I have plans to build an underground storage container home. I am a fabricator and am currently looking for land and areas that allow DIY projects for building my home. I am estimating my home will be somewhere between 1600-2600 square feet. It will be entirely underground with an exposed traditional metal roof with solar panels on top. It will have attic space and a basement for utilities. I want to install any if not all geothermal technology to my home. I want radiated floors, geothermal heating and cooling, and a geothermal water heater. I plan to build on a property with river/creek access to harness hydro electricity as well. My general question to you guys would be is would the geothermal tech I want in my house run super efficient or what would you recommend? I should think it would be very well regulated and insulated if done properly. I have done a lot of research on this project for underground storage container homes and no I am not just throwing dirt on it and calling it a day. There is a lot of thought to preventing rust and keeping water off the containers. It is just a fabrication project I have longed to do for a very long time! I welcome any suggestions and if you have any questions about my ideas feel free to ask! Thanks for your time!

Sounds really cool to me! I hope you have a good backhoe, or else it could get expensive really quick!

I have to imagine that having an underground home, your envelope would be pretty much completely air-tight. You would still need a source of fresh air and exhaust, so you'd need an HRV/ERV. Due to the air tightness, your heating/cooling system would likely not be very big. So, if you went geothermal, your payback period would be very long. However, depending when you're doing this project, the federal tax credits are good at least through this year. If it's in the budget, geothermal (or GSHP for the purists), is definitely a more logical method of heat exchange, especially in areas that have extreme temps.

So is any of this house above ground? any windows? I'm picturing your front door as a submarine hatch

What part of the country are you considering? In a moderate climate, you will need very, very little HVAC. Our basement in upstate SC never goes below 60, or above 78 with no HVAC at all. That's on a walk-out basement, so only about half of it is below ground, and there are two large windows and a door. Our basement is ICF, which insulates very well. We use small min-splits for the main floor (1400 sq. ft), and they only add about $20/month during the cooling season, and $40/month for heat. We don't run them at all about 4-6 months out of the year. All in all, maybe $250 a year for HVAC. It would take a LONG time to pay for geothermal at that rate.

Another consideration when you go underground is natural lighting and egress. Building codes require windows big enough for egress in any habitable room. Underground, you have to have windows in wells, with a ladder to climb out. Even if you find an area that doesn't enforce codes, it's still a prudent idea.

Sounds a very nice idea. You should consult a good hvac contractor which will guide you in a proper way.

Don't neglect dehumidification.

Sorry for the delay in reply. I live in the Georgia area. But its looking like next spring we will be applying for a loan to buy some land and start this project. I firmly believe in a good humidification system. I think between hydroelectricity and the solar route we will go we should have plenty of energy to make things happen! Btw what is an egress? This is why I thought it would be a good idea to talk things over with an engineer and cover my grounds 100% and checking into codes of course. I should think we wouldnt need "windows" but probably some hatches in the floor and to the attic where a window could be at wouldnt be a bad idea. I should think that if its properly ventilated it or you have provision for an emergency situation in place should something happen you should be fine. My home wont be made of wood so I am not worried about fire. If my container catches fire for some odd reason I'll just move to Mars. Haha!

"egress" means 'to leave', or 'to exit'. It's an "outbound" term.

I would make sure to set up multiple exit points, possibly a tunnel to get out from various points. I have no idea what the codes would be for this type of thing, but I can see lots of hurdles and hoops in your future