Long before air conditioning and forced air heat many homes were built with an eye toward good science. High ceilings were important in the south because heat rises. High ceilings kept the occupants of rooms cooler. Those builders knew a bit about physics.
I'll bet you didn't know that even the Romans did. They built water collection and pipes to supply water to Rome and other places (unfortunately out of lead piping. Lead is toxic to brains.). They built thermal baths with wood burning ovens to heat water. They even utilized natural hot springs as did native peoples all over the world. Many old farmers built houses with south facing windows and greenhouses to help control temperatures inside the structure. And many farmers built underground or earth sheltered houses, root cellars, cisterns, spring houses and barns. People from all over the world built structures from mud and/or rocks that had some thermal mass. Castles and keeps in Europe often had interior wells and water storage because it made them more secure and able to withstand sieges for longer periods of time.
So why are we getting so carried away with the whole green thing like it’s all new science when it isn’t? The only new thing in all this excitement is solar panels, which are still far from efficient.
But it seems that most people just forgot about good science in building. We could afford to ignore good science when oil was cheap and there were still enough trees in the world to heat most peoples’ dwellings.
Those days are over. Do you cringe when your power and gas bills come in the mail? Air conditioning is the biggest expense for many people. But what if you didn’t need air conditioning? A house that is earth sheltered is cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
If you live in a hot climate you don’t want a wall of glass facing the midday or afternoon sun. If you are living in a cold climate you might want that sun heating your space.
You might also want a gray water tank for your greenhouse and landscaping so you can grow some food and control your water bill. It’s just a container similar to a hot water heater or cistern. Did you know some homes in dry Texas are able to capture enough rainwater in a cistern to supply the household year round?
So don’t get too hung up on all the high tech stuff. All of the methods to heat, cool and power your life will work better if you start with a good foundation. If your home needs less power to run it will save you money for the life of the home.
A few years ago we lucked into a small, earth sheltered, passive solar house built in the 1970’s. It’s cheap to heat and does not need air conditioning. We do not have a single solar panel although if heating keeps getting more expensive we may buy some. But we won’t need many because the house is already efficient. We have energy star appliances and plan to get a gray water tank.
Many people are building large houses with big expensive solar arrays to provide power and still have to buy more power from the local utility company. It’s terrible science.
Find some good old fashioned science instead. You can save your wallet while you help save the planet.
Paula Stone is a veteran home buyer and seller. She works with her husband Ron in his note buying business and no doc jumbo loans business. Learn more at their websites,
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