These Backyard Prefabs Double as a Battery Pack for Your Primary Residence
California builder Cosmic is making ADUs with solar arrays and robust energy-storage systems that can power your home.
![These Backyard Prefabs Double as a Battery Pack for Your Primary Residence](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6711721526265430016/6925571901381427200/small.jpg?#)
California builder Cosmic is making ADUs with solar arrays and robust energy-storage systems that can power your home.
![](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6711721526265430016/6925571901381427200/large.jpg)
After two decades in the construction industry, California entrepreneur Sasha Jokic is going prefab. His new company, Cosmic, makes energy-efficient homes that property owners can easily add to their backyards as accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—and each packs an off-grid punch.
"It's hard to distinguish our system between a power plant or a house, and we like that," says Jokic. "We see our home as a backyard unit that gives people additional living space, but also, it’s a giant power bank for the entire house."
![Cosmic uses a next-generation modular construction process that saves both time and money.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6711721526265430016/6925583381613346816-medium/cosmic-uses-a-next-generation-modular-construction-process-that-saves-both-time-and-money.jpg)
Cosmic uses a modular construction process and delivers homes flat-packed to the site.
Courtesy of Cosmic
Cosmic’s ADU design, with its steel-framed floor-to-ceiling windows and timber cladding, is a sight for sore eyes. But more attractive is its astounding energy performance promise. A rooftop solar array and built-in energy-storage system produces more than a unit can consume, says Jokic, and so much more in fact that the leftovers can fully power a primary residence.
![Roughly 55% of the entire house is made of responsibly-sourced wood and 15% is made of steel. Large floor-to-ceiling glass windows flood the interiors with natural light.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6711721526265430016/6925583481309458432-medium/roughly-55-of-the-entire-house-is-made-of-responsibly-sourced-wood-and-15-is-made-of-steel-large-floor-to-ceiling-glass-windows-flood-the-interiors-with-natural-light.jpg)
Roughly 55 percent of the wood Cosmic uses in its ADUs is responsibly-sourced. Large floor-to-ceiling glass windows flood the interiors with natural light.
Courtesy of Cosmic
![A natural palette reflects a selection of sustainable materials, including responsibly-sourced hardwood floors and ceilings.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6711721526265430016/6925583556807950336-medium/a-natural-palette-reflects-a-selection-of-sustainable-materials-including-responsibly-sourced-hardwood-floors-and-ceilings.jpg)
A natural palette reflects a selection of sustainable materials, including responsibly-sourced hardwood for the floors and ceilings.
Courtesy of Cosmic
See the full story on Dwell.com: These Backyard Prefabs Double as a Battery Pack for Your Primary Residence
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