The University of Colorado Solar Decathlon house will be open for public tours Saturday, May 24, and Memorial Day, May 26, showcasing the student-designed, student-built home and its innovative sustainable technologies.
The house will be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 2 p.m. on Memorial Day.
CU's model solar home also will be open for drop-in tours the following Saturday, May 31, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. After that, the house will be open by appointment only through the end of July for groups of five or more. The house also is available for private events relating to sustainable building, technology or design, or climate awareness.
The house, which was returned to Boulder after last fall's competition in Washington, D.C., is now located at 1274 Innovation Drive on CU-Boulder's East Campus. Visitors can take Colorado Avenue to Innovation Drive, east of 30th Street by the LASP Space Technology Research Center, or use RTD route 209, the Bound or the Stampede to get to the site.
The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Golden-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory. CU's 2007 entry was the university's third.
The CU team used surplus shipping containers for the plumbing, mechanical and electrical core of its house, and structural insulated panels for the living spaces. The home also showcases an innovative building-integrated photovoltaic-thermal array and water-source heat-pump system designed by the engineering team.
Visitors will be able to learn about solar power, energy-efficient strategies for home design and environmentally friendly interior design materials and finishes.
Visit the team's Web site at solar.colorado.edu for more information on the house and competition. To schedule private tours or events, contact Chad Corbin at 720-771-6782 or charles.corbin@colorado.edu, or Professor Michael Brandemuehl at 303-492-8594 or michael.brandemuehl@colorado.edu.