How to Wire a Straw Bale House

The use of straw bale as a building material is gaining new interest because it is renewable and offers a high degree of insulation. Wiring a straw bale house, however, is much like wiring any other house. You must have the proper materials, including wire, electrical boxes, and conduit in order to provide the house with light fixtures, outlets and switches. The process of wiring a straw bale house might seem complex or even intimidating. With the right tools and know-how, you'll discover wiring a straw bale house isn't all that different than other building.

Things You'll Need

• Angle grinder
• PVC conduit
• PVC conduit clamps
• Construction adhesive
• Wooden stakes, 10 to 14 inches long
• Hammer or mallet
• Standard electrical equipment (e.g. circuit breakers, conduit, wire, electrical boxes)
• Chase
• Personal safety gear (e.g. dust mask, goggles, gloves)

Instructions

1. Before applying plaster to finish the walls, use the angle grinder to cut grooves and holes in the straw bale walls for the PVC conduit and electrical boxes for each fixture, outlet and switch.

2. Put the PVC conduit in place. Secure the conduit to the straw bales by gluing PVC conduit clamps to the straw bales with construction adhesive.

3. Screw each electrical box to a wooden stake. Using your hammer or mallet, pound the stake into the straw bale wall so that the electrical box is secure in its hole. There should be at least one inch between the front of the electrical box and the surface of the straw to allow room for plaster when the wall is finished.

4. Feed the wire through the chase at the base of each wall. The chase can be made of conduit (which will be hidden behind the baseboards when the wall is complete) or just a simple groove in the back of the baseboard.

5. Feed the wire through the PVC conduit and into each electrical box.

6. Hook up all fixtures, outlets, and switches and secure in place.

7. Make sure the power is shut off to the circuit breakers. Then, attach the wires to the circuit breakers, which are housed inside a metal box and should be in an out-of-the-way yet easily accessible place, like a utility room or closet.

Tips & Warnings

• Using the angle grinder to cut the grooves and holes into the straw bales will produce a lot of dust and chaff. When doing construction or remodeling, always wear personal safety gear, including a dust mask, gloves, and goggles.

• When wiring an entire house, whether a straw bale house or one constructed of more traditional materials, you should always work with a licensed electrician to ensure that local building codes are followed and everything is properly installed to prevent the risk of fire from a short. Also, make sure you have all the necessary permits from your town or city before starting construction.

• Be extremely cautious to avoid electrical shocks. When attaching the wires to the circuit breaker box, make sure power is shut off to the circuit breaker.

References

• BuildingwithAwareness.com: Electrical Wiring For Straw Bale Houses
• StrawBale.com: Electrical Wires in Straw Bale Walls
• MerlinIndustries.co.uk: Straw Bale House