One thing I always think earthship houses generally lack is utility room. You could extend tire wall a bit and make a room on side of the house for battery, measuring equipment and whatnot. Would be lot neater and you can keep stable temperature there.
Earth ships are mainly built in the desert, so the focus is mostly on water and insulation for cooling. In the north, the plants need sunlight from above. this greenhouse is shaded by the solar panels. The wood stove could be used to heat water and create electricity. It would work more efficiently if it was a rocket mass heater. The human waste is more efficiently treated using composting instead of using water to transport it. Urine is sterile and could be used on the plants, the solids can be composted and used under fruit trees or ornamentals. This location could have wind power. Keep the batteries inside where it is warm. It would look better if the front was rounded in a convex curve and then it would catch some of the easterly and westerly sunlight. I think earthships need another layer of living space that is like a screened porch for spring and fall. The roof needs a better way to clear snow off of the solar panels. In the desert, where most of these exist, this is not as important.
Yea I know. Been building passive solar for forty years and rarely see anything new. I like the new multi layered glazing with thin films between glass for light weight and high R value
I like the thermal stability even in Canadian winter, but even in the first couple of seconds there's a lot of condensation in the that greenhouse where warm meets cold and its dripping down onto cob. I hope they don't get mold.
I'd hope that was accounted for in the plans. A simple collector system, and a channel to funnel it into the soil seems like a good way to cope. I also hope there is an antechamber when entering the home so the warm/cool air (depending on the season) isn't lost when opening the door. Great point to bring up!
The biggest things to remember when growing your own produce are... light intensity, light duration (this is a big one) , soil composition, moisture, nutrients, Ph, some plants are even symbiotic like the three sisters, corn, pole beans at 5 inches corn height and plant squash seeds a week after that. Each plant produces certain nutrients which are deposited in the ground but some plants like corn can use these extra nutrients to grow faster stronger juicier! The basic 3 sisters equation is winter squash, maize aka corn, and climbing beans.
Howdy from Texas. Here in the Panhandle of Texas, wind turbine would work phenomenal. The wind always blows here. If I had the land and was off grid, wind turbine would also be put in place as well as solar. Have a great day.
im so glad i found this concept before building my house. I had a bunch of this ideas by myself, but it did not occur to me to capture water, nor to feed plants with my septic system. Thanks for showing us :)
It is a bold effort they are making, but the "bounty" is on the small side. I would suggest to them that they concentrate on plants that can take and thrive in cooler climates like broccolli, beets, peas, etc. In addition, people need to understand the importance of soil temperature on the ability of plants to grow. If there was extra heat via a thermal solar tank available, it would do great duty by being pumped through pipes in the soil to deliver the heat.
bad doggie - If the Gentleman from Nebraska can grow Citrus in Winter, his techniques, of bringing in outside air, through long deep burried pipes or tubes, could add extra benefits to these designs, too! He also takes heated air at the top of his greenhouse, and pulls it down, to warm the growing beds, as well! Basically, knowing the temperature ranges a climate spot has, wind levels, sun levels, also determines what systems are needed, for a given energy balance desired.
He looks a little chilly. Earth ships should be kinda hard in the far north where soil temperatures are pretty low. (Deep soil temperatures @ 10 ft deep are basically your average annual temperature ~5C/40F in Alberta) Solar gain is nice, but you need insulation to keep the heat in - pure thermal mass will just draw you towards 5C. If you have a large thermal umbrella then i could see how it might work.
neither mountains or ponds should help much with that issue, basically because those are all sources of thermal mass, and earth connected thermal mass - aside from buffering some seasonal variation will tend to bring things towards the average annual temperature. You basically need some kind of insulation to fight cold weather.
@@LucidTactics For sure... I'm planning a passive solar build for central Saskatchewan with an insulated monolithic slab. Not really an earthship but I plan on incorporating several of the features... grey water/greenhouse, water and solar collection, cooling tubes for summer and a small masonry heater or rocket mass for most of the year
I live in Southern Alberta and if we see a 5C day in winter, that's shorts weather. 13C and sunny, and people are in sunglasses and flipflops and dining on patios. Look up the video of the chinese passive solar greenhouse in northern alberta where the guy uses a clay wall to store daylight and radiate heat to ~30C all year round. I suspect the soil content of the thermal mass of this earthship is something similar. It's likely not just regular albertan subsoil, but a collection of materials like added clays, sands, gravels, wrapped in recycled tires, and so on, which I've heard the inventor of earthships say is preferred to simple rammed earth blocks.
Unless you were out there all by yourself. I once thought I was self-dependent type of person, until my world was trimmed down to one minute of conversation a week. Unless you have at least three people to talk to you would go mad.
Hope this catches on in the Great White North! I grew up in New Mexico so I've been exposed to them for decades. Super efficient. I like the way he's added heaters to melt the snow in winter; This is a first for me. Brilliant idea! Enjoyed the video!
According to that video (at the 1min 30 mark), 14°Celcius (57 F) is a typical indoor morning temperature, which is not warm by any modern standard. And -15 celcius outside in December, January, and February in Alberta is a warm day, -25 to -35 is not exceptional.
I guess that's just your opinion of what a modern standard is. The whole point of a standard is that it's unchanging. It can't be modern. Either it is or it isn't. 14C in Alberta is not cold. I've lived here for over 40 years and if we see a 5C day in the middle of winter, everyone (and i mean everyone) ditches the winter jacket and boots for a nice hoodie and board shorts. And Southern Alberta gets chinooks, which the rest of the world almost never get which makes the weather quite pleasant. If you don't know what you're talking about, try saying nothing next time.
To reach the roof mounted battery set up it looked pretty slippery due to snow. A set of black painted hand rails leading to the area seem a good idea. I live @ 42 degrees north and we get our share of snow. We have black painted galvanized piping as hand rails leading to my south facing front door. Snow melts off of it before the stone walk way does.
me too. but it is hard.. because government don't want this to happen.. here in germany.. the stupid laws prevent people from doing something "stupid".. hence it is impossible earthship is allowed.. even big greenhouse need permission to build.. what a dictator country.. because it dictate what people can do and not. no freedom,. sigh.
@@patmaier6917 What government isnt? US and Canada both have the most social programs ever. Go outside, you will see alot more and guess what you will talk to real people.
@@andrewyek Hi, yes we have very similar problems here in the UK, particularly in the SE of England where I live. If you buy some land, you simply cannot get planning permission to build a green, sustainable, type of dwelling. They only permit ever increasing urbanisation & high density living in uniform matchbox style homes built by their 'mate's' construction conglomerates. Big Brother rules here & the plebs & minions are only tolerated to serve them & taxed to death to finance their socialist schemes that facilitate the lifestyles of the stupid & lazy. There is no freedom here either. I've seriously been considering selling up here & moving to Bulgaria of all places, where they welcome anyone who will invest in their housing stock, renovate & contribute positively to their economy. All the pervasive regulations & all constant interference of the state detract from innovative building solutions in the UK. My apologies for the rant. Regards from Johnnyk.
