|
My research led me to Performance Building Systems, based in Durango,
Colorado. "Earth shelters are very efficient A well-insulated above-grade home is influenced by outside air temperature, whether
the heat of summer or the cold of winter, and is aggravated by wind chill factors. An earth shelter has much less direct,
unsheltered, outside exposure, hence less energy requirements. In addition, an earth-sheltered home enjoys the benefits of
a large thermal mass. The concrete foundation and shell are surrounded by "free" earth (often the same earth that was excavated
for the foundation). This earth provides a very large thermal mass at little added cost. This thermal mass soaks up and stores
the energy that stabilizes interior living temperatures at a comfortable level - eliminating temperature swings. A conventional
house may be subjected to outside temperatures ranging from the teens or lower, up to 100 degrees over the course of a year.
An earth-sheltered home's large thermal mass forms an envelope around the home that will stabilize at about 55 degrees on
its own. Imagine a conventional house where it was always 55 degrees outside... How much easier would that house be to heat
in the winter? How much easier to cool in the summer?" http://www.earthshelter.com/
|
