Everything You Should Know About Earth-Sheltered Homes
A home doesn’t have to have the typical 4 wall structure that we all know and love With today’s advancements in construction technology and architectural design, it’s now possible to take the earth into account when building a home. Earth-sheltered homes are like green homes, in that essentially incorporates the earth into their construction. They conform to the surrounding environment, creating a uniquely comfortable living experience for the inhabitants.
There are many types of earth-sheltered homes and each are unique in their own right. Earth-covered homes are some of the most common as their walls aren’t covered by the earth. Instead, they incorporate a living roof into their design. Underground earth-sheltered homes are homes that are built underground but are different than an underground shelter.
Earth-bermed homes can be built above ground or partially underground and can have the roof normal or earth-covered. In-hill homes resemble a modern-day hobbit-hole, like those of the series Lord of the Rings. Nevertheless, they all provide maximum comfort and many benefits, just like The Maid Effect
One such way that earth-sheltered homes provide comfort is through the ability to provide a stable and consistent indoor temperature. The surrounding earth absorbs most of the heat and prevents air penetration. This helps keep the indoors a consistent and comfortable temperature throughout the year. This has the side-effect of reducing the overall electricity use (and the energy bill) as there is less of a need to turn on heating or air conditioning.
Another benefit is that earth-sheltered are incredibly durable, much more so than the common house. For starters, the living roofs of these homes have the natural ability to withstand extreme weather conditions and the common elements, lasting up to three times the average lifespan than a common home’s roof.
Another aspect of earth-sheltered homes is the privacy that naturally comes with them. Some types of earth-sheltered homes come with more privacy than others, but all of them offer even more privacy than a conventional home would allow. For example, underground earth-sheltered homes automatically provide the ultimate form of privacy as it’s practically impossible for a random passerby to peek inside.
Possibly the biggest advantage of earth-sheltered homes, however, are the fact that they are naturally eco-friendly. The incorporation of the earth and the noninvasive aspect the homes have on the local flora and fauna automatically assures the house is environmentally friendly. Due to this natural incorporation, the local environment is allowed to thrive.
One other environmental benefit to earth-sheltered homes is their natural ability to filter water. Green roofs are famously able to absorb and filter rainwater and return it to the atmosphere. According to the National Park Service, the absorptions helps to slow down the flow of rainwater into sewer systems, which in turn, helps prevent flooding by capturing 80 percent of the water from rain, which is compared to the 24 percent that is normally caught on regular roofs.
And there is so much more about them! For more information about earth-sheltered homes, BigRentz compiled all the information you need to know about them into an easy to understand infographic that you can check out below!
Salman Zafar is an ecopreneur, consultant, advisor, speaker and journalist with expertise in waste management, waste-to-energy, renewable energy, environment protection, conservation and sustainable development. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe. Salman is the Founder of EcoMENA, a popular voluntary organization based in Qatar. He is also the Founder and CEO of BioEnergy Consult, a reputed consulting firm active in biomass, waste-to-energy and waste management segments.
Salman is a professional environmental writer with more than 350 popular articles to his credit. He is proactively engaged in creating mass environmental awareness in different parts of the world.
Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org or salman@bioenergyconsult.com