I love the earthship homes I think they're fantastic the only thing that puzzles me is how do you pollinate the fruit and the vegetables that are inside
I Canada we have the distinction of weather that goes from -40C to +40C within the year. So this concept is a very interesting. I'd like to come and see the design & quiz you on any quirks or improvements you might suggest.
I would check out the actual creator of earth ships.. As then you will obtain info gathered from all over, including many in extreme environments and decades and decades of data. Good luck to you..also check out permaculture ..as people on permies forums have been dealing with these sort of issues for very very long times.. This is but one example.
In 30-50 years, they wont have to worry about the cold weather anymore. It's the blistering post climate change disaster summers that will be worrisome.
Scot's wife here. It's nice to see an earthship / eco house that looks and functions like a 'home' and not like an unfinished basement as so many seem to be. Well done. I'd focus more on winter hearty vegetables like kale (kavolo nero) and just buy in peppers, though I understand why you're trying different things. But the growing space is not being used efficiently (or at least it doesn't appear so in the filming).
After every house that is built there is always the things a owner would have done differently. I wonder if there is a list of things they would have changed or improved on?
permaculture self sustaining garden all around you property would be awesome, especially is you planted Saskatoon. Chokecherry, Elderberry and out Indigenous plants. Your indoor green house could accommodate a "40 Fruit Tree" with careful pruning. If you used a dehumidifier, ran it outside in the cool morning air, I bet you could make 40 litres of clean water in a couple of hours.
@Bush Ninja so ypure a purest? Production be damned huh? Eeegad.. Buffy...hes just a lowly gardener!! Take him out behind the earthship and stone him! ( thirston howel 3rd voice of course)
Not to mention Elizarobin , if you vented/ circulated the warm air from that greenhouse into the dwelling he'd not be freezing his. a** off not to mention the increased oxygen concentration would be beneficial to the inhabitants also the human ' exhaust ' would be beneficial to thee plants . Your suggestion on the other plants being grown that are edible / beneficial which are indigenous and independent of the 'experiment ' I like . Always have a survival redundancy unaffected or connected to the actual ' experiment ' .
Very interesting. Think it is large enough to get a big heat sink underneath. I have some ideas for cold climate design. For a smaller earthship or even a big one if you plant dense vegetation out 20ft it will keep the wind off and allow you to heat a larger mass. Once established you might even be able to measure a warmer ground temperature under the leafs. You could have a reflector patio and a slope down inside to an earthen wall about a metre or so high towards the center. This would concentrate collection in the centre furthest from outside. This could then have air channels zigzagging along it perhaps a foot inside so the heat reaches it in the evening. Then you dig a well infront of it doesn't need to be that deep perhaps 10ft is enough or 15 depending on how cold it gets and what is practicle. Perhaps just dig a big hole and from the bottom of that fan out well holes to loop a long pipe and bring it up near the collection wall. Then in summer you can draw air from outside. you could have a warm and a cool source. You connect that to your wall say to draw cool air thru it then you connect it so it goes down into your hole and open the roof window so you can take heat out of your heating wall and put it underground and bring cool air out in the bottom. In winter you disconnect from outside air close roof window and set it up so cool air collecting under the wall gets drawn down the hole and up thru the heating wall dumping the winter into the warm ground and bringing heat up into your wall. You could pipe that up into a sheltered area at the top if necessary. The reflector idea is a bit dodgy for the eyes but it works a lot it is hard to estimate but perhaps double which would help a lot in the winter and is getting absorbed in the wall so not such a problem. You could heat the underground heavily in the autumn so there is good reserves thru the worst part. What you could do is isolate the heating wall behind some glass then you can draw the air over the surface to take it underground without overheating the place and in the winter conserve more heat for the evenings and open to release heat.
On this earthship in the video the roof is sloping down so it is shaded in winter but what you could do is make it so it reflects winter sun off the roof into a high window at the back of the earthship or take the light off the roof into an additional room behind or even a series of rooms going up a slope. That way you can have cheaper shorter roof spans and probably it would be good to have them half a floor underground. Electric can be produced in a seperate area and it is probably better since there can be dangers of dirty electricity. You could use the light off the back of the roof to boost production. Think it would be good to have a modular design so you could just start with one room and add additional rooms later like for example if having a baby. Toilet can be outside afterall you only spend a few minutes a day there. Bathroom doesnt really need to be heated so much nor kitchen since they heat up when in use. Like if you have the solar hot water sorted then running a bath would heat a bathroom. In anycase I think planting trees is higher priority. If there is trees pushing the wind over the top then it should really stabilise the temperature alot. The outdoor toilet might sound a bit much in the winter but can you imagine how nice it would be in summer like a room made with flowering plants to give privacy. The money to build it indoors might not be worth it at all plus outtdoors it is bound to have fresh air even if you go with a simple compost collecting toilet. Plenty of space for a bidet and sink with free cleaning service provided by nature. In winter you can use the white stuff to save on cutting trees down and it gives the perfect excuse to enjoy the gardens. You could be enjoying the northern lights it would in anycase be perfectly good further south. maybe in canada you could put a bit of an igloo up around it to provide some protection from the wind. With this modular idea of starting with just one room then people could prioritise getting other peoples first room built and potting shed and sapplings to kind of have a leading edge upon settlement. Then those people can help later with the additional rooms and gardens and there can be plenty of support for new people. Then you could be thinking about warming up a whole valley and financing land aquisiton for additional settlements rapidly liberating seed and creating a functional planet.
Keeping snow off those panels must be a major hassle. As soon as it starts....you've gotta get out there to clear it off. They really need some sort of automatic wiper system to do that. I think a Chinese guy in Canada somewhere devised a system to do it. It was quite brilliant. It was for his commercial greenhouse.
Does being "conservation minded" really mean skimping on the number of solar cells you own, so that on some days you run out of electricity? Is that some kind of a renewability virtue?
Looks like 50 cm from the wood burner is the best place to be. Even so he's rubbing palms against each other so wonder how comfortable is the bedroom...green house with little crops during the winter is a nice touch.
It's nothing like Mars. The grasslands of the Great Plains are alive with creatures and plants that are well-adapted to extreme temperatures, as were the native peoples who lived there before Europeans came along. I take exception with the title of this. It is not desolate. It's not heavily populated because most people settled on transportation routes, and where there was ample water for farming. This is ranching country. It was great bison country before they were decimated to force the natives onto the reservations. Just because he prefers to spend the winter tending his house rather than utilizing the land doesn't make it a hostile environment. As the saying goes, there's no bad weather, only bad clothes.
The great thing about his earthship is that it has contemporary fixtures and decor. It seems earthships in different climates need different adaptations. His greenhouse had a fair amount of condensation which would probably benefit from a dehumidifier.
Why put the batteries out in the cold? Cold batteries are inefficient, I built a box inside the house that vents hydrogen outside, I have been offgrid for nearly 20 years.
