Earth as Cooling Source

The earth mass around a building can serve in most climatic regions as a natural cooling source for the
building, either in a passive or an active way . In hot regions, the temperature of the soil in summer is
usually too high for it to serve as a cooling source. However, it is possible to lower the earth temperature
well below the natural temperature by shading it while permitting water to evaporate from the surface.
The amount of water required can be reduced to below what is required to water a lawn if effective
shading is used, for example, covering the soil with a layer of gravel or woodchips or raising the building
off the ground to shade the soil underneath.

Lowering the soil surface will cause the layers below the surface to lower also. Studies have shown that
the difference between the outdoor maximum air temperature and the cooled earth temperature in
midsummer can be up to 12C in hot humid regions. With such a temperature difference the soil can
provide an effective heat sink for a building.

Direct passive conductive cooling from the cooled soil can be achieved with earth-integrated buildings, in
which the walls are bermed and the roof is covered by earth. This approach would be most suitable in
hot, dry regions with mild winters. In such places this direct conductive cooling of the building will be
very effective.

Another approach is to install pipes in the cooled soil and circulate air through them. The cooler earth
mass serves as a heat sink to cool the air that passes through it. The pipes are usually PVC and the air
circulation can be through a closed circuit, or an open circuit that uses the outdoor air that is used for
ventilation. This is an active approach as requires the use of electricity via a fan to circulate the air
through the pipes and into the building. Circulating the air in the cool soil can keep the indoor
temperature about 10C below the outdoor average maximum air temperature. During a heat wave the
effects can be even greater.

A study on the thermal performance of an earth-air-pipe system constructed in a farm house in Gurgaon,
India indicated that effective cooling can be gained during the summer months. The coefficient of
performance (COP) of the installed system during summer was found to be 7.9 . The COP is the amount
of cooling generated divided by the amount of energy needed to run the system so a high COP indicates
a high efficiency in energy use. The study also found that variations in the temperature, relative humidity
and humidity ratio of the air are dampened as it passes through the system.