Note: Corrections to the Affordability Contest results were announced Sept. 30, 2011.

Proving that the cost of “going green” is decreasing, two teams tied for first place in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 Affordability Contest. Parsons The New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology (which includes Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at The New School) built Empowerhouse for less than $230,000. Purdue University’s INhome came in at just less than $250,000. These teams earned 100 points for achieving a target construction cost of $250,000 or less, as evaluated by a professional cost estimator.

Results of the Affordability Contest were announced today in the solar village. Team Belgium (Ghent University) received second place in the contest, with its E-Cube, which was priced at $251,147. In third place was The Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology’s CHIP, which was estimated to cost $262,495.

“These 2011 teams have shown that solar houses can be affordable while still being innovative,” said Matt Hansen, Affordability Contest juror.

The Affordability Contest has had an impact on the design of Solar Decathlon competition houses. Compared to Solar Decathlon 2009 houses, the Solar Decathlon 2011 houses are estimated to cost 33% less. 

Carol Anna is the communications manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Like many of you, I have assembled everything from dining room tables to bunk beds with an Allen wrench and a beverage-stained set of black-and-white line drawings. I’ve even drilled new holes, convinced that the instructions had to be wrong, only to find out I had the board upside down—or inside out—or otherwise got caught up in some sort of “Tab A into Slot B” kerfuffle.

I was out at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon this weekend looking over video of students describing the amazing energy-efficient houses they’ve designed and constructed for the 2011 competition here in Washington, D.C. While reviewing a story about Team Belgium’s house, E-Cube, the video editor paused to point out the instruction manual for the house. This was not the manual to operate the house; it was instructions to build the house.

Assembly instructions for the external window shades on “E-Cube,” Team Belgium’s entry to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011.

You’ve seen them before. There is a picture of one type of screw, followed by an “x” for “times” and then the quantity of screws that was supposed to have made it from the factory, to the warehouse, to your car, to the spot on your floor where you’ve decided to spend your Saturday afternoon with eight slices of pepperoni pizza and the latest episode of “my house is cooler than yours.” Here’s the nutty thing: On the monitor, we saw the parts list for one of the steps to build E-Cube. It read something like: short screws x 60, long screws x 120, and then, at the bottom, a figure of a person … x 14. We had a good laugh. That is one complete manual! It even tells you that you need 14 people to install the window shades—for three hours!

Pieter Jan De Loof, a student at Ghent University, displays the assembly instructions for E-Cube, Team Belgium’s entry to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011.

I had to go see it myself. Pieter Jan De Loof is one of the students representing Team Belgium at this year’s decathlon. (He’ll tell you his name is four words but really two names, which is an efficiency statement in and of itself.) When I asked him how visitors are reacting to E-Cube, he said: “They love it. They love the structure, which is really a shelving system.”

It turns out those window shades—covering each of E-Cube’s windows—are actually computer-controlled and fit on the outside of the house. Pieter told me many people think those are a mistake, but he’s quick to point out that when trying to keep a house cool, it’s best to keep direct light from ever entering the house. Exterior shades, as opposed to interior shades, do just that.

Of the decathlon, Pieter said: “It’s really interesting for a student. Now you have to design and build it.”

And build it they did—in four days with 25 people. Now, E-Cube is being monitored and judged in 10 contests—along with 18 other student-designed houses—to see just how energy-efficient, livable, and affordable it is.

So if you are in the market for a highly efficient solar-powered home and you are a real do-it-yourselfer, invite 24 of your closest friends over for four days and build yourself an E-Cube.

Of course, the age-old question will remain: “I wonder where these three extra bolts go?”

Check out this video about E-Cube.

Phil West is the director of Communications for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Director Richard King talks to student team members about their assembly progress.

Editor’s Note: This entry has been cross-posted from DOE’s Energy Blog.

In honor of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon—which challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive—we are profiling each of the 20 teams participating in the competition.

Ghent University’s unique two-story house could be an international star at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon this year because of the Belgium team’s innovative, ultra-efficient, passive design of the E-Cube.

Photo of Ghent University's E-Cube, under construction in Belgium (Courtesy of the Ghent University Solar Decathlon Team)

The E-Cube, named for its cube-like shape, features a clean and compact boxy exterior, complimented by a very spacious interior for a family of four (including two children) with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and living areas. Team Belgium, from Ghent University, founded the house on basic principles focusing on modularity and passive house standards, structural flexibility, and affordability, which are evident in every part of the design.

An important aspect of the E-Cube is its simple, do-it-yourself (DIY) modularity. The house is designed as a pre-engineered kit that can be easily constructed by communities without specialty workers or help from outside financial institutions. The internal structure is a basic industrial pallet racking system that keeps access and affordability in mind along with standard building codes. The E-Cube is plug-and-play. Because the entire structure is built from a kit, hooking up the solar panels and other technical components requires no specific expertise.

Computer-animated walkthrough of E-Cube

Ghent University’s house also meets passive house standards with air-tight insulation, energy-efficient windows, and the ability to heat itself without a conventional heater. This design reduces costs and the number of solar panels needed to power the house’s utilities. The house is also structurally flexible, with wall panels that are adaptable and an expandable pallet racking system. Thus, the E-Cube can be reconfigured, possibly to even add more space.

Team Belgium inside its E-Cube (Courtesy of Team Belgium's Facebook page)

Most of all, the E-Cube is marketed as an attractively affordable option for a solar home, from every aspect. The entire pre-engineered, DIY design makes construction a low-cost, no-brain effort. It can also be constructed at the owner’s pace in phases, making the capital investment minimal.  And the passive design and solar panels on the roof eliminate heating and cooling costs altogether once completed.

This is Ghent University’s first Solar Decathlon, and its completed design should be a competitive addition to the 2011 competition. If you’re interested in checking out its website, chose the “EN” icon in the top right corner of the screen to translate the page to English. Feel free to check out the team’s Facebook page and view more pictures on their Twitpic account.

Erik Hyrkas is a correspondence writer for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.