Kurt Cobain sir it appears you do not know what off grid means. We are off grid and have self sufficient power system, water system and guess what.....I’m watching a TH-cam video. 🤣
From the video it is really hard to judge the interior space. I have no idea how big or small it is, because you only really showed one corner of one room, and the "greenhouse" corridor. Really the tour over the house, or a plan of the house with drawings and talk over, would be so much more helpful. I like the wide south facing window, and a lot of glass. It is something I want to do in my dream house too. I didn't think about double layer like that, with greenhouse area in between, but I will definitively experiment with it in my plans.
wind turbines are incredibly costly to maintain, prone to malfunction and dangerous to work on. of course the size of one matters but over all, not the most practical source of energy. Hopefully in the future they simplify the designs. As an electrician I would never work on one. Very high mortality rate.
In high school as an elective ' energy alternatives ' class I designed a self sufficient house . Not only did it use solar but wind , battery , methane generator , generator ( ran off methane ) indirect lighting with an attached green house for winter heat . I got a A +++ on the' plans ' as at the time I was taking a drafting class and actually made blue prints, material list design plans on methane generator , solar , generator , wind transition mechanism for redundancy . So one would never be without power as there was one or two back up systems . Once the green house started to produce the house would have been self sufficient . Except for toilet paper ( at the time that was a joke ) but a bade' (so) would rectify that . At that time funding from the government would have offset 80 % of the manufacturing cost as back then energy alternatives were being seriously looked at . The ' teacher ' gave me the afore mentioned grade but somehow lost the material I submitted for grade . . . . . . . . Same ' teacher ' had us build a buzzer which ran off a 12 volt DC power source . Mine was an inch square and the arm with the contactor was at a length which made the it make and break at 60 times a second . All this was deliberately timed and was noted on the plans I'd drawn up prior to the build . Showing I intended it to do so which should have shown not t only would it ' buzz ' but I'd researched and understood the materials and rates at which the mechanism would deflect . Hence a full understanding of what I was doing . One would think this would have been rewarded with a high grade ? ? Others in the class had four by four boxes or various large examples , and some worked some didn't . I was told my ' buzzer ' had a fault . . . . . .the armature ( actually a electromagnet ) had a short causing it to buzz at 60 hrtz . I tried to explain that was the ' plan ' described in the build plans prior to the build. I was told that wasn't possible an it had a short . I got barely passing grade based on the detail and size of the buzzer . This only after his reading my objective having been explained in the afore mentioned plans . He was heated . . . . . . .as I was questioning in his knowledge/authority in front other class . I decided I'd had enough of his lack of understanding of what I'd done so ( in front of the class ) I asked him how did a short not blow the fuse I'd put in the cord supplying the power to this buzzer that also had a light inline or series so you could actually see the rate off pulse . He still not grasping the concept of my design and insisting it was then partially shorted causing it to buzz at ' line voltage other a/c frequency .......all sounding very impressive . Until I explained the power source WAS 115 a/c volts that was operating at a frequency of 60 Hrtz . That only supplied the power TO the 12 volt ' DC ' output transformer I was using as a source to the buzzer ! ! ! ! He walked off saying I didn't understand . I then replaced the transformer with two others on the possibility I'd missed something . All three had the same result . Then as absolute I connected the buzzer to a 12 Volt lead acid battery and still the same result . But there was no changing his mind and I received a 75 grade point for this . Passing , but barely ..Now this was n elective class as I already had reached my credit hours and then some for the year . . . . . . My point ? There is always a better or more complete way of doing something but I give ' Cudos ' to those who are willing to try then share their accomplishments for others benefit .
@David Dodge , how's the bird population doing with that ? ? ? ? Like our conveniences ' micro waves ' have been proven to effect honey bees function . But has that stopped humanity from adding more powerful transmitters etc ? Nope , thing is like cutting and burning jungles , and clear cutting forests globally . Killing the Bees humanity is doomed . A well known fact , as is what those chopped down burnt trees ( On a global scale ) would have filtered and produce being reduced . . . . yet there are those who are concerned with ' Global warming ' from pollutants but are turning a blind eye to the destruction of the earths natural filters of those pollutants blamed for being the major contributor . Not to mention the byproduct of the natural exponent from that filtering of pollutants is oxygen . . . . Look at a map off global clear cutting and slash burning of forests again GLOBALLY . . . . . . and then ask yourself . Why ?
Small wind is very susceptible to microclimatic conditions. We have seen many small wind installations in places where you would assume there is enough wind, but its easy to be disappointed. The big wind guys do two years of studies at the location of their planned wind turbine before investing millions in a wind turbine. While we many only invest ($10--$30k) it's still really a shame when the resource isn't good enough. Solar is very predicable on an annual basis. Yes a combined solutions would cover more weather conditions, but it may be better to invest in more solar and batteries instead.
DC, (some rectified to AC), two Propane bottles as a back up, as well as two small wood stoves throughout the house, for those coldest days and nights.
Love it Canada keep on your path and you will enjoy years of happiness and Love of the Earth under you. Nothing more satisfying than growing your own =) GB and of course gotta have DOGS.
There appears to some little white lies being told here. Lethbridge in southern Alberta is the warmest part of Alberta. Weather history for Lethbridge maximum highs and lows for Nov to Apr as -7/4, -12/0, -14/-2, -11/2, -6/6, -1/13. This home is definitely not located in the cold Canadian climate. Why is the cost of these homes never given.
what was the total cost to the build..not just in retail, but resources used up to go green in the first place? I see alot of items that wouldn't make this possible without them but were heavily manufactured, refined and transported for the green effect..wondering what the payoff really is..
No power ! No Problem ! Candles been around for 1000's of years ! Still way more romantic than LED or florescent , and sheepskins to sleep on or sit on..Just good living . I love the little stove ..i prefer a rocket mass heater but, not kicking it ! Where's the coffee and my girl ? Relaxing is a lost art !
This has been a really big question on how I would do this back in Canada. I have been living in Japan just making my way but have been researching how to live in Canada in an eco way.
Soap eh? Do you use Ivory Soap? I did some research and found that is the best natural soap that won't infect your skin with perfumes and has less destruction of sewer system. ^^ I want one...lol. Thinking what I could do in Texas....makes me go hmmmm
I have a pile about 2 ft sq of saw dust and the ice under it has not melted after 3 week's of sun and above 5 c daily. Thermal energy is the only way to go forward.
At 20deg... I would starve to death... could not get my teeth out of the glass... then I would freeze anyway... but they say that's the best way to go... lol
An it only works when the sun is out.. or minus 15.. what about minus 28 like it has been this year and We're had record snow... HOW efficient is it now?
Canada is an interesting location for passive solar as the angle of the Sun changes dramatically between summer and winter hence a properly angled window takes in a lot of Sun during the winter yet very little during summer. They should've added wind turbines to their system as wind is fairly reliable at night on the prairies. The Earthship concept always works out to be a long greenhouse hallway with rooms as stalls on the north side of the hallway. The ground sheltered homes may work for the prairies but is not an option for further north where the land is based on permafrost. These so called sustainable homes are only possible with low population density areas so they are not really a sustainable living solution for our society which is projected to soon have 80% of the population in cities. They are also often built with volunteer labour, v Imagine if all that labour had to be paid for. In truth, these homes are only for those with excessive disposable income who can live so far from major work centres.
