By DEBRA GASKILL
The Associated Press | Posted: Sunday, May 16, 2004 12:00 am
FAIRBORN, Ohio -- Products of the energy crunch in the 1970s, underground homes are worth another look from a new generation.
Because the earth surrounding a building takes on and gives off heat at a slow pace, they can be much cheaper to heat and cool, experts say. Heat taken in during the summer is released in the fall and winter.
Underground homes became a trend as a result of the Arab oil embargo of the early 1970s. Approximately 5,000 to 10,000 earth-bermed or underground houses were built in the United States during that time.
These homes were constructed in two ways.
A truly underground home used earth for all sides, with only the entrance above ground. Earth-bermed homes used earth for several sides and/or the roof, with one side, usually the southern exposure, built using conventional materials.
Cave-like darkness and moisture are the biggest concern people have about earth-bermed houses, said Columbus, Ohio, architect Richard Ohanion, president of Home Sweet Earth Homes. He has been designing earth-bermed and underground homes for more than 25 years.
Ohanion's homes have insulation and waterproof barriers installed between the earth and the concrete, which along with weatherstripping and drainage prevents dampness.