Earth berm home as renewable energy?

Hi all....
I'm struggling with how best for me to live almost off grid as far as energy is concerned
Struggling with best way to do this.
After much thought and research it seems like best to way live off grid is to severely reduce the need for energy period...rather than finds way to produce energy using solar panels, windmills, etc.
I live in north Missouri. Would it actually make more sense to build a home that is earth bermed and therefore shielded from wild temp extremes than say an above ground structure that requires methods of creating energy to heat and power it?
I guess I'm wondering abt earth berming vs say pier and beam construction or SIP or yurts or all that other stuff?

me@privacy.net wrote:

Hi all....

Hi...

I'm struggling with how best for me to live almost off grid as far as energy is concerned Struggling with best way to do this.

It's a lot to take in and learn, that's for sure. You don't have to do it all at once though.

After much thought and research it seems like best to way live off grid is to severely reduce the need for energy period...rather than finds way to produce energy using solar panels, windmills, etc.

Conservation (using less) gives you the best return on your investment than anything else you can do so this is always the best first step.

I live in north Missouri. Would it actually make more sense to build a home that is earth bermed and therefore shielded from wild temp extremes than say an above ground structure that requires methods of creating energy to heat and power it?
I guess I'm wondering abt earth berming vs say pier and beam construction or SIP or yurts or all that other stuff?

What I've been told is that for the same cost you can build a well insulated above ground home that is as easy to heat and cool as one that is underground. What materials and design you use is more a question of money, time, skills, taste and the like.
In northern Missouri the ground temperature is probably much colder than is comfortable so an underground house will likely need to be well insulated anyhow.
Anthony

I live in the UK. I've come to exactly the same conclusion. I'm in the process of extending an existing house (into the hillside, it's built the side of a hill.) The existing house I'm putting massive insulation round. I'm doing it all myself. The plan is to have about 95% solar heating. Last 5% is very difficult. The bermed extention bit has a "heel and toe" concrete retaining wall. I have 8" of expanded polystyrene and a self adhesive membrane behind it. The retaining wall is my solar heat store, it as a labrynth of airways in it. Weight about thirty tons. Hot air is circulated from an adjacent conservatory. I downloaded software to size the retaining wall (free) from here and consructed the shuttering myself. http://www.daystarsoftware.com/demo.html

me@privacy.net wrote:

Hi all....
I'm struggling with how best for me to live almost off grid as far as energy is concerned
Struggling with best way to do this.
After much thought and research it seems like best to way live off grid is to severely reduce the need for energy period...rather than finds way to produce energy using solar panels, windmills, etc.
I live in north Missouri. Would it actually make more sense to build a home that is earth bermed and therefore shielded from wild temp extremes than say an above ground structure that requires methods of creating energy to heat and power it?
I guess I'm wondering abt earth berming vs say pier and beam construction or SIP or yurts or all that other stuff?

"Harry" wrote:

I live in the UK. I've come to exactly the same conclusion.

Well I've looked at all kinds of housing.... yurts, pier and beam, SIPS, etc.
All require a lot of materials whereas the bermed home is mainly poured concrete.

On Sun, me@privacy.net wrote:

Well I've looked at all kinds of housing.... yurts, pier and beam, SIPS, etc.
All require a lot of materials whereas the bermed home is mainly poured concrete.

But I think you may find the bermed home needs some heat year around. Maybe not for comfort, but to control humidity. I may be wrong, but it should be looked into before designing.
Joe Fischer

me@privacy.net wrote:

Well I've looked at all kinds of housing.... yurts, pier and beam, SIPS, etc.
All require a lot of materials whereas the bermed home is mainly poured concrete.

You don't count poured concrete as material?
If you want a concrete house there are plenty of insulated concrete forms out there and even monolithic domes if you're into that kind of thing. You don't have to bury a concrete house in order to obtain the benefits of insulation.
Anthony

Anthony Matonak wrote:

me@privacy.net wrote:
Well I've looked at all kinds of housing.... yurts, pier and beam, SIPS, etc.
All require a lot of materials whereas the bermed home is mainly poured concrete.
You don't count poured concrete as material?
If you want a concrete house there are plenty of insulated concrete forms out there and even monolithic domes if you're into that kind of thing. You don't have to bury a concrete house in order to obtain the benefits of insulation.
Anthony
Anthony, I suggest you learn the difference between insulation and

thermal mass.
-- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Sun, 03 Sep 2006 14:48:43 -0400, Joe Fischer wrote:
Hehe. Just use an aircon in dehumid mode! <G>

But I think you may find the bermed home needs some heat year around. Maybe not for comfort, but to control humidity. I may be wrong, but it should be looked into before designing.
Joe Fischer