The is a springtime view of my straw bale house that is featured in the “Building With Awareness: The Construction of a Hybrid Home” DVD and book. Click the image for a larger view.

While riding my recumbent bicycle home from the office the other day, I was caught by the reflections in my neighbor’s flooded field. They recently planted a citrus orchard and garden and were irrigating late in the day. I grabbed my camera to capture the soft glow of a typical New Mexico sunset.

When living in a straw bale home, Spring is the time to remove the insulation panels from the skylights (to prevent heat loss in winter) and to turn off the pilot light of the backup radiant-floor heating system (despite some nights that still dip into the 30’s, the home does not need backup heat at this time of year). The rainwater cistern is 80% full due to recent spring rains. This will supply enough non-potable water until the summer monsoon season begins in a few months. The photovoltaic electrical system generates more electricity in the Spring and Fall due to the fixed angle of the PV panels to the sun. It is also time to put the window screens back up as they are removed every Fall to maximize the amount of heat entering the windows from the low-angled winter sun.

The warm earthen tones of the home’s walls come from the mud plaster finish. The small workshop to the right is made of adobe bricks. These materials are very green as they come from the earth itself—with minimal processing.

If you would like to see how this green home was built, pick up a copy of the “Building With Awareness” DVD video and book combo. It is available at a bookstore near you and online. “Building With Awareness” is beautifully photographed and covers the complete design and construction process of building green with straw bale, adobe, and other natural materials. The purchase of our DVD video and book helps to support this blog and website on green building.

Article and photo by Ted Owens
You are welcome to use this photo on your website (for non-commercial use) as long as the photo is not altered in any way and that you link it back to http://www.buildingwithawareness.com

Product Tested: ShurFlo Deluxe 24 volt DC model 2088-474-144 on-demand diaphragm pump, 3 gallons per minute output, with builtin 45psi pressure demand switch. Suggested retail price: $172.00

Ideally, a water pump for a rainwater cistern will use very little electricity, be durable and rugged, and be as maintenance free as possible. The model being reviewed was in daily use for 8 years in a small straw bale house.  Water from the cistern delivers naturally soft water to the washing machine, the toilet, and a hose bib. A 24 volt model was chosen so that it could run directly off a 24 volt photovoltaic (PV) electrical system for this off-the-grid green home. Although the PV system included a 120 volt AC inverter, it was desired to have the pump run off the DC side as this would  guarantee that the pump would have power even if the inverter was not operational. The DC pump would also be more energy efficient as some efficiency is lost by the inverter. This same pump model is also available in 24 volt and 120 volt configurations.

The advantage of a rubber diaphragm pump is that they are very immune to damage from grit and debris in the water. This is important as water is collected off the roof with only a simple sand filter. (more…)