Despite placing third, a member of the Victoria Solar Decathlon team says “we feel like a winning team.”
The team was the first from New Zealand and from the Southern Hemisphere to compete in the international Solar Decathlon in Washington DC, coming in at third place overall with its modern take on a kiwi bach.
The contest required 20 university teams from around the world to design, build and operate a solar-powered house. Teams then faced off in ten contests which judged each house’s performance, livability and affordability.
Victoria’s Meridian First Light house placed highly in a number of categories, winning first prize in Engineering, first equal in Hot Water and Energy Balance, second in Architecture and third in Market Appeal.
Team member Nick Officer says of the competition, “While we may not have won overall we are incredibly proud to have represented New Zealand on the world stage. We had such an amazing response from the US public here along with supporters back home.”
Both former Prime Minister Helen Clark and Deputy Prime Minister Bill English visited the house while on display in Washington D.C., and are said to have enjoyed the kiwi touches, such as the jar of Marmite in the kitchen cupboard.