Passive Solar and Light In Earth-Sheltered Housing

I've been reading a lot lately about this earth-sheltered housing phenomenon, but some people still remain skeptical about the potential "basement-like" feeling of living partially underground. This is understandable, considering most of the homes are enclosed on 3 sides. If you are lucky enough to own land on a south facing slope, however, or if you have an area where you are able to pick the direction of your home, then you can utilize passive solar energy and avoid that "basement" feeling

If the house is built to properly maximize its solar potential, then it will have an elongated layout, with all bedrooms and living areas to the front of the home where the windows are located, and all of the bathrooms, storage areas, and utility rooms toward the rear of the home because no windows are necessary. In south facing homes this allows the maximum amount of light to penetrate the home, even in the middle of winter. This light also has the benefit of warming the home in the winter, with the assistance of an absorber and a thermal mass to hold the heat inside the home. In the summer this is controlled by an overhanging roof, as discussed previously.

Back to the original topic; lighting. These homes can actually have more light than a conventional home without any lighting fixtures. Many of these houses are constructed with domed or cathedral ceilings and light colored paint. This allows the light that enters the room to bounce off all of the curved and angled surfaces, scattering the light and illuminating the would-be dark space. The homes may also be built with skylights which allow sunlight access to the rear regions of the home. A fairly large example of this can be seem here.

Earth-sheltered homes therefore utilize solar energy in two major ways which cut down on energy consumption. They use passive solar energy to heat the home in the winter. This is accomplished through direct gain through the windows, and through indirect gain from the earth around the home. The summer sun warms up the earth around the home and slowly releases it into the home as the winter wears on. The light from the sun is also used to light the house which prevents the need for lighting in the rooms with windows during the day.

We need to begin to use more of these qualities from the earth and sun which are all renewable sources of energy, or at least reduce our need for it. It may be able to cut down on our impact on the world enough to save it from being irreversibly damaged.