It has a south-facing façade completely covered with solar panels, and the energy produced is used for heating and building management services. The shell of the building has excellent insulation, and a heat pump is employed for the optimum use of energy.
A second beacon of ecological construction and energy efficiency is the New Monte Rosa Cabin, which also stands above Zermatt at the foot of the Dufour Peak. It will be officially opened on the weekend of 26/27 September with a media event and a party for the various sponsors who made it possible to build the new refuge. The New Monte Rosa Cabin will reopen after winter break in spring of 2010. Built by the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) in co-operation with the Zurich Federal Institute of Technology, the building is expected to become a benchmark for ecological and energy-efficient construction.
Source: Die Südostschweiz, 21 September 2009, http://www.neuemonterosahuette.ch/ (de/fr)