Information for Consumers
The Solar Decathlon provides a model to consumers. The teams' solar houses use only energy from the sun to power our modern lifestyle — where we work hard, move fast, and have the luxury of doing what we want, when we want. While these solar houses are on the cutting edge, they also use many tried and true ideas that consumers can incorporate into their everyday lives.
The Solar Decathlon provides consumers the opportunity to witness solar energy alternatives and energy efficiency technologies in action. The teams employ two types of solar energy: solar thermal and solar electric. Solar thermal technologies use collectors to absorb the sun's light energy and change it into heat energy that can be used to generate heated water or for domestic water use, space heating, and space cooling. Solar electric, or photovoltaic (PV), technologies use semiconductor materials to convert sunlight directly to electricity.
These technologies were new to many of the decathletes, but they soon became adept at working with them. The rest of us would do well to follow suit. By using energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, you can use less energy and lower your energy bills.
For more information visit:
A Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Consumer Guide Web site is a vast resource where you can explore your options for saving energy and using renewable energy at home, at work, in your community, and while driving.
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