Tiny Houses

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Tiny House Competition in Sacramento, California sponsored by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. It was an amazing experience and the creativity displayed by all of the teams was mind boggling and inspiring.

"The Tiny House Competition – Build Small and Win Big" is a new competition in the Sacramento region, challenging collegiate teams to design and build net-zero, tiny solar houses.

The event was open to all colleges and universities in California. Participation promoted an interest in energy conservation, energy efficiency and green building and solar technologies.

This event was modeled after the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. An educator or other school administrator mentored each team. During the two years leading up to the event, students designed and built energy-efficient houses. A stipend between $3,000 - $8,000 was  provided or students had to get donations from local businesses.

During the competition, students exhibited their houses to the public, judges and the media. The categories of the competition included architectural design, livability, communication, affordability, energy efficiency and balance, appliance load, technology/electrical and mechanical systems, transportation, sustainability and documentation. Teams were awarded trophies and monetary prizes.

There were food trucks, games and other booths to enjoy during the beautiful fall day. The lines of people to get in to tour each tiny house was very long, showing the amount of interest in this subject. If you get the chance to attend an event like this, I highly recommend it. Questions? Email me at jessica@webbercoleman.com