A young Solar Decathlon fan explores the Anatomy of a House exhibit to learn about energy efficiency.

Schedule of Events

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 was held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Oct. 9-13 and 15-18, 2009. Learn more about the event highlights and daily schedule.

Highlights

Special features of Solar Decathlon 2009 included:

• The Opening Ceremony

  The Solar Decathlon 2009 Opening Ceremony was Thursday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.

• The Awards Ceremony

  The winner of Solar Decathlon 2009 was announced Friday, Oct. 16 at 8 a.m. (tentative).

• Team Houses

  The Solar Decathlon team houses were open for public visits Oct. 9–13 and 15–18. They were open 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. All houses were closed Wed., Oct. 14.

• Consumer Workshops

  The U.S. Department of Energy and event sponsors offered solar energy and energy-efficiency workshops for consumers and industry professionals. Consumer workshops were not offered Oct. 13, 14, or 15 (Building Industry Day). See the schedule below for daily workshop offerings.

• Educational Exhibits

  Two educational exhibits were open Oct. 9-18 during daylight hours:

  Anatomy of a House

  Located near the Metro Welcome Tent, this exhibit provided tips on saving energy for homeowners and included fun, interactive features. The exhibit included demonstrations of several building technologies used in the competition houses as well as a representation of a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system that showed how a PV system is set up for a typical home. This was similar to how the Solar Decathlon 2009 competition houses were connected to the utility grid.

  Get Smart: Take Charge of Your Energy!

  Complementing Anatomy of a House, this exhibit demonstrated how smart choices can deliver us into a smart energy future.

Daily Schedule

The daily schedule of Solar Decathlon 2009 is listed below.

• Thursday, Oct. 8

  Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Houses closed
  1 p.m.: Opening Ceremony

• Friday, Oct. 9

  Architecture, Market Viability, and Communications juries visited the team houses. Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Houses open

  Consumer Workshops

  • 10 a.m.: How Can We Make the Most of Our Energy?, Schneider Electric
  • 11:30 a.m.: Solar for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 1 p.m.: Green Jobs, American Institute of Architects
  • 2:30 p.m.: Energy Efficiency for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  
  

• Saturday, Oct. 10

  Architecture, Market Viability, and Communications juries visited the team houses. Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Houses open

  Consumer Workshops

  • 10 a.m.: When the Stars Align, D&R International
  • 11:30 a.m.: Solar Energy for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 1 p.m.: How Solar Works: Residential Installation, BP
  • 2:30 p.m.: Making Smart Choices To Manage Your Electric Bill, Pepco
  • 4 p.m.: Solar Systems for Existing Residential Installations, Schneider Electric
  
  

• Sunday, Oct. 11

  Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Houses open

  Consumer Workshops

  • 10 a.m.: Energy Efficiency for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 11:30 a.m.: Solar Energy for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 1 p.m.: Solar Panels and the Smart Grid, Pepco
  • 2:30 p.m.: Maryland Residential Solar Program
  • 4 p.m.: Green Jobs, U.S. Department of Energy
  
  

• Monday, Oct. 12

  Engineering and Lighting Design juries visited the team houses. Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  10 a.m.: Winner of the Architecture contest announced
  10 a.m.: Winner of the Market Viability contest announced
  11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Houses open

  Consumer Workshops

  • 10 a.m.: Green Jobs, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 11:30 a.m.: Solar Energy for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 1 p.m.: Building for the Future: Sustainable Home Design, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers
  • 2:30 p.m.: High-Tech Consumer Products, Texas Instruments
  
  

• Tuesday, Oct. 13

  Engineering and Lighting Design juries visited the team houses. Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  10 a.m.: Winner of the Communications contest announced
  11 .am.-3 p.m.: Houses open

• Wednesday, Oct. 14

  Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  Houses closed for competition purposes

• Thursday, Oct. 15 — Building Industry Day

  Measurements for the Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment, and Net Metering contests were taken.

  Building Industry Day was devoted to building industry professionals.

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  10 a.m.: Winner of Lighting Design contest announced
  11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Houses open

  Building Industry Day Workshops

  • 9 a.m.: Top 10 Green Project Awards, American Institute of Architects
  • 10 a.m.: Integrated Design: Delivery and Operations of Net-Zero Energy Buildings, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers
  • 11 a.m.: Energy-Efficient Lighting Solutions for the Home, Schneider Electric
  • 12 p.m.: LEED for Homes: Green From the Ground Up, U.S. Green Building Council
  • 1 p.m.: Incorporating Solar Into Residential New Construction, BP
  • 2 p.m.: Benefits of the Smart Grid, Pepco
  • 3 p.m.: Solar at Night — Solar LED Applications, Meteor Solar LED Lighting
  • 4 p.m.: Building High-Performance Homes, Honeywell
  • 5 p.m.: Electronics — The Other Silicon in Solar, Texas Instruments
  
  

• Friday, Oct. 16

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  8 a.m.: Winner of the Engineering contest announced
  8 a.m. (tentative): Awards Ceremony — Winner of Solar Decathlon 2009 announced
  11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Houses open

  Consumer Workshops

  • 11:30 a.m.: Panel: The Leadership of Today, Popular Mechanics
  • 1 p.m.: LEED for Homes and ReGreen: Solutions From Remodel to Gut-Rehab, U.S. Green Building Council
  • 2:30 p.m.: Panel: Toward a Clean Energy Future — Technology Solutions for Near-Zero Energy Buildings in a Low-Carbon Economy, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers/American Institute of Architects/U.S. Green Building Council
  • 4 p.m.: Green Jobs, U.S. Department of Energy
  
  

• Saturday, Oct. 17

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Houses open

  Consumer Workshops

  • 10 a.m.: Panel: The Architects of Tomorrow, Popular Mechanics
  • 11:30 a.m.: Solar Energy for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 1 p.m.: Energy Efficiency for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 2:30 p.m.: Green Building Standards and Guidelines, National Association of Home Builders
  • 4 p.m.: Green Jobs, U.S. Department of Energy
  
  

• Sunday, Oct. 18

  Educational exhibits open during daylight hours
  10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Houses open

  Consumer Workshops

  • 10 a.m.: Spray Foam: The Answer to Our Energy Challenge, Demilec USA
  • 11:30 a.m.: Solar Energy for the Homeowner, U.S. Department of Energy
  • 1 p.m.: Inside the Utility Room: The Biggest Opportunity for Residential Energy Savings, Honeywell
  • 2:30 p.m.: Green Building Standards and Guidelines, National Association of Home Builders
  • 4 p.m.: Green Jobs, U.S. Department of Energy

Printable Version

• About Solar Decathlon
  • Welcome
  • Schedule of Events
  • Map
  • Contests and Scoring
  • Juries
  • FAQs
  • Future Benefits
  • 2011 Competition
• Final Results
• News
• Photos & Multimedia
• Teams
• Product Directory
• Sponsors
• Contacts
• Past Decathlons