Survival shed

The smallest useful unit. A weatherproof, thermally-managed enclosure designed to keep electronics, medications, batteries, and emergency supplies alive during Texas summers. Deployable off-grid. No HVAC.

Structure / off-grid enclosure
Survival Shed

Purpose-built for heat extremes. The goal: interior temperature never exceeds battery operating limit (113°F / 45°C) even on a 110°F Hill Country afternoon with no shade.

Baseline Midgrade Premier

Baseline

PDRC only
PDRC coating — all exterior faces
95%+ solar reflectance
Ventilated standoff gap
Interior: 15–25°F cooler than standard
PCM thermal buffer
TEG harvest
Geothermal coupling

Midgrade

PDRC + PCM
PDRC coating — all exterior faces
95%+ solar reflectance
Ventilated standoff gap
Interior: 15–25°F cooler than standard
15mm PCM liner — 76°F melt
Peak load buffered 4–6 hours
TEG harvest
Geothermal coupling

Premier

Full Thermakon stack
PDRC coating — all exterior faces
95%+ solar reflectance
Ventilated clip-rail standoff
Interior: 15–25°F cooler than standard
PCM thermal buffer
TEG tiles — harvest ambient ΔT
Pier-coupled ground heat exchanger

Storage shed

Scaled-up survival enclosure. Protects equipment, chemicals, wine, instruments, and anything else that needs a stable thermal environment year-round. Minimal footprint, serious thermal performance.

Structure / utility storage
Storage Shed

All-season thermal management for working storage. Target interior band: 60–80°F without mechanical conditioning. PCM buffers the daily swing. PDRC handles the solar load.

Baseline Midgrade Premier

Baseline

PDRC + ventilation
PDRC full exterior envelope
Passive ridge vent + soffit intake
Interior: 20–30°F below ambient peak
DS18B20 logging — GTN compatible
PCM liner
TEG harvest
Ground coupling

Midgrade

PDRC + PCM + TEG
PDRC full exterior envelope
Passive ridge vent + soffit intake
Interior: 20–30°F below ambient peak
DS18B20 logging — GTN compatible
25mm PCM wall liner
TEG siding — 50–150W harvest
Ground coupling

Premier

Full stack + geothermal
PDRC full exterior envelope
Passive ventilation system
Interior: 20–30°F below ambient peak
GTN sensor array integrated
PCM wall + roof liner
Full TEG siding harvest
Pier-integrated ground exchanger

Habitat

A habitable structure engineered to remain livable without air conditioning on the hottest days in Texas. Not a claim about comfort — a claim about survivability. The Premier tier targets indoor conditions a human can work in indefinitely during a 110°F grid outage.

Structure / habitable space
Habitat

Full-size occupiable building with complete Thermakon envelope. Operates as a passive cooling demonstration site — every surface logged, every thermal delta documented, every claim falsifiable.

Baseline Midgrade Premier

Baseline

Envelope + passive HVAC assist
PDRC roof + south/west walls
HVAC load reduction: 15–25%
Passive airflow — cross ventilation designed in
GTN weather station included
Pre/post thermal logging package
PCM thermal mass
TEG harvest
Geothermal pier coupling

Midgrade

Thermakon wall + roof
PDRC — full exterior envelope
HVAC load reduction: 25–40%
Optimized natural ventilation
GTN sensor array — roof, wall, interior
PCM in roof assembly — 30mm
TEG siding — 100–300W building harvest
Geothermal pier coupling

Premier

Zero-mechanical-cooling target
PDRC — full exterior + east-facing optimized
HVAC load reduction: 40–60%+
Passive thermosiphon ventilation
Full GTN research station
PCM full envelope — roof + walls + floor
Complete TEG building harvest
Pier-integrated geothermal loop

CoolerIfYouDid
geothermal cooler

The deepest passive cooling available without a compressor. Ground temperature in the Texas Hill Country limestone at 4–6 feet remains between 65°F and 72°F year-round — even when the surface hits 110°F. Pier-integrated heat exchangers conduct interior heat to that stable ground mass. No refrigerant. No moving parts.

68°F
ground temp at 4–6ft depth
Texas Hill Country limestone
110°F
surface ambient
peak summer afternoon
−42°F
ΔT available for
passive heat rejection

Pier integration

Structural piers are drilled into limestone with embedded copper or HDPE heat exchanger tubing. The building sits on the piers — heat path from interior to ground is structural, not mechanical.

  • 6–10ft pier depth in Hill Country limestone
  • Ground thermal mass: enormous and stable
  • No pumps required — natural convection or minimal assist
  • Geology assessment required before design

Performance limit

The coldest achievable interior temperature is bounded by ground temperature plus the thermal resistance of the exchange path. In practice: a well-designed system holds 72–76°F interior when ambient is 108°F+.

  • Interior target: 72–76°F no mechanical assist
  • Combined with PDRC + PCM: 68–72°F achievable
  • USDA Web Soil Survey + bore test required first
  • ERT site characterization for large installations

On the hottest day of a Texas summer — 110°F ambient, full sun, no wind — a Premier-tier habitat with PDRC envelope, PCM thermal mass, and pier geothermal coupling holds 72–76°F interior without running a compressor.

This is not a simulation. It requires proper site characterization, correct geology, and a well-executed installation. Results are logged and published. Every claim is falsifiable.

Site assessment first.

Geothermal performance is geology-dependent. We run USDA Web Soil Survey analysis and specify auger bore tests before any pier design begins.

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