The biannual Solar Decathloncompetition will be held this year in October. Universities from aroundthe globe are trying out their ecofriendly home designing skills hopingto win the competition. The latest news comes from the Santa Clara University and California College of Arts, with their Refract House.

The800-square-foot house will be opened to public on September 1, givingtours to show what the judges will be grading at the U.S. Department ofEnergy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon. The house features solar photovoltaicarray to generate solar electricity to power the house, radiant heatingand cooling, Krypton and Argon gas-filled, double-paned glass windowsand doors, Student-designed bamboo paneling and cabinetry.

Inaddition to these features the green home will also boast wood siding,floors and deck made from reclaimed wood and the use of top-of-the-lineenergy-efficient appliances, which also include the world’s lightest,thinnest and the most energy-efficient television.

Via: SCU [Press Release]