Earth Homes - An Unconventional Road to Energy Efficiency

by Mark Row

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With all the innovations the modern age brings, we often forget about some simple things that can really make our life easier and worth living. We usually set our goals too high and invest all our life energy into running towards such goals, instead of dealing with some things that can improve the overall quality of our lives, which are, believe it or not, neither too costly nor time consuming. For example, why invest all our time and money into building a mansion that will be quite expensive to maintain, when all the comfort we need can be achieved with some simpler solutions, such as earth homes as an unconventional road to energy efficiency. You have probably heard of these beauties which are growing popular not only in the UK but also throughout the globe and for quite convincing and generally applicable reasons. Probably the most important one concerns improved energy efficiency and environmental protection, but if you take this issue a few steps further, you will realize that these bring much more than you would initially think. So, if you are in the process of building your own home, we would advise you at least consider opting for these sustainable earth homes, because of all the potential benefits herewith explained.

Why Go for Earth Homes

If you are still having second thoughts about designing and constructing a sustainable home, because you are scared that it will not look good, that it will be too hard and costly to build, here are a few key points that may ease your mind.

1. Improved energy efficiency

Improved energy efficiency of sustainable homes should always be your primary reason for opting for one. It is achieved quite simply, through the basic design which usually includes roof solar panels and alternative wind turbines which can provide you with all the energy your home may require, by using only natural sources of energy and not at the price of environmental endangerment. Also, their design also includes large panel windows facing south, allowing your home to use all the heat and light from the sun throughout the day, why additional heating and cooling devices are not necessary. The very construction of these homes includes construction materials that have high thermal mass (read about insulation and thermall mass), meaning that the natural materials, such as earth dirt or tires, simply radiate or absorb heat, depending on the season and the weather outside. This means that you will be able to sustain optimal inner temperature throughout the year, regardless of the weather outside, since the construction materials will work either as a heat barrier or insulation (preventing the home from overheating during the summer), or either as a heat source (additionally heating up the interior during the winter). Most of these homes are able to maintain a constant and quite pleasing inner temperature of around 22º C throughout the year.

2. Lower costs

Although it may seem that earth homes are not as easy to build, this is not true. Since made out of natural materials which can be found in abundance, the construction only involves a good architectural plan (which can be easily modified so it fits your personal requirements), some imagination and a pair of capable hands. For example, some parts can be made out of plastic or glass bottles, old and used tires or just dirt, which is neither hard to find nor too expensive. When speaking of lower costs, this does not go only for the construction phase but also throughout the life span of the house. This is closely connected with the upper mentioned benefit of energy efficient homes – lower energy consumption means lower overall living costs that include electricity bills, heating and cooling devices repair and maintenance and much more.

3. Environmental protection

Whatever we decide to do, we should never allow ourselves to forget just how important healthy and productive environment is, since it affects almost every aspect of our everyday lives. Not only that using natural sources of energy (such as the sun or the wind) cuts our carbon footprint (no harmful gasses are released into the atmosphere) but these homes also involve the use of recyclable materials (as upper mentioned tires or glass bottles) which is another plus. Energy efficient earth homes also provide the opportunity to grow your own vegetable within greenhouses, which is not only good for you but also for the soil, since no dangerous pesticides and additives will be released into the soil. Besides, a more careful design will allow you to use the best of nature which particularly goes for the possibility of water recycling. Basically, a carefully designed water system will allow you to use the rainwater and pump it into the greenhouses to water the plants. The water that has been processed by the plants can then be used as bathroom water. Quite handy, don’t you think.

Some Practical Ideas...

If you now agree that popular Earthships are a positive thing, then you may use the following construction and design ideas:

• opt for stone floors which are a good energy conductor and place the appropriate sized windows on top, south oriented, so they can let all the sunshine in during the day, which will simply heat up the stone floor and allow it to radiate the absorbed heat during the night, thus keeping it warm when there is no solar energy to use.

• make sure to carefully position your roof, doors and windows of your earth home, which is particularly handy during the summer, since it will prevent the higher sunrays from additionally heating up the floor.

• if your home is located underground, it is a good idea to use an open floor, allowing all the rooms to be adequately equipped with light throughout the day. This can also be applied to the walls – use reflective paints or materials or large skylights that will allow you to use only natural light until it gets completely dark outside.

• when it comes to dominating shapes, use as much of parabolas when it comes to your rooms, since these offer greater strength and are able to withstand greater imposed loads; the roof of your Earth home should be arched so that the plants and natural growth can still be grown but, unlike flat roofs, an arched one will not collect water thus minimizing the risk of water leaks.

For more information about creating an energy efficient home read our blog entries and take a look at different insulation products and their specifications. Feel free to contact us with your questions and leave a comment.