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Earth shelter
House partially or entirely surrounded by earth / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For Iron Age underground structures, see Souterrain.
An earth shelter, also called an earth house, earth bermed house, or underground house, is a structure (usually a house) with earth (soil) against the walls, on the roof, or that is entirely buried underground.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Earth_house.jpg/640px-Earth_house.jpg)
Earth acts as thermal mass, making it easier to maintain a steady indoor air temperature and therefore reduces energy costs for heating or cooling.
Earth sheltering became relatively popular after the mid-1970s, especially among environmentalists. However, the practice has been around for nearly as long as humans have been constructing their own shelters.