If he wanted a little more electricity. The Earthship people have inexpensive vertical axis wind turbines that generate electricity even in low wind conditions. That in pair with the solar panels would probably prevent any loss of A/C during a cloudy day. Just a friendly suggestion.
Canada is beautiful in winter not desolate we embrace The cold play hockey, curling snowmobile ,ski snowboard ice fish skate and many fun things outside l don't think people know our weather can go from plus 30 to minus 30 degrees Celsius in A year and can grow Vegetables 12 months a year Come see for yourself !
I think they should diversify too, but I've heard (most?) wind turbines don't work well in cold weather. Where I am in Minnesota, our turbines stop spinning on cold winter days because it messes with the hydraulic fluid
One issue with the description "dark" is not accurate. In fact, Calgary (and South of Calgary), Regina, and Winnipeg receive the most amount of sunlight per year of anywhere in Canada. Cold? Yes, but the sun in the winter is amazing. It's not some dark and grey winter there (just a sunny freezing winter). So those cities can readily use the sun for heating, unlike say Vancouver where it mostly is dark and rainy, but no where near as cold (-5 isn't cold).
"cold dark canadian prairies winter" i wonder if this type of house would work without a fireplace by having taller windows in south-west side with an additional thermal mass like a pool or something. im in quebec and there is at least triple that amount of snow in january and im really not a big fan of wood burning.i also want to know how much did it cost with and without solar panel, again because here in quebec, its just a waste of money to have solar panel if you can be " on-grid " since it cost more to buy it than using normal electricity for 30 years and much better if you convert your house into 12/24v. well thank you if you ever comment :)
It is nice to see that these run so well during such extreme conditions, I want to build one somewhere along the Rockies but wasn't sure if it would handle the colder temperatures. I wonder how elevated the Earthship could be before lower air pressure changes the natural insulation and other fine properties of the Earthship. Any thoughts?
I just want to build the 1 "U" for myself, and then I can add later if I want to. I have access to 500 tires or so and they are willing to pay me $2 per tire including delivery. Many of the tires are larger truck tires (18", 17"), and there are mostly 16 " truck tires which I think are almost as good as 15" tires. They have phased out 15" tires for some reason, and they don't make many 14" tires anymore either. Are these other sizes just as good to use? I know that they are bigger so they will require more dirt.
+Green Energy Futures In the video description, I think you mean "buttressed," not "buffeted." buttress: A structure, usually brick or stone, built against a wall for support or reinforcement. buffet: batter, especially by strong wind.
Since most of the house is built into the earth it mostly stays at a constant temp pretty much all year round. It's a matter of using the earth as a insulator. Plus the front massive windows lets in any sun light and the sun also heats up the green vegetable area as well. You should look on youtube for the earth ship documentary.
Dave...I appreciate your comments ....live in a northern climate most of my life....with some ugly nasty winters ... i guess i am thinking of those periods of no sunlight and very cold winds and having a green thumb....my concern is mainly for the plants ( who cares about the humans lol ) .... I am concerned about air circulation and air exchanges ...the difference between hot and cold = moisture....poor air circulation can create molds ...
+edsemaj me This shouldn´t be a problem at all , if the humidity gets too high for plants that need a low humidity, you can exchange the air by ventilating for a few minutes, which is no problem no matter how cold it is, as the air contains the least amount of energy(by far), if the building and furnishing stays warm(these store 99% of the energy)
Strange that the solar PV is failing in the grey weather but the solar heating is managing 20 degrees Celsius. What happens on a great solar PV day 30 degrees?
in colder climates i think i would go for a wood chip burner thats automaic fed,, ore a pellets burner if pellets was available at a reasonable prise.. also both solarv AND wind power + A BIG BATTERY BANK Earthships are great. but if there say are -20c for say weeks you need an extra heatsourse.. a wood oven is ok but you have to feed it often.. a chip-pellets burner can be automated
Futuristic. What a dream. Away from the madening crowd. 🤗🤗🏝
Amazing! Nice to see that the model can work in northern climates too!
One thing I always think earthship houses generally lack is utility room. You could extend tire wall a bit and make a room on side of the house for battery, measuring equipment and whatnot. Would be lot neater and you can keep stable temperature there.
Sitting really close to the stove. Must be a chill in the air.
Earth ships are mainly built in the desert, so the focus is mostly on water and insulation for cooling.
In the north, the plants need sunlight from above.
this greenhouse is shaded by the solar panels.
The wood stove could be used to heat water and create electricity. It would work more efficiently if it was a rocket mass heater.
The human waste is more efficiently treated using composting instead of using water to transport it. Urine is sterile and could be used on the plants, the solids can be composted and used under fruit trees or ornamentals.
This location could have wind power.
Keep the batteries inside where it is warm.
It would look better if the front was rounded in a convex curve and then it would catch some of the easterly and westerly sunlight.
I think earthships need another layer of living space that is like a screened porch for spring and fall.
The roof needs a better way to clear snow off of the solar panels. In the desert, where most of these exist, this is not as important.
Ever notice how many experts there are, after you have done something.
💯
Lol
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda, some actually DO.
Yea I know. Been building passive solar for forty years and rarely see anything new. I like the new multi layered glazing with thin films between glass for light weight and high R value
Lol
I like the thermal stability even in Canadian winter, but even in the first couple of seconds there's a lot of condensation in the that greenhouse where warm meets cold and its dripping down onto cob. I hope they don't get mold.
Great point
I'd hope that was accounted for in the plans. A simple collector system, and a channel to funnel it into the soil seems like a good way to cope. I also hope there is an antechamber when entering the home so the warm/cool air (depending on the season) isn't lost when opening the door. Great point to bring up!
For sure, needs a gutter.
What a wonderful home, and a wonderful way to live.
By far and away this is a very successful Way to live.
The biggest things to remember when growing your own produce are... light intensity, light duration (this is a big one) , soil composition, moisture, nutrients, Ph, some plants are even symbiotic like the three sisters, corn, pole beans at 5 inches corn height and plant squash seeds a week after that. Each plant produces certain nutrients which are deposited in the ground but some plants like corn can use these extra nutrients to grow faster stronger juicier! The basic 3 sisters equation is winter squash, maize aka corn, and climbing beans.
Howdy from Texas. Here in the Panhandle of Texas, wind turbine would work phenomenal. The wind always blows here. If I had the land and was off grid, wind turbine would also be put in place as well as solar. Have a great day.
im so glad i found this concept before building my house. I had a bunch of this ideas by myself, but it did not occur to me to capture water, nor to feed plants with my septic system. Thanks for showing us :)
It is a bold effort they are making, but the "bounty" is on the small side. I would suggest to them that they concentrate on plants that can take and thrive in cooler climates like broccolli, beets, peas, etc. In addition, people need to understand the importance of soil temperature on the ability of plants to grow. If there was extra heat via a thermal solar tank available, it would do great duty by being pumped through pipes in the soil to deliver the heat.
bad doggie - If the Gentleman from Nebraska can grow Citrus in Winter, his techniques, of bringing in outside air, through long deep burried pipes or tubes, could add extra benefits to these designs, too! He also takes heated air at the top of his greenhouse, and pulls it down, to warm the growing beds, as well!
