Clarum Homes, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program, ConSol and Davis Energy Group, is building four zero-energy demonstration homes in Borrego Springs, California.

Located 85 miles northeast of San Diego in the Sonoran Desert, Borrego Springs is a hot, dry desert area with average summer temperatures ranging from 100 to 107 degrees. Borrego Spring’s severe climate makes it an ideal place to study the reduction of cooling costs. The project includes the use of four different sets of energy features and three types of wall systems on one home design.

Borrego Springs, a quaint desert resort town with a population of 3,000, is surrounded by a 600,000 acre State park, and is often listed as the hottest place in the U.S. on certain summer days.

• Design and build highly energy efficient sustainable production housing for in the entry level and one-move-up market
• Achieve up to 90% energy reduction in cooling
• Build energy efficient homes with highly sustainable characteristics while meeting zone 4 structural requirements
• Collect data on cost, construction schedule, production feasibility, energy efficiency, product lifecycles, embodied energy, and cost and energy savings
• Study data to determine cost effectiveness of sustainable technology applications in relation to affordable, entry level and one-move-up homes in a production format
• For 30 days prior to occupancy, run tests to evaluate energy efficiency and publish data on this website
• For 12 months after completion, run tests to evaluate energy efficiency and publish data on this website