Sustainability in our Hotel Bachmann

Heated by water

In 2010 we finished installing a water heat pump system to replace the previous oil-fired heating. With the exception of an emergency back-up unit, all our heating and hot water requirements are now supplied exclusively by renewable energy. Since the heating unit is located directly in the hotel, no heat is lost through long pipe runs. 

Ground water gives an excellent supply of heat, and is a frequently used source for heat pumps. In our case the water is pumped up from a well, the pump draws off the heat and the water subsequently returns to the ground water via a sink pipe. Ground water heat pumps achieve the very best efficiency and performance ratios. 

Protecting the environment and saving energy is of prime importance to us here at Hotel Bachmann. To ensure a more efficient use of energy we have introduced the following measures: 

• A lift featuring an innovative regenerative drive, which feeds back energy into the power supply, thus combining energy-saving with convenience.
• With normal non-regenerative drives, resistance causes the energy produced by the brakes to be turned into unused heat. By comparison, regenerative drives feed this unused energy back into the hotel’s own internal electricity reserves, so that it can be used again elsewhere. Under certain load conditions electricity consumption can be reduced by up to 75% when compared with conventional drive systems. When a fully loaded lift travels downwards, or when an empty lift travels up, more energy is produced. This means that a fully loaded lift travelling downwards contributes to the amount of electricity available in the hotel to help run, for example, our computers, printers and photocopiers, as well as lift and corridor lighting.
• Nearly all our lighting uses energy-saving light bulbs or LED spotlights.
• To reduce our carbon footprint still further we have decided to manage without refrigerators in the guest rooms. A total of 35 refrigerators running day and night throughout the year would use large amounts of valuable energy.
• For the last six years we have used induction cookers in our kitchen. With this technology heat is only produced when pots are actually standing on the hotplate.
• “The Alps are Europe’s air-conditioning unit”: thanks to our alpine climate we can afford to do without energy-consuming air-conditioning units.
• All our toilets are fitted with a water-saving dual flush system.

• All the hotel’s bedclothes and table linen are washed on the premises in our own laundry, obviating the need for long-distance transportation.
• With an eye to protecting the environment, the hand towels in the guest rooms are only changed on request, i.e. when they are left in the bath or shower. Otherwise we assume guests are happy to use them again.
• We use ecological bio-degradable detergents for all our laundry

Regional products

Our hotel makes a very clear statement when it comes to locally sourced food products. You too will benefit from this policy: you can rest assured that all the natural products such as milk, yoghurt, cheese, meat, bread and schnapps served in the hotel are sourced in Austria. In this way we not only ensure maximum freshness by avoiding long transportation times, but we also support the farmers who help preserve the natural beauty of the Montafon valley, and who deliver high-quality Austrian products straight to the table. Our hotel is an environmental nirvana, and a back-to-nature holiday paradise. Let’s do our best to keep it that way, so that future generations can enjoy it too. And don’t forget: if you enjoy eating trout at the barbeque evening in summer, why not catch them yourself in our very own hotel fishpond?!