Solar Decathlon

Solar Decathlon

For three weeks in October 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy will host the Solar Decathlon, the largest competition of its kind. 20 teams from around the globe are selected to build and operate the most energy efficient house. These teams ship their houses to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and compete in ten events (hence the decathlon moniker) to try and win the Solar Decathlon competition.


Each event is based on a distinct criteria:

    • Architecture
    • Market Appeal
    • Engineering
    • Communications
    • Affordability
    • Comfort Zone
    • Hot Water
    • Appliances
    • Home Entertainment
    • Energy Balance



      The winning team produces a house that:

      • Is affordable, attractive, and easy to live in
      • Maintains comfortable and healthy indoor environmental conditions
      • Supplies energy to household appliances for cooking, cleaning, and entertainment
      • Provides adequate hot water
      • Produces as much or more energy than it consumes



      With 923,000,000 media hits and over 300,000 visitors, the Solar Decathlon is truly an unparalleled opportunity for our team to showcase our home and inspire others to pursue an environmentally conscious lifestyle.


      SOLAR DECATHLON 2009 HIGHLIGHTS*

    1. More than 923 million impressions with Solar Decathlon messages
    2. More than 730 television stories nationwide
    3. Event coverage by CNN, Fox News, NBC’s The Today Show, AP, and Reuters
    4. More than 75 million listeners for 74 radio interviews nationwide
    5. Coverage in 265 newspapers across the country
    6. More than 3 million Web page views and 477,970 site visits
    7. 307,502 house visits in 10 days

      8. *Data collected for the time period of Aug. 1–Nov. 30, 2009