University of Minnesota's award-winning solar-powered house to be available for purchase
Solar powered house
The completed ICON Solar House sits on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. at the 2009 Solar Decathlon in October.

State-of-the-art home took fifth place at 2009 Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

Media Note: A pre-purchase proposal meeting and site visit will take place at 1 p.m. Monday, March 29 in the U of M's ReUse Center, 883 29th Ave. S.E., Minneapolis.

 

Contacts: Ryan Maus, University News Service, maus@umn.edu, (612) 624-1690

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/26/2010) —Have you ever wanted to own a home that was powered by nothing but the sun? The University of Minnesota's entry into the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2009 Solar Decathlon will be available for purchase to the general public. A pre-proposal meeting and site visit will take place  at 1 p.m. March 29 in the U of M's ReUse Center, 883 29th Ave. S.E., Minneapolis. Interested buyers are required to submit a purchase proposal by April 12.

The 550-square-foot home, which took fifth place overall (out of 20 teams) in October's Solar Decathlon (a DOE-sponsored contest that challenges universities from around the globe to design and construct the most efficient and appealing sun-powered dwelling), is known as the ICON Solar House due to its classic gabled roof design. It was designed and built by a consortium of professionals and students in the U of M's Institute of Technology, College of Design and College of Continuing Education.

Minimum bid on the house will be $200,000. The house has a retail value of over $550,000 and exceeds all relevant building codes. An allowance of $20,000 will be provided by the university for consulting and assistance in assembling the ICON House on site; the unit is currently disassembled.

For more information on the purchase process, as well as a sales brochure, visit http://www.uservices.umn.edu/purchasing/standard_services.html#um. Interested buyers may also contact Chip Foster in U of M Purchasing Services at foste048@umn.edu.

The ICON Solar House contains all the comforts of home along with the benefits of some of the most advanced technology available on the market today. The home placed highly in several key categories in the October competition, including first place in Engineering, first in Lighting Design, third in Home Entertainment, third in Appliances, fifth in Hot Water and fifth place in Market Viability.

To learn more about the ICON Solar House, including images and video of the completed home, visit http://solardecathlon.umn.edu.

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