There is a consistent myth floating around the internet that common earthbag buildings are naturally super insulating. I don’t know how this idea got started but it has certainly spread widely. I see it written into basic descriptions of earthbag building on forums and websites frequently, often by folks who would appear to be experts … Read more
This is one of the best videos I’ve seen in illustrating how to go about building a project. In just a few short minutes it manages to show the construction process from foundation to roof, using lots of animated portions to speed it up. There are several particularly worthwhile aspects of this 800 square foot … Read more
The following list includes dozens of low tech, low cost ways to cool buildings in hot climates passively without electricity or machinery, i.e., passive cooling or natural cooling. This list is in addition to the 11 or so simple passive cooling techniques that I talked about in my video the other day. Altogether there are over 50 practical methods for cooling your home sustainably.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvCI3Q_5A8Y&w=420&h=315] Today I want to talk about passive cooling strategies for keeping your home cool in hot climates. This is a very hot climate and yet our earthbag roundhouse is about 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler inside than out. So 15 degrees Fahrenheit, 8 degrees Celsius temperature difference with no mechanical cooling systems. No air … Read more
Earth coupled floors – high mass floors in contact with the soil below (slab on grade, tile, stone, CEB, earthen floors, salvaged brick) – are ideal for keeping homes cool in hot climates. They are not recommended for cold climates where underfloor insulation is best. Our earthbag roundhouse, which is in a hot climate, remains … Read more
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1do9_g6PoY&w=560&h=315] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKAB3bhawz0&w=560&h=315] These homes are looking better and better. The second video shows the construction of 11 SafeT homes in a Haitian village that were built in just one week. In addition to the advantages mentioned in our previous blog post about these Grain Bin Homes, the homes are engineered, include screened soffit … Read more