Solar Decathlon Blog - Solar Decathlon 2013

As the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 approaches the finish line, the standings are tight—in fact, the closest ever, which is a reflection of the quality of the competition houses. At each Solar Decathlon, we say that everyone is a winner, but this year it’s more true than ever. All the houses are impressive. As a result, the juries have issued more ties in their evaluations than ever before.

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Czech Technical University took first place in the highly competitive Architecture Contest and Vienna University of Technology received top honors in the Communications Contest this morning at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.

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The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 received a jolt of energy today when busloads of students from local southern California middle and high schools visited the Solar Decathlon village for tours of solar-powered competition houses as part of the Solar Decathlon School Days program.

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At an awards ceremony this morning, winners of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 Affordability and Market Appeal contests took center stage by demonstrating that innovative, energy-efficient houses can be cost-effective and appealing to a variety of target markets.

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Upgrading your lighting is one of the most practical ways to increase your home’s energy efficiency.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) provide the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs but use about 75% less energy. CFLs fit into common household fixtures and are available at most hardware stores. And although CFLs cost slightly more than incandescent bulbs, they save money over time by lasting 15 times longer than their less-efficient counterparts.

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If you’ve never thought of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon as a gourmet event, think again. Last night, 2013 teams rolled out their welcome mats for neighboring teams to host the second of two dinner parties of the Home Entertainment Contest.

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Everyone enjoys a good movie. But for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 teams, movies are also part of the Home Entertainment Contest, which is designed to demonstrate that the teams’ solar-powered houses can accommodate the pleasures of living. Neighboring decathletes act as jurors by awarding a host team points based on the quality of the food, ambiance, and overall experience.

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New contest data displays are now available on the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon website. If you are interested in the real-time performance of each house and want to keep a close eye on the competition, check out the Contests section pages.

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“Cool” means hip, trendy. It means you like something. It’s sweet.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 houses are totally cool. They have a look of functional beauty. And once inside, they’re even more cool. Visitors marvel at the innovative features and see smart controls at work. Indeed, these houses are both beautiful and fun to live in.

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Updated Oct. 5, 2013, at 11 a.m.

The Solar Decathlon 2013 and XPO opened on time today. Visitors of all ages are invited to learn ways to save money by saving energy while touring the 19 student-built, highly efficient solar-powered houses and experience a 21st-century festival of creativity, technology, design, and education.

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The first-ever Housing Innovation Awards were presented in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 and XPO today in Irvine, California, and focused on four building categories: DOE Challenge Home Builders,  Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Participating Contractors, Excellence in Building Science Educator of the Year, and Building America Top Innovations. The Housing Innovation Awards recognize a diverse group of industry leaders who are helping communities across the country save money and energy and are leading the way to affordable, comfortable zero net-energy ready homes. The Housing Innovation Awards support the Energy Department’s commitment to help harness American ingenuity to commercialize and deploy cutting-edge technologies, as well as to promote improving the energy efficiency of the U.S. housing stock.

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With a snip of giant scissors, a ribbon holding back throngs of student decathletes, sponsors, officials, and other well-wishers fell aside, and the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 officially opened.

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Visiting the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 is all about touring solar-powered houses designed, built, and operated by collegiate teams from four countries.

Or is it?

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If you have to solve a problem, it’s generally true that two heads are better than one. But imagine having 2,000.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges 20 university teams to design and build the best house that’s ever been built—a modern, fully sustainable house that can produce all its own energy. That’s a huge challenge, and it takes motivated students and faculty to do it. The universities recruit 40 to 100 students and faculty to form a team, and in some cases, teams total more than 100 members. That’s a lot of brain power! Now consider that 19 other universities are doing the same thing, and the brain power is multiplied even more. During the past two years, some 2,000 students and faculty have been working hard to design and build the best houses they can.

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Despite the government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 competition will continue as planned.

The Solar Decathlon is funded by a mix of last year’s federal funding and at least 30 private-sector sponsors. Student teams from across the country and around the world have worked for two years to design and build their solar-powered, energy-efficient houses and have been working onsite for the past week to prepare for this highly-anticipated event. Federal employee participation is limited to personnel necessary to allow the show to proceed.

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