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Congratulations to Middlebury’s Solar Decathlon team, which won our popular vote. Sign up to our newsletter to make sure you know when they hit TV!

This video is a walkthrough of Self-Reliance, our Solar Decathlon home. It is part of a set of four videos required by the Department of Energy for the competition. You can watch all four videos (Walkthrough, Market Appeal, Architecture and Engineering) and earlier ones on our Planet Forward Ideas page.

This summer the Middlebury Solar Decathlon is building a small, 100% solar-powered home that will compete in the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 Competition. The Solar Decathlon is a biennial green-building competition that brings together 20 collegiate teams from all over the country and world to showcase their solar homes on the National Mall in Washington D.C. This competition is one of the most ambitious and inspiring events in the country, as it challenges these teams to demonstrate inventive clean-energy solutions, feature cost-effective and energy-efficient construction, and incorporate energy-saving appliances and renewable energy systems within their 100% solar-powered homes. Team Middlebury’s home, “Self-Reliance,” strives to do all this as it reinvents the iconic New England Farmhouse, integrating today’s efficient technologies into a home for a Vermont family of four.

It is our belief that living sustainably can be facilitated by beautiful, comfortable, and practical design. When architecture and technology are used wisely together to utilize the power of the sun and other renewable energy resources, our impact on this earth is greatly reduced. As we construct our solar-powered home this summer we hope to offer a sustainable solution to life in the 21st century.

We invite you to follow our construction progress over the next 12 weeks via the weekly videos we will be posting with Planet Forward. It is our hope to extend this learning opportunity to a greater community beyond Middlebury, and inspire others to turn to sustainable design practices as well. Please stay tuned!

For more information about the Middlebury Solar Decathlon team, please visit http://solardecathlon.middlebury.edu/

Looking to keep track of Team Middlebury?

Click here to view the previous idea submission from Middlebury’s Solar Decathlon team. For access to the entire archive of Middlebury Solar Decathlon 2011 videos: Visit the Member Page

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One Response to “YOUR WINNER: Middlebury’s Self Reliance”


  1. On October 14th, 2011 at 4:34 pm Don Ferrier Said:

    “I always enjoy attending the Solar Decathlon and this year was excellent. I was impressed with Team Middlebury’s entry. I always start with reducing the energy load as far as is feasible and they did the same.

    Obviously, they are in a very cold climate while we are in a very hot one but many of the basic concepts are the same:
    - Passive Solar design by siting the home to take advantage of the sun’s angle. Middlebury did a great job of creating a wonderful south glazed wall to heat up the home during their cold winters and allow ample daylighting in. (we would be more interested in keeping the hot summer sun out of the house and to allow the warm winter sun in during the cold months, if possible to do both.)
    - Great insulation, windows and doors and air tightness. All fundamentals of a High Performance Home.
    - Great choice for a High Performance HVAC system and the reflective, long lasting metal roof is a great choice. Solar installers also love it to attach their products onto.
    - I loved the Great Room and how it readily flowed to the outside terrace. In our climate you could live there for most of 6 months with a covering.
    - I see this home as a workable model for homes of the near future. Homes were we can drastically reduce our footprint while living comfortably in a well thought out environment.”

    Best,

    Donald Ferrier
    - 2005 1st Certified LEED-H home in Texas & 3rd Platinum in the nation
    - 2007 NAHB “Green Builder Advocate of the Year”
    - 2008 Dallas Builders “Green Builder Advocate of the Year”
    - 2009 Texas “Green Building Advocate of the Year
    - 2010 Texas Builders “Texas Green Home of the year”, Fort Worth Builders “Green Home of the Year”
    - 2011 NAHB “Best Green Remodel under $100,000″, Dallas Builders “Best Green Built Home” & “Best Period Restoration”
    - Dallas Builders “Godfathers of Green” & Texas Builders “Godfather of Green”
    - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Energy Value Housing Award Winner

    Ferrier Companies – Homes – Commercial – Remodeling – Consulting
    P 817.237.6262 | F 817.237.5758
    http://www.ferriercustomhomes.com
    http://www.heathershome.info
    http://www.zeroenergycasita.com

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