Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 1)
by Ted Owens, New Mexico, USA 
on 01. 9.07
Hi, I'm Ted Owens and I work in the field of green and appropriate technology design. During the presidential elections a few years ago, I was watching one of the candidates as he was interviewed on a late-night TV show. The candidate was being asked about moving the U.S. towards greener cars and power generation, and increasing the overall energy efficiency of appliances. His reply was that it all sounded great; however, the technology was not yet available. At that moment I was sitting comfortably in the warmth of my solar-powered straw bale home that I had designed and built. The outside temperature hovered around thirty degrees F and there was still no need to turn on the backup heating system. The television was being powered by 100% sun-generated electricity from photovoltaic panels mounted on the roof. And my year-2000 66 mpg gas-electric hybrid car was sitting in the driveway. I sat there and thought to myself, "I wonder what technology he is waiting for?"
Today, that candidate is President of the United States, and I am still generating my own electricity to run all of my appliances, including a refrigerator, stereo, computer, toaster, lights, well pump—the whole works. Sunlight enters the south-facing windows of this small home to supply well over half the heating needs. There is no mechanical air conditioning system in the house and yet the inside temperature is comfortable, despite the 100 degree (F) summer heat outside. A cistern collects rainwater for the toilet, the cold water on the washing machine, and for a gardening spigot. The exterior walls of the home are made of straw bale, which is an excellent insulator. The interior walls are made of adobe bricks (solid, unfired mud) which stabilize the indoor temperature within 3 degrees during a 24 hour period. The walls are coated with a durable earth plaster that not only looks great, but also eliminates the need for paint, which is both an ecological and cost-saving benefit. And best yet, the same natural materials that help to heat and cool the home also look beautiful. It is a win-win scenario for building construction and, in the upcoming installments of this column, I will show you how you can do the same as I share with you what I learned from designing and building my own solar straw bale home.
The south side of this hybrid straw bale home contains a maximum amount of windows for winter heat gain. The photovoltaic panels on the roof convert sunlight into electricity. These panels generate 100% of the electricity for the home.
View of the east side of the hybrid home. Both the interior and exterior wall surfaces are coated in a durable earth plaster that is used instead of cement stucco.
Straw bales are used as insulation for the home. Straw is a wast product that can be used for construction of very green homes. This construction photo shows the straw bales being used as an infill to a post-and-beam framing system that supports the load of the roof [See also: Construction of a Straw Bale House, Part 1 -Ed.].
See also: Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12 and part 13.
[This has been a guest post by Ted Owens, a green designer and filmmaker. More details on green building design and construction can be found on his website and in the Building with Awareness DVD and Guidebook. -Ed.]
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What happens when a straw house catches fire?
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editor note: Research shows that straw bale houses are more resistant to fire than "normal" houses. I know it might seem counter-intuitive, but the straw bales are mechanically compacted very tightly so there is very little air and since they are sealed with plaster, the flame has a hard time reaching them in the first place.
Ditto - Strawbale construction, coupled with earth plaster is actually more fire resistant than many 'modern' building fabric designs around which both US and EU 'building code' standards are based.
Full respect to Ted - I'm hoping one day to build my own home in a very similar fashion - can't wait for part two...
Just one thought - the POTUS you mention owns a ranch in Crawford, Texas, whose main building is entirely powered by geothermal and solar - I presume he's aware of it - the technology is right under his nose when he's home on holiday afterall...
How much land surrounds this house? It appears as if there is not a neighbor in site. Is this sprawl? I have seen a lot of pictures of eco houses that seem to be in the middle of some vast wilderness, which is not eco friendly.
How would a straw bale house fare in Maine winters? My hubby and I are researching building a home. I run a dog rescue and need a barn as well. Also, where can I find out about costs? We are on a tight budget. Thanks for any input
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editor note: If designed correctly, they would work I'm pretty certain (since they can work in Canadian winter). For a low budget, self-building is probably the only solution.
Lauren, a strawbale home will have no problems with Maine winters. If you're in a wet area near the coast you might have problems with that, but nothing a sensible design couldn't handle. A good hands-on report of the sorts of issues facing strawbale in a northern climate can be found here. Bear in mind it's ten years old, and many of the buildings they investigate are on the experimental side.
As for further information like prices, my understanding is that strawbale types are usually very chummy and if you can get a hold of one, they'll probably talk your ear off, especially a self-builder. There are plenty of strawbale groups about, locally and on the internet...
...actually a quick googling brings up this. Guaranteed if you look this guy up he'll at least point you in the right direction. But do your own web search; you'll find a lot that way...
Here in australia we have some of the largest and most intense bushfires in the world.
Over summer a homestead i visit was hit with a huge fire front (8 story high flames) all buildings where lost except the strawbale house.... the brick house fell (burnt from inside out)... the iron sheds fell... but the strawbale house stood strong.
Even a straw bale that had 1 side of plaster removed was only slightly charred but still structually sound.