With only the engineering and net metering contests remaining, the Solar Decathlon entry for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is now slightly ahead of other contenders, including Team California and Team Germany.  It’s a tight competition, though.  Solar Decathlon director Richard King yesterday said Team Germany may just receive approximately 25 more points that the next closest team in the net metering contest.  Such a point spread could propel the same to its second straight victory.  Nevertheless, Illinois has this beautiful home built with reclaimed materials that can produce up to four times its energy needs at times.

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Check out this incredible new fan from Dyson called the Air Multiplier.  It's unlike any fan you've ever seen — the Air Multiplier has no blades and delivers a smooth, uninterrupted flow of air without buffeting.  Dyson has three versions that will sell from $299-$329.  And according to the Architects' Journal blog, Footprint, the Air Multiplier uses 1/50th of the electricity of an air conditioning unit and can be used to keep someone comfortable.  It also has touch tilt, 90 degree oscillation, and a dimmer switch power control.  See how it works below … you'll be blown away just like these folks.

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Right now 20 solar-powered homes are competing for bragging rights at the Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.  With a few more contests left and the final results this Friday, Team California is edging ahead of the pack.  They’ve won both the architectural and communications contests and scored third in the market viability contest.  That said, both Team Germany and Cornell are doing some incredible things, and anything can happen.  We’ll have to wait and see whether the Refract House can hold on to first.

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Hot on the heels of acquiring Michelle Kaufmann Designs, Blu Homes has now announced the completion of their first home in Colorado.  Homeowners Michael and Nikki Fischer have moved into their custom Blu | Chalet, and they seem to love it (watch video below).  With a blend of smart design and energy efficient products, energy costs for the Fischer Chalet are expected to be about 30-50% less than a similar, traditionally constructed home.

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Team Germany took first prize at Solar Decathlon 2007, and they’re moving up in the rankings this year.  After the architectural competition, the team is now solidly in second place with a few more days to go.  Could the cube with a solar facade bring last year’s victor its second consecutive win?  In 2007, Team Germany had a beautiful home covered in oak louvered frames with integrated photovoltaics.  This year, the team of 24 architects and students has furthered the same theme with 40 single-crystal silicon panels on the roof and roughly 250 thin-film CIGS panels on the sides.

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