Basically, knowing the temperature ranges a climate spot has, wind levels, sun levels, also determines what systems are needed, for a given energy balance desired.
thank you for this info. Seems this principle should be incorporated as well :)
He looks a little chilly. Earth ships should be kinda hard in the far north where soil temperatures are pretty low. (Deep soil temperatures @ 10 ft deep are basically your average annual temperature ~5C/40F in Alberta) Solar gain is nice, but you need insulation to keep the heat in - pure thermal mass will just draw you towards 5C. If you have a large thermal umbrella then i could see how it might work.
Best is to build into a mountain, like a cave home.
aquaponics would be a good solution for that!
neither mountains or ponds should help much with that issue, basically because those are all sources of thermal mass, and earth connected thermal mass - aside from buffering some seasonal variation will tend to bring things towards the average annual temperature. You basically need some kind of insulation to fight cold weather.
@@LucidTactics For sure... I'm planning a passive solar build for central Saskatchewan with an insulated monolithic slab. Not really an earthship but I plan on incorporating several of the features... grey water/greenhouse, water and solar collection, cooling tubes for summer and a small masonry heater or rocket mass for most of the year
I live in Southern Alberta and if we see a 5C day in winter, that's shorts weather. 13C and sunny, and people are in sunglasses and flipflops and dining on patios.
Look up the video of the chinese passive solar greenhouse in northern alberta where the guy uses a clay wall to store daylight and radiate heat to ~30C all year round. I suspect the soil content of the thermal mass of this earthship is something similar. It's likely not just regular albertan subsoil, but a collection of materials like added clays, sands, gravels, wrapped in recycled tires, and so on, which I've heard the inventor of earthships say is preferred to simple rammed earth blocks.
I like the fact that your house is not "Hippy" nor Tacky. I may build one.
Awesome peaceful place to live.
Unless you were out there all by yourself. I once thought I was self-dependent type of person, until my world was trimmed down to one minute of conversation a week. Unless you have at least three people to talk to you would go mad.
hence the dogs. :-)
earth ship is the way ! wish i could afford it lol
Hope this catches on in the Great White North! I grew up in New Mexico so I've been exposed to them for decades. Super efficient. I like the way he's added heaters to melt the snow in winter; This is a first for me. Brilliant idea! Enjoyed the video!
this is an excellent example of innovation. I would be happy with a house like that. wow!
Arkopia is growing bananas in the Saskatoon winters.
According to that video (at the 1min 30 mark), 14°Celcius (57 F) is a typical indoor morning temperature, which is not warm by any modern standard. And -15 celcius outside in December, January, and February in Alberta is a warm day, -25 to -35 is not exceptional.
I guess that's just your opinion of what a modern standard is. The whole point of a standard is that it's unchanging. It can't be modern. Either it is or it isn't.
14C in Alberta is not cold. I've lived here for over 40 years and if we see a 5C day in the middle of winter, everyone (and i mean everyone) ditches the winter jacket and boots for a nice hoodie and board shorts. And Southern Alberta gets chinooks, which the rest of the world almost never get which makes the weather quite pleasant. If you don't know what you're talking about, try saying nothing next time.
To reach the roof mounted battery set up it looked pretty slippery due to snow. A set of black painted hand rails leading to the area seem a good idea. I live @ 42 degrees north and we get our share of snow. We have black painted galvanized piping as hand rails leading to my south facing front door. Snow melts off of it before the stone walk way does.
I've always wanted to know how Earthships perform in cold climates.
me too. but it is hard.. because government don't want this to happen.. here in germany.. the stupid laws prevent people from doing something "stupid".. hence it is impossible earthship is allowed.. even big greenhouse need permission to build.. what a dictator country.. because it dictate what people can do and not. no freedom,.
sigh.
if we all vote you .. then will you allow this to happen ? lol
ich weiss das. ich habe auch gehort das kann mann es besuchen.. das mache ich gerne wenn Zeit habe.
danke .
mfg
andrew
@@patmaier6917 What government isnt? US and Canada both have the most social programs ever. Go outside, you will see alot more and guess what you will talk to real people.
@@andrewyek Hi, yes we have very similar problems here in the UK, particularly in the SE of England where I live. If you buy some land, you simply cannot get planning permission to build a green, sustainable, type of dwelling. They only permit ever increasing urbanisation & high density living in uniform matchbox style homes built by their 'mate's' construction conglomerates. Big Brother rules here & the plebs & minions are only tolerated to serve them & taxed to death to finance their socialist schemes that facilitate the lifestyles of the stupid & lazy. There is no freedom here either. I've seriously been considering selling up here & moving to Bulgaria of all places, where they welcome anyone who will invest in their housing stock, renovate & contribute positively to their economy. All the pervasive regulations & all constant interference of the state detract from innovative building solutions in the UK. My apologies for the rant. Regards from Johnnyk.
Que lugar tan especial, para gente que le gusta ser libre, hermosa nave mi amigo, abrazo
I love the earthship homes I think they're fantastic the only thing that puzzles me is how do you pollinate the fruit and the vegetables that are inside
Very carefully! 😄😉
Same way you do a greenhouse I would guess. You use little tiny brushes and go flower to flower.
I Canada we have the distinction of weather that goes from -40C to +40C within the year. So this concept is a very interesting. I'd like to come and see the design & quiz you on any quirks or improvements you might suggest.
I would check out the actual creator of earth ships.. As then you will obtain info gathered from all over, including many in extreme environments and decades and decades of data. Good luck to you..also check out permaculture ..as people on permies forums have been dealing with these sort of issues for very very long times.. This is but one example.
Wow, super nice video
My dream home
You got that fireplace in the corner Haha everyone all crammed over there
In 30-50 years, they wont have to worry about the cold weather anymore. It's the blistering post climate change disaster summers that will be worrisome.
Scot's wife here. It's nice to see an earthship / eco house that looks and functions like a 'home' and not like an unfinished basement as so many seem to be. Well done. I'd focus more on winter hearty vegetables like kale (kavolo nero) and just buy in peppers, though I understand why you're trying different things. But the growing space is not being used efficiently (or at least it doesn't appear so in the filming).
After every house that is built there is always the things a owner would have done differently. I wonder if there is a list of things they would have changed or improved on?
permaculture self sustaining garden all around you property would be awesome, especially is you planted Saskatoon. Chokecherry, Elderberry and out Indigenous plants. Your indoor green house could accommodate a "40 Fruit Tree" with careful pruning. If you used a dehumidifier, ran it outside in the cool morning air, I bet you could make 40 litres of clean water in a couple of hours.
Elizarobin Robinson good call! All the plants that grow well in the area would thrive with some help.
