The Earth Home system is a fully integrated building system, using local materials to meet all the needs of the occupants for comfort, water, sanitary waste, electricity, hot water, and cooking, without the need for central power, water, or sewer. The Earth Home uses the sun to heat the home, heat water, cook food, and to generate electricity. Clean rainwater is collected and stored for drinking and bathing. The kitchen and toilet waste is composted to rich organic fertilizer for the family garden. The Earth Home is a flexible building system that uses local natural resources – soil – to build homes, schools, medical clinics, and other low-rise buildings. In addition, the Earth Home system is easy to build with unskilled labor and perfect for owner builders or volunteer housing projects. As a result, the Earth Home system produces buildings that are affordable, healthy, durable, hurricane-proof, earthquake-proof, comfortable, fire-proof, termite-proof, energy efficient, self-sufficient, and environmentally sustainable.
The Earth Home is designed to meet the specific needs of the region and market and can be adapted to work in all climates and all markets, from low cost owner built homes to high end luxury homes and commercial and institutional buildings.
The Earth Home System consists of the following elements:
COMPRESSED EARTH BRICK WALLS
The compressed earth brick is manufactured on site or in a central location with local soil and a compressed earth brick machine provided by Earth Home. The bricks are as strong as concrete or fired bricks but are much more environmentally sustainable and lower cost. Compressed earth bricks made with local soil cost less than conventional concrete block or brick construction. Earth Home will provide the equipment for manufacturing the earth bricks, on site training and technical assistance.
GREY WATER SYSTEM
The waste water from the sinks and shower is drained into a garden irrigation system for the family garden.
SOLAR WATER HEATER
Water is heated free by solar energy in a low cost solar water heating system on the roof. The system will provide all the hot water for a typical home in many climates.
SOLAR ELECTRICITY
A Photovoltaic (PV) Solar power system with batteries provides uninterruptable electricity to power lights, refrigerator and other household appliances. No utility grid is required. If the utility grid is available, the home owner can sell excess electricity back to the utility in many cases. The system also includes high efficiency appliances, lighting, and refrigerator.
RAIN WATER SYSTEM
The rain water is collected off the roof and stored in a cistern for drinking water. The cistern is sized based on the annual rainfall of the region and the size of the home. Earth Home provides the complete rain water system.
COMPOSTING TOILET
The toilet system uses little to no water and turns the bathroom and kitchen waste into organic compost. The system is odor free, uses no chemicals and converts waste to useful fertilizer.
SOLAR OVEN
A solar oven is built into the south side (in the northern hemisphere) of the home as part of the kitchen. The solar oven can bake bread, meat, make stews and many other meals. The solar oven uses no fuel and can supplement the conventional stove on sunny days.
WINDOWS
In heating climates, high performance windows are provided. In cooling climates, locally manufactured windows are used. Other materials such as, kitchen cabinets and miscellaneous materials are obtained locally.
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIVE BUILDING DESIGN
Earth Home designs the buildings to be responsive to the local climate and culture. The homes are designed to be naturally warm in the winter with passive solar heating (in heating climates) and cool in the summer with out a mechanical system. All materials used are natural and non toxic.