Michael Smith shows us how he’s used straw bale and cob to insulate homes. He’s created a passive solar design using methods that date back all the way to ancient Greeks and Chinese.

During the summer they open up all their windows at night to allow the cool air to come into the house. In the morning they close up the windows and that coolness stays locked inside (thanks to the cob).

During the winter the heat from the sun is absorbed in the clay, straw bale walls and flooring. So this heat is trapped inside the building.

So in the summer the earth material (cob and straw bale) absorbs the cold and traps it inside. During the winter the strategically placed windows allow the sun’s heat to come in, absorb, and get trapped inside throughout the day.

Make any sense? Watch Michael explain it better than me right here…

Video thanks to Faircompanies