@Bush Ninja so ypure a purest? Production be damned huh? Eeegad.. Buffy...hes just a lowly gardener!! Take him out behind the earthship and stone him! ( thirston howel 3rd voice of course)
Not to mention Elizarobin , if you vented/ circulated the warm air from that greenhouse into the dwelling he'd not be freezing his. a** off not to mention the increased oxygen concentration would be beneficial to the inhabitants also the human ' exhaust ' would be beneficial to thee plants . Your suggestion on the other plants being grown that are edible / beneficial which are indigenous and independent of the 'experiment ' I like . Always have a survival redundancy unaffected or connected to the actual ' experiment ' .
@Bush Ninja creep
@@questconcrete are the windows double glazed?
Yeah, the family can share a tomato in January... More people need to do this!
what a dream ... really amazing
Very interesting. Think it is large enough to get a big heat sink underneath. I have some ideas for cold climate design. For a smaller earthship or even a big one if you plant dense vegetation out 20ft it will keep the wind off and allow you to heat a larger mass. Once established you might even be able to measure a warmer ground temperature under the leafs. You could have a reflector patio and a slope down inside to an earthen wall about a metre or so high towards the center. This would concentrate collection in the centre furthest from outside. This could then have air channels zigzagging along it perhaps a foot inside so the heat reaches it in the evening. Then you dig a well infront of it doesn't need to be that deep perhaps 10ft is enough or 15 depending on how cold it gets and what is practicle. Perhaps just dig a big hole and from the bottom of that fan out well holes to loop a long pipe and bring it up near the collection wall. Then in summer you can draw air from outside. you could have a warm and a cool source. You connect that to your wall say to draw cool air thru it then you connect it so it goes down into your hole and open the roof window so you can take heat out of your heating wall and put it underground and bring cool air out in the bottom. In winter you disconnect from outside air close roof window and set it up so cool air collecting under the wall gets drawn down the hole and up thru the heating wall dumping the winter into the warm ground and bringing heat up into your wall. You could pipe that up into a sheltered area at the top if necessary. The reflector idea is a bit dodgy for the eyes but it works a lot it is hard to estimate but perhaps double which would help a lot in the winter and is getting absorbed in the wall so not such a problem. You could heat the underground heavily in the autumn so there is good reserves thru the worst part. What you could do is isolate the heating wall behind some glass then you can draw the air over the surface to take it underground without overheating the place and in the winter conserve more heat for the evenings and open to release heat.
On this earthship in the video the roof is sloping down so it is shaded in winter but what you could do is make it so it reflects winter sun off the roof into a high window at the back of the earthship or take the light off the roof into an additional room behind or even a series of rooms going up a slope. That way you can have cheaper shorter roof spans and probably it would be good to have them half a floor underground. Electric can be produced in a seperate area and it is probably better since there can be dangers of dirty electricity. You could use the light off the back of the roof to boost production. Think it would be good to have a modular design so you could just start with one room and add additional rooms later like for example if having a baby. Toilet can be outside afterall you only spend a few minutes a day there. Bathroom doesnt really need to be heated so much nor kitchen since they heat up when in use. Like if you have the solar hot water sorted then running a bath would heat a bathroom. In anycase I think planting trees is higher priority. If there is trees pushing the wind over the top then it should really stabilise the temperature alot. The outdoor toilet might sound a bit much in the winter but can you imagine how nice it would be in summer like a room made with flowering plants to give privacy. The money to build it indoors might not be worth it at all plus outtdoors it is bound to have fresh air even if you go with a simple compost collecting toilet. Plenty of space for a bidet and sink with free cleaning service provided by nature. In winter you can use the white stuff to save on cutting trees down and it gives the perfect excuse to enjoy the gardens. You could be enjoying the northern lights it would in anycase be perfectly good further south. maybe in canada you could put a bit of an igloo up around it to provide some protection from the wind. With this modular idea of starting with just one room then people could prioritise getting other peoples first room built and potting shed and sapplings to kind of have a leading edge upon settlement. Then those people can help later with the additional rooms and gardens and there can be plenty of support for new people. Then you could be thinking about warming up a whole valley and financing land aquisiton for additional settlements rapidly liberating seed and creating a functional planet.
Keeping snow off those panels must be a major hassle. As soon as it starts....you've gotta get out there to clear it off. They really need some sort of automatic wiper system to do that. I think a Chinese guy in Canada somewhere devised a system to do it. It was quite brilliant. It was for his commercial greenhouse.
Wow! if I was set up like that I'd never leave the house! : D
+Anthony Sinclair That's the idea. The difference between a house and a home.
Anthony Sinclair m
i have just one question is this a flat earth ship ?
Does being "conservation minded" really mean skimping on the number of solar cells you own, so that on some days you run out of electricity? Is that some kind of a renewability virtue?
@@ownedbyputin5002 - Nope! Maybe Trapezoidal!
Looks like 50 cm from the wood burner is the best place to be. Even so he's rubbing palms against each other so wonder how comfortable is the bedroom...green house with little crops during the winter is a nice touch.
Holy mackerel, Earthshipping it in Alberta, way to go! :D
It's a beautiful earth ship. Too bad the landscaping looks apocalyptic.
Well it does look like Mars.
It's nothing like Mars. The grasslands of the Great Plains are alive with creatures and plants that are well-adapted to extreme temperatures, as were the native peoples who lived there before Europeans came along. I take exception with the title of this. It is not desolate. It's not heavily populated because most people settled on transportation routes, and where there was ample water for farming. This is ranching country. It was great bison country before they were decimated to force the natives onto the reservations. Just because he prefers to spend the winter tending his house rather than utilizing the land doesn't make it a hostile environment. As the saying goes, there's no bad weather, only bad clothes.
2QUICK or isolate themselves to draw closer to God.
Cheap taxes?One would still need a csr to get around (work or whatever).
@QUICK-STAR i think its beautiful.
look at all those colors!
The great thing about his earthship is that it has contemporary fixtures and decor.
It seems earthships in different climates need different adaptations. His greenhouse had a fair amount of condensation which would probably benefit from a dehumidifier.
The solution is tripple pane windows.
Anyone else have a brief heart attack at 1:45 ?
Great video, thank you!
How abut a shout out to Mike Renyolds! He invented the earthship in Taos New Mexico!!!!
Exactly what I was thinking!!! Great comment Lisa!
1:02 ...
I'd like to have one of these as my next house.
I live in North Texas. I think I could thermal mass alone could easily handle our winters.
In the summer, when it's hot and humid outside, do you get a lot of condensation on your north inside walls?
That is so awesome, I want to make something like this and learn from these guy's...
Nicely done 🤗
Why put the batteries out in the cold? Cold batteries are inefficient, I built a box inside the house that vents hydrogen outside, I have been offgrid for nearly 20 years.
do you have a blog or site?
Also put lead acid batteries on their water collection roof...Seriously not advisable...
BS...@Noobz Threefortyseven
How the fuck are you off the gird if your commenting on a youtube video like m8 do you not know what off the grid means?
