Crowder proves it's the little college that can in D.C.

Neosho's Crowder College has once again proven that it is the little college that can. As the only community college competing against much larger four-year institutions, Crowder recently took sixth place out of a field of 14 at the first U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.

The competition was held on Washington's National Mall Sept. 25-Oct. 5.

Using identical guidelines, teams from the 14 competing colleges designed and built a solar house, with everything from air conditioning to a rechargeable, electric car. Designs ranged from artsy to classic bungalows.

Among the criteria each house had to meet:

All of the house's electricity had to come from solar energy, plus power an electric car.

Had to maintain a comfortable environment for its inhabitants year-round.

Use the sun's energy to heat water for showering, laundry and kitchen use.

Have a home office running a workstation eight hours per day.

Be architecturally appealing inside and out.

Crowder's house was designed and built in Neosho and was then partially disassembled and taken to Washington, D.C., on a transport trailer.

"If you think funding and building a house is complicated, try transporting it 1,100 miles to the nation's capitol," team members wrote in a journal kept for the competition.

Alternative energy instructor Art Boyt led Crowder's team.

As the smallest college competing enrollment is currently 2,344 Crowder was initially an underdog in the event against such large universities as the University of Missouri-Rolla, Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon University.

When the team arrived at the National Mall, it reassembled the house on its designated site in the "Solar Village."

In the journal, team members wrote: "At the National Mall, we loved all the attention we attracted by obeying the original rules and regulations and using only human power to move the house into place. While other teams used cranes to put their houses into place, our boys cranked with all their might ... At Crowder, we like doing things the old-fashioned way, with the least amount of fossil fuel possible."

Several southwest Missouri companies helped fund the project including Contract Freighters Inc., Joplin; O'Sullivan Industries, Lamar; Eagle Picher, Joplin; La-Z-Boy Midwest, Neosho; and Empire District Electric, Joplin.

A jury of architects evaluated the homes on their attractiveness, livability and effectiveness of home design. Experts from the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory measured the homes' energy production and use.

Crowder's house looked quite conventional. Cedar siding surrounded the house and traditional furniture and layout could be found inside. A hot tub was featured on the deck.

The house was so popular with visitors to the competition that it was overwhelmingly chosen for the People's Choice Award. Ballots were handed out to those touring the homes on the last weekend of the event, and Crowder received more than 20 percent of the votes. Crowder's house was featured on two national television programs NBC's "Today Show" and a three-hour, live broadcast on C-SPAN.

Final team rankings were as follows: University of Colorado-Boulder, first; University of Virginia, second; Auburn University, third; University of Maryland, fourth; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, fifth; Crowder College, sixth; University of Puerto Rico, seventh; University of Texas-Austin, eighth; University of Missouri-Rolla, ninth; University of Delaware, 10th; Tuskegee (Ala.) University, 11th; Carnegie Mellon University, 12th; University of North Carolina-Charlotte, 13th; Texas A&M, 14th.

Crowder was presented with a special award for its first place ranking in the energy balance portion of the contest. The Crowder house was recognized for producing as much energy as it used, more so in fact, and ended the contest with as much energy as it began. Crowder not only finished first in this category, but also was one of only five schools to have balanced its energy at all.

Crowder received additional awards in the competition, given by the event's sponsors the Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the American Institute of Architects, Home Depot and BP Electronic Data Systems.

"We really enjoyed the Crowder Solar team," said Susan Sorrels, EDS public affairs agent. "Crowder showed everyone that you could build a traditional home that looks beautiful, and utilize solar energy to the fullest of its capabilities."

EDS provided the wireless Internet service to the National Mall, allowing all 14 of the homes to access the Internet for home businesses within. Crowder was the only school to receive a special award from EDS, called "Best Connections Under the Sun," for the design and functionality of the home's office.

BP Solar recognized Crowder College with a "Green" award for its use of the most environmentally aware construction practices, using recycled material around the home.

Following the competition, the Crowder solar home was returned to the college's Neosho campus where it will be used to house guests.