Romania’s Prefab PRISPA Solar Decathlon House Produces 20% More Energy Than it Uses

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/solar-decathlon-europe/">Solar Decathlon Europe 2012</a> is set to kick off in just a few weeks, so we're bringing you a sneak peak at some of this year's most exciting <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-power/">solar-powered</a> homes. Whereas Portugal's team shot for the stars with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/casa-em-movimento-is-a-moving-solar-powered-modular-home-that-charges-evs-in-portugal/">their high-tech moving design</a>, the team from Romania has opted for a simpler approach by using existing technologies in new and innovative ways. Their prefabricated PRISPA house features building-integrated photovoltaic panels that produce 20% more energy than the home consumes (at least in Romania) and sandwich load-bearing panels with built-in thermal insulation.

The solar decathlon team from Romania opted for a simple design

The solar-powered prefab PRISPA produces 20% more energy than it uses

The home is built out of mostly engineered wood, timber and steel

The interior is simple and features plenty of daylighting

All of the HVAC systems and energy converters were lumped together in one room to maximize efficiency

In time, the home will sell for 70,000 Euro