For three weeks now almost twenty teams of college and university students competed to design, build, and operate the most energy-efficient home sponsored by the Department of Energy. To express his gratitude to the ingenious (and, no doubt, rather exhausted) participants, Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA) posted a note  in which he exhorted Americans to continue setting the bar for green energy innovation.

Representative Markey, who has become well known recently for pushing climate-friendly policy, is one of the co-sponsors of the House climate bill (or the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act), as well as chair of both the Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global Warming and the Energy & Environment Subcommittee. The congressman’s climate bill passed the House in April, ahead of the Senate bill, sponsored by senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer.

Markey’s support of the Solar Decathlon will likely increase public awareness of the event—which is a good thing, since one of the goals of the Decathlon itself is to raise awareness of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. The event may also help solar energy technology to enter the market place quicker, and to educate students—along with the public—about the benefits of energy efficiency. This year, the top winners of the competition were: 1) Team Germany (Technische Universität Darmstadt); 2) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and 3) Team California (Santa Clara University, California College of the Arts).

The senator’s post also features a video, put together by his Select Committee (watch the video below), featuring Markey at the competition’s award ceremony and, later, a number of the participants explaining some interesting features of the homes they developed. As one contestant explains, his team developed a special I-phone application which allows the homeowner to communicate with his home from anywhere; for instance, by punching a few commands into his phone, he can adjust the temperature on the home’s thermostat. Other features include computer software that monitors a home’s energy consumption, and a special irrigation system that helps convert rain water in useable water for gardens and home bathroom fixtures.

Source:  HeatingOil.com