I've done a lot of research lately in sustainable building, zero-energy building, and budget building techniques. I've looked mostly at earthbag, straw bale, and earthships.
While it sounded so excited to have a zero energy home that produces its own water, electricity, and food.. from what i understand the earthship design doesn't work well in a lot of climates. In many parts of the country its too hot and humid to keep itself cool with the thermal mass principle. The night temperatures in a lot of places don't drop enough for the thermal mass to re-cool and get ready for another day of absorbing heat. And since the earth itself is not a good insulator and absorbs the heat, running A/C becomes sort of a challenge when you are fighting to cool all of the thermal mass that stores the heat from the day and then losing all of the cool to the environment by poor insulation.
Am I correct about this whole thermal mass thing? Is it only valuable in the desert and cold climates? Or is it still a viable option to aid in the heating and cooling of a home in places like the Carolinas?
I'm really just trying to figure out the absolute best building technique for my area that will be cheap and also be super efficient or even self sufficient. I'm assuming that insulation is much more important than thermal mass in my area where its probably impossible to really get away without using A/C to maintain a comfortable environment. So instead of using my home like a heat sink (thermal mass), its more important to keep the internal temperature sealed in and contained. Is there anything that combines insulation properties AND thermal mass properties to allow efficient A/C cooling and thermal mass heating in winter?
There seems to be so little info on this topic when it comes to earthen structures. Nobody really seems to address the issue with warm, humid climates.
Am I missing something? Do any of you have any experience building earthen buildings in these sort of climates?
Thanks
