The energy efficient house Prispa, created by a team of Romanian students in Bucharest ranked 9th out of 18 in the Solar decathlon competition held between September 14 and 30 in Madrid.

The house was the cheapest project in the competition, with a production cost of EUR 70,000 and the only one which was sold before the competition. A family in Bacau, Romania bought it, thus providing funding for the house's creators to attend the Madrid competition.

The winner of the Solar Decathlon, the French project Canopea, cost EUR 700,000 to produce, but if mass produced, production costs per unit could come down to EUR 140,000.

Romania's solar powered house was designed by 45 students from of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urban planning, the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, and the Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest.

Romania’s entry uses some traditional design elements, modern styling and solar paneling to make the small house capable of generating its electricity supply independently. The team traveled to Madrid for the competition, where they built another house to the same design, after showcasing the first in their home country. The Prispa (Romanian word means 'porch') house produces more energy than it uses.

The annual competition, set up by the US Department of Energy, challenges university teams to design and build attractive solar powered housing.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Prispa team)