Kurt Cobain sir it appears you do not know what off grid means. We are off grid and have self sufficient power system, water system and guess what.....I’m watching a TH-cam video. 🤣
Absolutely brilliant
I love it
I wonder what its like in the summer as it can get very hot there .
From the video it is really hard to judge the interior space. I have no idea how big or small it is, because you only really showed one corner of one room, and the "greenhouse" corridor. Really the tour over the house, or a plan of the house with drawings and talk over, would be so much more helpful.
I like the wide south facing window, and a lot of glass. It is something I want to do in my dream house too. I didn't think about double layer like that, with greenhouse area in between, but I will definitively experiment with it in my plans.
Southern Alberta is one of the windiest places in the world. Seems like they should have put in a turbine. They work at night as well.
@skinnygorilla Actually wind /solar are complementary energy sources
wind turbines are incredibly costly to maintain, prone to malfunction and dangerous to work on. of course the size of one matters but over all, not the most practical source of energy. Hopefully in the future they simplify the designs. As an electrician I would never work on one. Very high mortality rate.
In high school as an elective ' energy alternatives ' class I designed a self sufficient house . Not only did it use solar but wind , battery , methane generator , generator ( ran off methane ) indirect lighting with an attached green house for winter heat . I got a A +++ on the' plans ' as at the time I was taking a drafting class and actually made blue prints, material list design plans on methane generator , solar , generator , wind transition mechanism for redundancy . So one would never be without power as there was one or two back up systems . Once the green house started to produce the house would have been self sufficient . Except for toilet paper ( at the time that was a joke ) but a bade' (so) would rectify that . At that time funding from the government would have offset 80 % of the manufacturing cost as back then energy alternatives were being seriously looked at . The ' teacher ' gave me the afore mentioned grade but somehow lost the material I submitted for grade . . . . . . . . Same ' teacher ' had us build a buzzer which ran off a 12 volt DC power source . Mine was an inch square and the arm with the contactor was at a length which made the it make and break at 60 times a second . All this was deliberately timed and was noted on the plans I'd drawn up prior to the build . Showing I intended it to do so which should have shown not t only would it ' buzz ' but I'd researched and understood the materials and rates at which the mechanism would deflect . Hence a full understanding of what I was doing . One would think this would have been rewarded with a high grade ? ? Others in the class had four by four boxes or various large examples , and some worked some didn't . I was told my ' buzzer ' had a fault . . . . . .the armature ( actually a electromagnet ) had a short causing it to buzz at 60 hrtz . I tried to explain that was the ' plan ' described in the build plans prior to the build. I was told that wasn't possible an it had a short . I got barely passing grade based on the detail and size of the buzzer . This only after his reading my objective having been explained in the afore mentioned plans . He was heated . . . . . . .as I was questioning in his knowledge/authority in front other class . I decided I'd had enough of his lack of understanding of what I'd done so ( in front of the class ) I asked him how did a short not blow the fuse I'd put in the cord supplying the power to this buzzer that also had a light inline or series so you could actually see the rate off pulse . He still not grasping the concept of my design and insisting it was then partially shorted causing it to buzz at ' line voltage other a/c frequency .......all sounding very impressive . Until I explained the power source WAS 115 a/c volts that was operating at a frequency of 60 Hrtz . That only supplied the power TO the 12 volt ' DC ' output transformer I was using as a source to the buzzer ! ! ! ! He walked off saying I didn't understand . I then replaced the transformer with two others on the possibility I'd missed something . All three had the same result . Then as absolute I connected the buzzer to a 12 Volt lead acid battery and still the same result . But there was no changing his mind and I received a 75 grade point for this . Passing , but barely ..Now this was n elective class as I already had reached my credit hours and then some for the year . . . . . . My point ? There is always a better or more complete way of doing something but I give ' Cudos ' to those who are willing to try then share their accomplishments for others benefit .
@David Dodge , how's the bird population doing with that ? ? ? ? Like our conveniences ' micro waves ' have been proven to effect honey bees function . But has that stopped humanity from adding more powerful transmitters etc ? Nope , thing is like cutting and burning jungles , and clear cutting forests globally . Killing the Bees humanity is doomed . A well known fact , as is what those chopped down burnt trees ( On a global scale ) would have filtered and produce being reduced . . . . yet there are those who are concerned with ' Global warming ' from pollutants but are turning a blind eye to the destruction of the earths natural filters of those pollutants blamed for being the major contributor . Not to mention the byproduct of the natural exponent from that filtering of pollutants is oxygen . . . . Look at a map off global clear cutting and slash burning of forests again GLOBALLY . . . . . . and then ask yourself . Why ?
Small wind is very susceptible to microclimatic conditions. We have seen many small wind installations in places where you would assume there is enough wind, but its easy to be disappointed. The big wind guys do two years of studies at the location of their planned wind turbine before investing millions in a wind turbine. While we many only invest ($10--$30k) it's still really a shame when the resource isn't good enough. Solar is very predicable on an annual basis. Yes a combined solutions would cover more weather conditions, but it may be better to invest in more solar and batteries instead.
thanks for posting
DC, (some rectified to AC), two Propane bottles as a back up, as well as two small wood stoves throughout the house, for those coldest days and nights.
Love it Canada keep on your path and you will enjoy years of happiness and Love of the Earth under you. Nothing more satisfying than growing your own =) GB and of course gotta have DOGS.
There appears to some little white lies being told here. Lethbridge in southern Alberta is the warmest part of Alberta. Weather history for Lethbridge maximum highs and lows for Nov to Apr as -7/4, -12/0, -14/-2, -11/2, -6/6, -1/13. This home is definitely not located in the cold Canadian climate. Why is the cost of these homes never given.
lol...if this is the warmest part of alberta then it doesn't look very warm at all to me
The cost isn't given because they have volunteer labor.
the cost is not given because it is very expensive. They want you to contact Mr. Reynolds. If they said the cost you never would.
what was the total cost to the build..not just in retail, but resources used up to go green in the first place? I see alot of items that wouldn't make this possible without them but were heavily manufactured, refined and transported for the green effect..wondering what the payoff really is..
I'm looking at the landscapes here, and I don't see a single tree? So where is all this firewood coming from ?
looked like cut up 2 x 4's
No power ! No Problem ! Candles been around for 1000's of years ! Still way more romantic than LED or florescent , and sheepskins to sleep on or sit on..Just good living . I love the little stove ..i prefer a rocket mass heater but, not kicking it ! Where's the coffee and my girl ? Relaxing is a lost art !
As a Canadian, this title is hilarious
They think we all use dog sleds in the winter
@@helenachase5627 You guys don't tunnel through the snow like some kind of snow moles? I thought Canadians all had that genetic adaptation.
If you integrate aquaponics or hydroponics into earth ships it would be absolutely brilliant
This has been a really big question on how I would do this back in Canada. I have been living in Japan just making my way but have been researching how to live in Canada in an eco way.
Soap eh? Do you use Ivory Soap? I did some research and found that is the best natural soap that won't infect your skin with perfumes and has less destruction of sewer system. ^^ I want one...lol. Thinking what I could do in Texas....makes me go hmmmm
I love the spider condo right next to the head of the bed. I bet that wasn’t her idea.
