Related Advice
Related Guide
Latest posts
Responses (1)
Related products
Elite windows Hybrid PVC and aluminum frames
Hybrid PVC and aluminum windows
Roll-on thermal glazing nano-coating
SketchNanoGard Thermal
If you saw our articles on greenhouses in cold climates you may know our thoughts already on attaching a greenhouse to a home, which is not really a great idea for energy efficiency and durability since they can add a significant amount of moisture to a home.
We much prefer to see a greenhouse separated from a house, and to instead take advantage of the southern exposure for passive indoor heating. And to be honest, there is pretty much nothing about the Earthship that makes sense for building in cold climates, certainly not the greenhouse portion. You can read an in-depth analysis of the Earthship and learn why they don’t work well here –
Do Earthships work in cold climates?
I would suggest you focus your attention on passive heating, adding the right amount of insulation in the right places, and healthy indoor air quality. We have a free video series in our building guide that covers the construction of a super efficient demonstration house from start to finish, here is the first video in the series that talks about the basic design and home orientation for solar heat gain. I hope that helps with your design project!