Siemens, Kansas Universities Create Off-Grid Solar Home at DC Mall

Siemens Building Technologies Inc. worked with engineering and architecture students from Kansas State University and the University of Kansas to build a net zero-energy solar home at the National Mall in Washington, DC. A net zero-energy home produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year.

The home was built as part of the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Solar Decathlon in which 20 university-led teams from across the U.S., Canada, Spain and Germany competed to design, build and operate the most efficient and attractive solar-powered homes. Siemens contributed technology, as well as volunteers, to provide the engineering support to help students from Kansas connect and control the solar power, heating, ventilation, lights and other systems into an integrated system.

The Kansas Project home utilizes sensors that gauge ambient light and turn off light fixtures automatically when they're not needed. The home also features recycled and reclaimed building materials, including wood from a barn that volunteers tore down themselves.