Finally getting around to processing some video and getting my notes together from January's visit to Taos. If anyone's interested, I recorded a walk-thru the inside of the building as well as some of the external details of the building and systems that I can make available.
In the mean time, here's a 3 minute look at the inside of the greenhouse at a bit after 8AM. It's hard to describe the smell that waits for one to enter the house - there's the scent from the flowers and the mint, along with the linseed oil used on the woodwork. The video starts in the east end of the house - and the coolest area. After a 12°F low temperature, it was 20°F just outside the door (there's no airlock here like the west end). Air temperature just inside the door was 48°F (floor temp 52.5°F). Around to the south side the air temp was 52°. It was 68° inside the living area. Late in the afternoon, the house air temp was 75°F and the floor was 76°F.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XoryJDx2U8[/youtube]
The 'cold' side of the house is inside this tunnel on the east (photo from Earthship.com):
Here's a plan view - south to the bottom - of this ~1700 square foot building:
Some assorted observations:
- The hot water system uses a 4x8' flat panel collector on the outside of the building, a ~40 gallon storage tank inside, and an on-demand propane water heater if/when needed. After a 15°F overnight, water in the storage tank was 90°F at 8AM when the sun rose over the mountains and provided enough PV to run the circulating pump. It didn't take long - 30 or so minutes - for water to hit 140°F.
- The inside walls and floor radiate heat overnight and in the morning - they are a few degrees warmer than the air thru the night.
- Some photos and videos of Earthship interiors can appear dark - but that' s absolutely a limitation of the recording equipment. The interior of the building is bright throughout the day. The design allows winter's low angle light to penetrate to the back wall. Summer sun stays in the greenhouse, but there's still plenty of light on the back wall in the summer. I'm at the point in life where extra light helps with reading and close work - and there was no need for interior lights between dawn and dusk.
- The temperature is uniform thru the house - and the 'convection engine' formed by the greenhouse's skylights and the north-wall air intake 'cooling tubes' will move a LOT of air through the building.
- The house feels very much 'alive'. There are sounds that start at sunrise - the low hum of the 12V DC pump on the hot water loop that starts around 8AM, or the grey-water recirculating pump that oxygenates the grey water and provides a low-volume 'water fall/fountain' sound in the kitchen for an hour or so in the morning. The timbers in the ceiling creak and groan from time to time as they warm and cool throughout the day and night. It feels very alive, natural, organic. And it's very, very quiet inside.
More info (including construction photos) here:
http://earthship.com/global-model-earthship-nightly-rental