On Saturday we checked out the Solar Decathlon houses on the National Mall. Impressive! The lines were long, so we only waited long enough to tour through the interior of the Virginia Tech house (pictured), and yes, it’s as innovative as it looks. There were custom kitchen drawers that folded out to create more counter-space, iPhone controlled home settings, and fold-out privacy panels for the bedroom — they revealed the flat screen TV behind them. Design was in the details! But more importantly, the goal of all the houses was to be energy neutral, meaning no electricity bills! They are being judged on numerous other points, too, like architecture and marketability. The total cost of each house was to come in under $160,000. With more time, I would have liked to see the inside of Cornell’s silo-inspired house. Check them out if you have a chance, today and tomorrow, or the 15th-18th. They are closed for judging on the 14th.

   

   

I took this photo of Virginia Tech’s solar decathlon house, LumenHaus, this past weekend as it was being constructed on the 5th St lawn outside the National Building Museum. It will be there until Sept 27th, when it will then move to the National Mall for October 9-13 and 15-18. The house features the sliding glass doors (seen in the picture) on the north and south facades, which are all about allowing in the *light*. But more importantly, there’s an app for that — the heating, cooling, lighting, insulation, and sunshades can be controlled by using a computer or iPhone. Now we’re talking! Good luck to the team as they participate in Solar Decathlon Europe in Madrid next summer! US represent.