The thermal behaviours of an earthship

Abstract

A preliminary assessment was made of the thermal behaviour of an earth-sheltered building, located in Taos, New Mexico, using monitored data obtained during a limited number of days in June 1995, when measured diurnal ambient temperatures ranged from 4°C to 35°C. The Tas o dynamic model was used to predict the thermal performances of the building, using hourly weather data for Los Alamos, USA, and the south-eastern region of the United Kingdom (UK). The earthship was found to overheat during the summer in New Mexico and was predicted to do so in the building modelled for the south-eastern region of the UK. This implies that some external shading would be beneficial to reduce solar gains during the summer. The building located in new Mexico was predicted to achieve comfort conditions during the working day for most of the remainder of the year. There was a need for some space heating in winter and also during the evenings if the building was used out of office hours, or as a dwelling. The simulations for the UK climate indicated that the building should only require a relatively small amount (ie., 325 kWh) of space heating during the winter months. The energy thrift and recycling of materials aspects of this design could contribute to future sustainability.