As a result, an earthship’s electrical needs are about 25% of that of a conventional home and can be met with 1 kilowatt or less of energy from solar panels. In place of traditional electricity, an earthship home has its own renewable “power plant” with photovoltaic panels, batteries, charge controller, and inverter. In the summer, natural ventilation through buried cooling tubes and vent boxes helps the home stay cool. In the evening, when the air temperature drops below the temperature of the heat stored in the walls, heat is naturally released into the space. Sun enters through the glass in the home and heats up the floors and walls. How does it protect the environment-and save money?īecause earthship homes are designed to collect and store their own energy, they heat and cool themselves without electric heat or burning fossil fuels or wood. “They’re also earthquake-resistant” because they’re made from rubber. “They’re basically indestructible,” Reynolds says. The tires are stacked like bricks and covered in adobe mud to form the house’s foundation. “We take steel-belted automobile tires and beat them full of earth so that they weigh about 300 to 400 pounds a piece,” says Reynolds. The primary building material is recycled automobile tires filled with compacted earth, or compressed soil. While traditional homes are made of stone, brick, lumber, or concrete, earthship homes are built of both natural and recycled materials such as aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and cardboard.
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