Looking for tips on how to have a sustainable sauna and be as eco-friendly as possible? Then you've come to the right place! There are around 30 million sauna users in Germany.₁ A sauna session is healthy for the heart, skin and immune system, among other things. It contributes to physical recovery and mental relaxation. But is it also healthy for the environment? After all, conventional saunas are extremely energy-intensive - and consume a lot of electricity when used regularly. In addition, their production requires a lot of wood and their placement requires a lot of space.
Fortunately, we have many options at our disposal to sweat much more ecologically in the future. Whether you want to build an environmentally friendly private sauna or simply sauna as sustainably as possible in a wellness hotel - in this article you will now find the most important tips. Let's go.
- Prefer FSC certified wood
- Going to the sauna together
- Generate energy with heat pump if possible
- Sustainable sauna heating with green electricity
- Sweat in the solar sauna
- Relax in a barrel or bio sauna
- Use recuperative heat recovery
- Get sustainable accessories
- Pay attention to regular care
- Use sauna consciously
1. prefer FSC certified wood
When buying a new sauna, the main thing you should pay attention to is that the wood from sustainable forestry comes from. This can be seen very clearly on the FSC seal of the Bonn-based non-profit organization Forest Stewardship Council. It is best to contact us for your Sauna to suppliers who deliberately rely exclusively on FSC-certified material. How the company Caribou for example - the company also supports the planting of new trees and forests in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern through school forest projects.
Additional Tip: Also make sure that toxic adhesives and paints are avoided in the sauna of your choice. The RoHS seal gives you peace of mind because it confirms that hazardous substances that are difficult to dispose of and harmful to the environment do not exceed the maximum permitted limit.
2. go to the sauna together
This tip means that the The ratio between the size of the sauna and the number of sauna-goers is crucial. for sustainability. After all, a larger sauna usually requires much more energy to heat up. The more people there are in a slightly larger cabin, the more sense it makes to heat it up.
So relate your later usage behavior is already included in the purchase decision with. If you often have sauna-loving friends as guests, then the investment in a sauna for 4-5 people, for example, is worth a little more. If you often sauna alone or as a couple, then a smaller and more energy-efficient version will suffice. In the end, you can also save money in the long term. save money through sustainability.
3. generate energy with heat pump if possible
In a banya sauna (70-80°C), a Finnish sauna (80-100°C) or an earth sauna (about 130°C), considerable temperatures must be generated in the cabin. Until the Sauna heater 20-30 minutes usually elapse before the time is reached. Added to this is the usage time. According to EnBW, this is another reason why a sauna session consumes about as much electricity as 300-400 hours of work on a laptop.₂
The Power Saving through a conscious usage behavior, is one thing - the origin of the energy is another. With an installed Geothermal heat pump can provide heat for your sauna or steam bath much more efficiently, for example, because it uses the available heat from the earth for heating as well as for heating water.
4. sustainable sauna heating with green electricity
Switching to a heat pump does a lot for your sustainable sauna - but it can also be a relatively expensive tip to begin with, admittedly. Switching to green electricity, on the other hand, is an option that anyone can implement in 5 minutes with just a few clicks and no extra cost. The electricity to heat your sauna will then come from renewable sources, such as Solar, hydro or wind power - and not from coal-fired or nuclear power plants.
5. sweat in the solar sauna
In the meantime, there are also the first "zero-energy saunas" or solar saunas, which are Generate and store the electricity they need themselves and whose collectors even automatically align themselves with the sun. So you can combine your sauna sessions and your desire for a climate friendly life with each other and enjoy emission-free wellness moments.
6. relax in a barrel or bio sauna
We must not forget about types of saunas, which from their features are more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. For example, a barrel sauna can already be due to its round shape heat up faster and more energy efficient than classic saunas.
Also in an environmentally friendly bio sauna is the usual Infusion with low energy input possible. In the end, the temperature is "only" around 55°C - but the humidity is between 40 and 55 percent. The special feature is above all the pleasant alternation of sweating and cooling.
7. use recuperative heat recovery
Today, building technology has reached the point where the sauna's Heat generated is recycled via ventilation systems can be used to warm up fresh air and save energy costs. So if you're planning your next wellness weekend, keep an eye out for offers like this and ask the people in charge if you want to optimize your sustainable sauna experience even further.
Tip: Incidentally, heat recovery is also an aspect that you should take into account in the sustainable house building should definitely take into account.
8. get sustainable accessories
Whether it's a towel, bathrobe, sauna bucket, sauna ladle, footbath bucket, sauna infusion set, hourglass, infusion concentrate or sauna salt - if you want to sweat out sustainably, you should also rely on environmentally friendly accessories. Make sure that the products of your choice from certified material are produced, and as far as possible plastic free packaging and last but not least durable are. So you can enjoy them forever, save your wallet and of course the environment.
9. pay attention to regular maintenance
Longevity is the keyword! So that you can use the consumed, natural resources for the manufacture of your sauna for as long as possible, you should use it check and clean regularly. For example, remove water and lime stains from the sauna heater with a brush and make a habit of airing your sustainable sauna. Also, wipe down the wooden seating and lounging areas with a damp cloth and sauna wood cleaner off. You should also care for the floor, the wall paneling and the sauna door.
10. use sauna consciously
It is recommended not only to clean your sustainable sauna properly, but also to use it properly. I already mentioned at the beginning that you should adjust the sauna size according to your preferred usage behavior. I would like to add here that you should clean your sauna ideally does not heat up every day - on the one hand, so that you can enjoy it for a long time and save money. But also to protect the environment while you consciously sauna, enjoy and relax.
Sustainable sauna - That's no problem!
There is no such thing as the perfect sauna. Whether a sauna is sustainable depends on many factors. For example, the location, the usage behavior and, last but not least, the origin of the energy and the wood. Fortunately, we as consumers and users have a decisive influence on this. For example, we can prefer FSC-certified wood, reduce electricity consumption, store and reuse heat, and generally use the sauna consciously and maintain it regularly.
In the end, there are so many things that sauna fans can do to make saunas more sustainable. I hope that I could help you with this article. Do you have any questions or further tips for more sustainability in the sauna area? Then I look forward to your comments.
Stay sustainable,
PS.: Speaking of sweat! How you train and exercise more sustainably I'll explain how you can do that in the next article. Have fun!
References:
₁ Handelsblatt: Around 30 million sauna-goers in Germany (as of September 27, 2004), available at https://www.handelsblatt.com/archiv/rund-30-millionen-saunagaenger-in-deutschland/2406902.html. [10.06.2022].
₂ EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG: Sauna for the home: This is how much electricity is consumed (as of November 29, 2021), available at https://www.enbw.com/blog/wohnen/energie-sparen/sauna-fuer-zuhause-tipps-fuer-den-kauf-und-betrieb. [10.06.2022].