I have a pile about 2 ft sq of saw dust and the ice under it has not melted after 3 week's of sun and above 5 c daily. Thermal energy is the only way to go forward.
Pallet for headboard on the bed!😍😉
I thought he was saying 20F was comfortable.. 20C is what he is saying, whew. I was gonna say I would die in 20F all winter long lol
At 20deg... I would starve to death... could not get my teeth out of the glass... then I would freeze anyway... but they say that's the best way to go... lol
Excellent !!!
An it only works when the sun is out.. or minus 15.. what about minus 28 like it has been this year and We're had record snow...
HOW efficient is it now?
In Edmonton,AB seen -45 c before windchill and 38 c (no info on dew point)
Should put a pedal cycle to charge on cloudy days
Haha. And make toast . Like that guy in California.... Not PeeWee Herman !
That's amazing
Canada is an interesting location for passive solar as the angle of the Sun changes dramatically between summer and winter hence a properly angled window takes in a lot of Sun during the winter yet very little during summer.
They should've added wind turbines to their system as wind is fairly reliable at night on the prairies.
The Earthship concept always works out to be a long greenhouse hallway with rooms as stalls on the north side of the hallway.
The ground sheltered homes may work for the prairies but is not an option for further north where the land is based on permafrost. These so called sustainable homes are only possible with low population density areas so they are not really a sustainable living solution for our society which is projected to soon have 80% of the population in cities. They are also often built with volunteer labour, v
Imagine if all that labour had to be paid for. In truth, these homes are only for those with excessive disposable income who can live so far from major work centres.
Very cool! Good job.. but that's the sadest garden I've ever seen.
If he wanted a little more electricity. The Earthship people have inexpensive vertical axis wind turbines that generate electricity even in low wind conditions. That in pair with the solar panels would probably prevent any loss of A/C during a cloudy day. Just a friendly suggestion.
Canada is beautiful in winter not desolate we embrace The cold play hockey, curling snowmobile ,ski snowboard ice fish skate and many fun things outside l don't think people know our weather can go from plus 30 to minus 30 degrees Celsius in A year and can grow Vegetables 12 months a year Come see for yourself !
You need green to be green! Not cheap to build a custom kit!
i would like to see biogas systems integrated into more earth ships....especially in desert areas you can do that.
Well, when there is no sun ... maybe is wind, so you can build/achieve a wind turbine for electricity!
Agree, that was my first thought when he wasn't getting any energy on cloudy days is why don't they use Wind Turbines to create electricity?
I think they should diversify too, but I've heard (most?) wind turbines don't work well in cold weather. Where I am in Minnesota, our turbines stop spinning on cold winter days because it messes with the hydraulic fluid
Also maybe add a Lister style slow speed diesel as a backup generator.
Koblos Alexandru --that's the problem with this green energy stuff, you still need reliable conventional earth supplied energy
How about a wind belt generator? I had heard of these years ago. They claim they are best on roof tops to avoid the peculiarities of air flow there.
Wouldn't a supplementary windmill generator be a good idea for those less sunny days that would most likely be windy?
thank you this is going to help me in my project
I wonder how make up air is done at night when you don't have the green house/air tubes venting the home?
it would be obviously immensely helpful to grow wheat grass to juice, it grows very well in faint light and will give the uumph you need!
Morso stove - very nice!
Ps I do want one of these bad boys!
One issue with the description "dark" is not accurate. In fact, Calgary (and South of Calgary), Regina, and Winnipeg receive the most amount of sunlight per year of anywhere in Canada. Cold? Yes, but the sun in the winter is amazing. It's not some dark and grey winter there (just a sunny freezing winter). So those cities can readily use the sun for heating, unlike say Vancouver where it mostly is dark and rainy, but no where near as cold (-5 isn't cold).
Why don’t you have an inexpensive supplemental wind generator?
And if batteries freeze you can not charge them you must wait until they thaw.
"cold dark canadian prairies winter" i wonder if this type of house would work without a fireplace by having taller windows in south-west side with an additional thermal mass like a pool or something. im in quebec and there is at least triple that amount of snow in january and im really not a big fan of wood burning.i also want to know how much did it cost with and without solar panel, again because here in quebec, its just a waste of money to have solar panel if you can be " on-grid " since it cost more to buy it than using normal electricity for 30 years and much better if you convert your house into 12/24v. well thank you if you ever comment :)
It is nice to see that these run so well during such extreme conditions, I want to build one somewhere along the Rockies but wasn't sure if it would handle the colder temperatures.
I wonder how elevated the Earthship could be before lower air pressure changes the natural insulation and other fine properties of the Earthship. Any thoughts?
I just want to build the 1 "U" for myself, and then I can add later if I want to. I have access to 500 tires or so and they are willing to pay me $2 per tire including delivery. Many of the tires are larger truck tires (18", 17"), and there are mostly 16 " truck tires which I think are almost as good as 15" tires. They have phased out 15" tires for some reason, and they don't make many 14" tires anymore either. Are these other sizes just as good to use? I know that they are bigger so they will require more dirt.
+Green Energy Futures
In the video description, I think you mean "buttressed," not "buffeted."
buttress: A structure, usually brick or stone, built against a wall for support or reinforcement.
buffet: batter, especially by strong wind.
Awesome!
love the vegetables and water recycling...question...just 1 wood heater ?....it looks awlfully small for that size of place
Since most of the house is built into the earth it mostly stays at a constant temp pretty much all year round. It's a matter of using the earth as a insulator. Plus the front massive windows lets in any sun light and the sun also heats up the green vegetable area as well. You should look on youtube for the earth ship documentary.
Dave...I appreciate your comments ....live in a northern climate most of my life....with some ugly nasty winters ... i guess i am thinking of those periods of no sunlight and very cold winds and having a green thumb....my concern is mainly for the plants ( who cares about the humans lol ) .... I am concerned about air circulation and air exchanges ...the difference between hot and cold = moisture....poor air circulation can create molds ...
Yea I can see what your saying. Also most earth ships has a long tube that goes through the whole house. It can be opened up for circulation.
+edsemaj me
This shouldn´t be a problem at all , if the humidity gets too high for plants that need a low humidity, you can exchange the air by ventilating for a few minutes, which is no problem no matter how cold it is, as the air contains the least amount of energy(by far), if the building and furnishing stays warm(these store 99% of the energy)
good answers to you both
Nice...!!
Strange that the solar PV is failing in the grey weather but the solar heating is managing 20 degrees Celsius. What happens on a great solar PV day 30 degrees?
in colder climates i think i would go for a wood chip burner thats automaic fed,, ore a pellets burner if pellets was available at a reasonable prise..
also both solarv AND wind power + A BIG BATTERY BANK
Earthships are great. but if there say are -20c for say weeks you need an extra heatsourse..
a wood oven is ok but you have to feed it often.. a chip-pellets burner can be automated
would like to see some earth ships using wind energy or combo with sun
If he gets any closer to that wood stove he'll be in it.-most certainly sat on it.