How To Make Summer Heat Last All Winter

Have you ever wished you could save summer's heat and use it in the winter? 

In today's energy conscious world, it is important to think about the way we live and what we can do to make sure that we are not taking up more energy than we ultimately need to.  There are many ways that we use energy, and you will find that with just a little bit of consideration, no matter how vital the system might be, or how traditional or standard that it is, it is still something that can be improved on.  When you are thinking about what your options are when it comes to heating up your home, you will find that simply taking a look at a good way to store the heat and to make it work for you during the winter is something to know.

As you may know, if you dig down a few feet, the temperature of the soil remains relatively constant year-round.  For example, in Chicago, this temperature is approx. 53 F.  Imagine being able to take advantage of this cool temperature to cool the rest of your house down?

How Can You Store Heat?

Ok.  We've established the fact that you can use underground air to cool a house, but how can you use this concept to heat it.  It's not as difficult as you might think, but it does require some planning ahead.  Are you planning to build a new house sometime?  Do you plan a basement for this new house? If so, consider making a full sub-basement underneath it!  That's essentially all you need.  Properly insulated, a sub-basement can hold heat as well as the earth can hold "cold".

What is a Sub-Basement?

A sub-basement is a basement below the basement, except there's no access to it.  In fact, in order for this concept to work, the sub-basement needs to be filled with gravel and have ducting running through it in order to circulate air and direct it into the rest of the house.  When the house is completed, there will be little evidence that you even have a sub-basement, but you will be able to enjoy it's benefits for the life of the home.

When you are looking to use this method, you will find that it is important that you consider it early in the building of your home.  You will find that for the majority of homes and businesses that it is entirely possible to get your heating costs reduced if only you institute this simple but vital change.  Take some time and really consider what your options are going to be when you are thinking about building your home.  The expenditure of a few thousand dollars now can save you several times that when you are getting ready to go ahead and start paying those bills. 

When you are thinking about instituting this design plan into your home, remember that it is intended to help you store heat, not generate heat.  You will still need something like a wood stove, a solar source of heat or a conventional heating source to provide the initial heat, but despite the fact that it is fairly crude, the heating works quite well and quite effectively once you have it in place. 

How Much Does It Cost?

This is something that may be as simple to add as a few extra thousand dollars in excavation costs,and some more in labor and concrete.  You will slab insulate this area, or use PVC thinwall pipe.  The sub-basement in this case would not be something that you would use as a room.  Instead, it is going to be painted with waterproof sealer, insulated, and then just filled with backfill earth materials. Then, hollow tubes are going to be installed in order to deliver heat to and from the storage sink and you'll find that this can help keep you warm all winter.

When you are looking at getting the results that you need from heating your home, check out this incredibly innovative method for making sure that your environmental footprint stays small and that your home can stay snug all winter.

Learn more here.