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.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

You're invited to Archtoberfest!

AGB is gearing up for Archtoberfest, San Diego's Architecture and Design Month! October is going to be filled with events and activities featuring innovative architecture, design, planning, and sustainability around San Diego.



There will be TWO opportunities to tour Casa Aguila during Archtoberfest, so come and say hi! Here are the event details:


OCTOBER 4th, 11am - 4pm
GREEN HOMES TOUR
The Green Homes Tour is an annual self-guided tour hosted by the USGBC. Members of our staff will be at Casa Aguila to give tours and discuss features of the home. Registration gives you access to visit any of the homes on the tour. It is $5 for USGBC members and $15 for non-members, and you can register at the link below.

Green Homes Tour registration link: http://www.usgbc-sd.org/event-1797012


OCTOBER 14th, 11am - 8pm
PROJECT PARTNER WORKSHOP
The Project Partner Workshop will consist of 20 minute demonstrations put on by the many project partners of Casa Aguila. Some of these partners include the manufacturers of the solar trackers, wind turbine, energy management software, and many more. Attendees are welcome to come to any or all of the presentations.

Project Partner Workshop event link: http://www.archtoberfest.com/event/san-diegos-most-efficient-home-2/

Please contact Katie Teare at 858.449.5208 if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

August Update - Blackwater Treatment, EV Charging, and more

Tigre of Ecology Artisans doing the site prep work for the "Food Forest" which will be provided irrigation from 100% of the wastewater from the home (both black and graywater.) Check out their site at: http://ecologyartisans.com/
The irrigation plan by Ecology Artisans for the Food Forest
Solar Thermal panels being installed by Adroit Solar. The panels will provide water heating for not only domestic hot water use, but also for hydronic radiant floors, pool, and the spa.
Jeff and Jesse walking across the Red Guard slip sheet that goes between the concrete slab and the tile that will soon be installed.
The new concrete slab in the courtyard, soon to be tiled over. The palms look great!
Gutters being installed
The Water Heating Equipment Room. Daikin Altherma unit installed on the wall to provide backup heating, if required, to the Solar Thermal heaters. Waiting for the storage tanks to arrive to be installed adjacent to the Daikin unit.
Lots of material have arrived on site, waiting for installation.

Electric Car Charger has been installed in the garage.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker Installation

Today we craned in 3 dual-axis DEGER D-60 solar trackers, which will each hold 24 panels to create a 21.6 kW PV system. These trackers are huge - they measure about 27 feet across and 17 feet deep! They rotate on a dual-axis so they can detect the maximum point of light irradiance every day.



This chart shows the difference in yield from a dual-axis DEGER tracker vs. a standard fixed system (such as roof panel PV system) that doesn't follow the sun. 




Monday, August 10, 2015

August updates - Landscaping and solar preparation

Southern Elevation, "Screened Porch" off the main living area
Cluster of drought tolerant sago palms
Casa Aguila as of August 7th, 2015
Final Color Coat of Stucco recently applied
Another look at the poured-in-place concrete wall
Triple-glazed Unilux windows - very fire-resistant and low heat transfer
Hemlock paneled ceiling in the Master Suite
Bases established for the three dual-axis Deger solar trackers