Solar Decathlon 2011

Affordability Contest

(100 points)

New for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, the Affordability Contest encouraged teams to design and build affordable houses that combined energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems. In this way, the teams demonstrated how energy-saving features can help consumers save money today.

A professional estimator determined the construction cost of each house. Teams earned 100 points for achieving a target construction cost of $250,000 or less. A sliding point scale was then applied to houses with estimated construction costs between $250,001 and $600,000. Houses with estimated costs more than $600,000 would have received zero points.

The results of the Affordability Contest are shown in the chart below.

Place	Team	Estimated Cost	Score
1	Parsons NS Stevens	$229,890.26	100.000
1	Team Belgium	$249,568.09	100.000
2	Purdue	$257,853.70	99.215
3	SCI-Arc/Caltech	$262,495.11	98.750
4	Team Massachusetts	$267,913.06	98.209
5	Middlebury College	$282,570.07	96.743
6	Ohio State	$285,982.23	96.402
7	Canada	$286,051.31	96.395
8	Illinois	$291,812.68	95.819
9	New Zealand	$303,467.92	94.653
10	Tidewater Virginia	$325,613.44	92.439
11	Team Florida	$334,186.35	91.581
12	Maryland	$336,335.89	91.366
13	Appalachian State	$342,324.86	90.768
14	Team China	$345,610.36	90.439
15	Florida Int'l	$368,071.97	83.494
16	Team New Jersey	$389,303.55	75.851
17	Team New York	$411,301.70	67.931
18	Tennessee	$470,464.58	46.633