Space heating and cooling consume the most energy in our homes. The Comfort Zone contest challenged the 2002 Solar Decathletes to minimize the use of this energy while ensuring interior comfort.
Basic objective criteria for The Comfort Zone Contest included:
Basic subjective criteria for The Comfort Zone contest included:
The University of Colorado won this contest with a total score of 84.423 points out of 100 possible points. The judges said that this team demonstrated the best integration of architectural design and engineering technology, which incorporated passive solar design strategies that minimized space conditioning energy loads.
You can learn more about the University of Colorado's home and team.