Slashdot Mirror

I would like to see a series of detailed plans that show, for example, the R Value of the insulation, especially with the broad window exposure, the kWh capacity of the panels, the storage capacity, and more.

You can see most of the construction documents on the Solar Decathlon site. They have to be published as part of the competition rules.

Also, it needs upscaling for real-world families. For a young couple with no kids and both working outside the home, who only need a place to sleep, it appears ideal. That ain't me or my family. Where's my office for my writing and programming? What would be the impact on the energy system of the five computers I use constantly, or the ones others in my family use? Where's my media room, the big screen for my movie enjoyment?

Where are the bedrooms for my kids and grandkids when they visit?

As part of the competition, they needed to specify who their target market is and they are limited to 1000 square feet no matter what they choose, so the house will be on the small side for a family.

PV Water heat sounds nice, but for how much water? How does it handle a real winter? Is there propane backup for winter use?

Still, there are some good ideas here. Maybe When I build the next house, I will use some of them.

That is the real purpose of the Solar Decathlon - to get people to think about energy usage and to spur development of better clean energy technology.

When I participated in this event in 2011 (I was on the University of Maryland team which won that year), the rule was that the estimated cost of the house - were it to be made as a regular building by regular contractors - could not exceed $200,000.
The rules have only changed a bit since then - the new limit is $250,000.

You can see the full rules here: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/...
The affordability contest rules are at the bottom of page 25.

Not sure why the summary concentrated on just the winner. This is an annual competition where teams from different schools (and sometimes companies) build energy-efficient homes. Most of the entrants are on display in Irvine, California until the 18th. Free admission.

As with most things in life, there is no single "best" answer. While they do pick a winner, if you take the time to visit the exhibit and browse the different homes, you'll see a lot of really great ideas on how to save energy.

Not sure why the summary concentrated on just the winner. This is an annual competition where teams from different schools (and sometimes companies) build energy-efficient homes. Most of the entrants are on display in Irvine, California until the 18th. Free admission.

As with most things in life, there is no single "best" answer. While they do pick a winner, if you take the time to visit the exhibit and browse the different homes, you'll see a lot of really great ideas on how to save energy.

"The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011."
http://www.solardecathlon.gov/about.html

The number of solar powered houses throughout the developed world has soared since this program was started eleven years ago. And it is only because of effective programs such as this that these money saving and environment sparing technologies have entered main stream home building.

This bears some resemblance to another competition, the 2011 Solar Decathalon, that just finished its week on the National Mall in Washington DC.

Each team designed and built a 900+ square foot energy efficient home over the past two years, and then shipped them to DC to display them for the week.

It was sponsored by the Department of Energy. Nineteen universities participated; 15 from the US and 4 from other countries; Canada, Belgium, New Zealand (the third place winner) and China.

You can see more about it here, http://www.solardecathlon.gov./