Empowerhouse Takes First Place in Affordability at the 2011 Solar Decathlon!
Posted By Jessica Dailey On October 2, 2011 @ 1:14 am In Architecture,carousel showcase,Features,Solar Decathlon,Solar Power,Sustainable Building | No Comments
One of the most common arguments against building energy-efficient homes is that the upfront costs are just too high, but this year’s Solar Decathlon [4] competition is telling another story. For the first time in the design-build contest’s history, the sustainably built prefab homes were judged in the category of affordability [5]. If a home cost under $250,000 to build, the team won full points — and guess what? Not one, but two teams achieved full points! The Empowerhouse [6], built by students from Parsons the New School for Design [7] and the Stevens Institute of Technology [8], took first place in the category, with a final cost of $229,000. Affordability played a key role in the team’s design, as Empowerhouse will actually be a Habitat for Humanity [9] home for a Washington, D.C. family after the Solar Decathlon ends. Hit the jump to see the house [10] for yourself!
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Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/empowerhouse-takes-first-place-in-affordability-at-the-2011-solar-decathlon/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/empowerhouse-takes-first-place-in-affordability-at-the-2011-solar-decathlon/
[4] Solar Decathlon: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/index.html
[5] affordability: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/scores_contests_affordability.html
[6] Empowerhouse: http://parsit.parsons.edu/
[7] Parsons the New School for Design: http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/
[8] Stevens Institute of Technology: http://www.stevens.edu/sit/
[9] Habitat for Humanity: http://www.dchabitat.org/
[10] see the house: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/empowerhouse-stevens-institute-the-new-school-build-a-solar-decathlon-home-for-a-d-c-family/
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