Root cellars are subterranean rooms designed to protect produce, vegetables, and other perishables by harnessing nature’s cool temperature. Root cellars have seen renewed popularity as homeowners strive to establish food security at home while decreasing reliance on globalized food systems. If you want to extend the shelf life of garden harvests or prepare for emergencies these affordable solutions should definitely be considered.
Root cellar costs can depend on size and construction materials used, such as digging a shallow pit to cover with soil before filling with low-cost building materials like barrels or even recycled containers. DIY root cellars may be better suited to homeowners with limited construction skills and limited budget constraints who prefer building their own. On the other hand, professional installation for an in-ground root cellar often runs about 30% more in price.
No matter the material chosen for its construction, an energy-efficient root cellar can significantly decrease both your electricity costs and carbon footprint. This is because most grocery store food has traveled long distances before reaching you and thus producing significant greenhouse gas emissions; by investing in one instead you can enjoy fresh local foods throughout winter without incurring expensive electricity-dependent refrigeration bills.
Floris Schoonderbeek has designed some of the finest prefab root cellar price options with his Groundfridge model – an electricity-free structure made of six and half feet wide sphere that uses ground’s natural cooling properties to keep temperatures cold, stable and watertight – it even requires no electricity!
If you’re interested in building your own root cellar on a DIY basis, there are plenty of plans available online either free or for a nominal fee. You could try building it from traditional materials like bricks, concrete blocks or cinder blocks; or try earthbag building: this process uses walls created from sandbags filled with moist dirt that are then tamped together before being laid in rows as walls – an affordable project which can be completed on a shoestring budget with little spending for insulation, barbed wire and rebar costs!
Prefab root cellars can be an invaluable asset that will save on electricity bills while increasing the shelf life of produce. Thanks to resurgent interest in sustainable living, companies have designed, manufactured, and sold pre-made root cellars which are easy to install and affordable for most homeowners.