Netherlands: HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

Selficient, designed by the Hogeschool Utrecht (HU) University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (Netherlands), placed seventh overall at the U.S. Department of Energy 2017 Solar Decathlon. The team earned second place in the Market Potential Contest and third place in the Water Contest.

After the Solar Decathlon, the house was rebuilt and is now located at the Utrecht Science Park in Utrecht. “Our Selficient house will be rented out as short-stay accommodation for whoever would like to stay in the house,” the team says on their website. “Imagine waking up in the morning with a view of the green fields surrounding the Utrecht Science Park, within walking distance to the forest and yet so close to the vibrant city-center of Utrecht? We will also rent it out for meeting rooms to facilitate a creative, green thinking space for companies and others who would like to use it. Furthermore, we aim to empower our residents and users by showing simple and easily implementable solutions for bringing sustainability into their own lifestyles at home, work, and on holiday.”

The users of the house will be invited to give feedback on various aspects of their stay, the team says, such as the comforts and ease of use of the various facilities and appliances. “Water and electricity usage-data will also be gathered, and all of this feedback and data will be taken into account for the renovation process to our participation in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2019 in Hungary.”

Learn more at the Selficient website.