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Orange County Great Park, Irvine, California
October 8-18, 2015

Engineering Contest (100 points)

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 houses represent the best of modern engineering. For the Engineering Contest, a jury of professional engineers evaluated each house for:

  • Innovation
    • Were unique approaches used to solve design challenges?
    • Did the innovations have market potential?
    • Did the design demonstrate market-leading technologies and engineering integration?

  • Functionality
    • Did the house systems enhance occupant comfort and house performance?
    • Did the HVAC system maintain uniform conditions via temperature control, humidity control, and air movement?
    • Did the HVAC system and thermal envelope minimize energy use?

  • Efficiency
    • Was energy efficiency and overall system performance considered? Compared with typical systems, how much energy is the design expected to save over a year?
    • Will controls help occupants reduce their energy consumption?
    • Was the engineering approach effective, efficient, and practical?

  • Reliability
    • Did the design address maintenance and owner operation of house systems?
    • How long are the systems expected to operate efficiently?

  • Documentation
    • Did the drawings, construction specifications, energy analysis results and discussion, and audiovisual presentation accurately reflect the constructed project?