on the shower in their hotel after an intensive day of skiing and enjoys the pleasantly warm water can do so with a clear conscience: Here, heat and hot water are generated using regional wood. And thanks to the best maintenance and sophisticated technology, the biomass heating plant runs particularly smoothly: the residual heat contained in the exhaust gas is used to dry the fuel, and the flue gas is cleaned of the finest dust particles thanks to the built-in condensation system. The usual plume of water vapor from the chimney is usually nowhere to be found. Only your own white breath steams on freezing winter days...