Casa Aguila will arguably be the most advanced home ever built in San Diego County, looking to achieve many firsts for our region. It will be San Diego's first Certified Passive House, seek the County's first onsite wastewater treatment permit, seek the County's first permit to utilize all collected rainwater for all indoor water use, and strive for eventual grid-disconnection through utilization of battery power, Solar PV, and a 45-foot wind turbine (the blades alone are 17 feet tall!).

The project is located in Ramona, CA and is named for the Golden Eagles which frequently fly over the property.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

We welcome aboard Sustainability Matters as a new Project Partner!

Sustainability Matters will be providing an amazing material that we will be incorporating into the wall and roof assemblies, called bioPCM:


BioPCMTM absorbs and releases heat using bio-based phase change materials that melt and solidify at room temperature. Unlike other PCM products derived from petroleum or salt hydrates, bioPCM is derived from abundant bio-based materials. When installed in ceiling and wall panels the product works day and night to stabilize indoor temperatures. This simple passive approach to saving energy provides greater comfort for building occupants and more efficient HVAC system.


Our hopes are that during the hot summer months the bioPCM will dramatically reduce, and maybe even eliminate, the requirement for mechanical cooling.  Reducing the energy use for mechanical cooling will enable us to install less Solar PV for electrical production, and less battery storage for electricity as well.  Imagine if we could build homes out in the hotter areas of San Diego and not need Air Conditioning systems (or at least very small ones instead!)