permaculture

[John Schinnerer <john@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

I wouldn't call this OT myself...design of minimum energy dwellings is 
in the PC ballpark.

The long-term lowest energy methods for using ground temperature would 
seem to be earth-sheltering and earth-berming, combined with sound 
passive solar design and locally sustainable supplemental heating 
sources (biomass of some kind).

Build an earth-sheltered/bermed (ground-temperature coupled) dwelling 
once and well, even using one-time energy intensive materials including 
Malcom-Wells-like concrete and steel, ICFs and CMUs etc. etc. - or using 
Mike Oehler's super-low-budget designs ("The Fifty Dollar and Up 
Underground House Book"), or somewhere in between (Rob Roy's methods, 
Earthships, etc.) - and not ultimately needing any grid/electricity 
dependent pumps, fans, and other high-energy technology.

One advantage of adequate earth sheltering is that with *that* much mass 
stablizing the temp, one can ventilate more readily than with a house 
that relies only on super-insulation to maintain heat or coolth.

C. William, have you made it over to Rob Roy's place across the lake 
yet?? ;-)

cheers,
John S.

Dylan Ford wrote:
>  Folks, In reference to the ongoing energy discussions, I heard a fellow on
> the radio today who is a member of the Ground Heat Power Consortium. He was
> talking about building homes, businesses, and housing complexes with
> inexpensive supplemental geothermal systems. He also discussed how existing
> buildings may be retrofitted, some easier and cheaper than others.
>
> Below a depth of about 10 feet the earth remains at a constant temp of about
> 55 degrees years round. A shaft is drilled, a U-shaped pipe a hundred or
> more feet long is installed, and water is circulated through it and the
> building. Thus no matter how cold the winter, you start heating the building
> from a 55 degree base temp, and the same applies to cooling it in the
> summer. He says that the savings in heating and cooling a building is about
> 35%. He also suggested that if the building codes were changed nationally to
> promote this supplemental energy catching, America could meet the terms of
> the Kyoto Protocols with no other changes.
>
> I caught two of the information websites he mentioned, but have not had a
> chance to more than glance at them:
> www.geoexchange.org
> www.igshpa.okstate.edu
>
> dylan
>
>
> Dylan Ford is the author of the proposal at www.ideaforpresident.com , a
> website devoted to an idea that could provide an avenue to address pollution
> issues, food safety, social justice, prison reform and healthcare.
>
>
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--

John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
------------------------------------------
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