Stevens students are working towards a sustainable energy future by participating in Solar Decathlon, an event sponsored by the Department of Energy to promote sustainable building, design, and implementation concepts among college students. To create Empowerhouse, a joint project with The New School and Habitat for Humanity, Stevens students are contributing engineering expertise that will enable the house to require up to 90% less energy for heating and cooling than the average residence. With the addition of solar panels, Empowerhouse will have net-zero energy impact.

After the project is exhibited on the National Mall's West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., the exhibition house will journey to the Deanwood neighborhood of D.C., where it will be joined with a sister structure under the auspices of Habitat for Humanity, who will match the cutting-edge residences with low-income families to provide affordable, and sustainable, homes. The Deanwood community is intimately involved with the project to ensure that the final product is not only sustainable, but a positive addition to the residents of the historic neighborhood.

This project has been featured in numerous magazines and popular blogs for its unique approach to design and sustainability. Press coverage includes Residential Architect, the Architects Newspaper, Metropolis Magazine, Urban Turf, Inhabitat, and the Washington Informer.

This active partnership of Stevens with The New School, Habitat for Humanity, and the Washington, D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development  is unique in its combination of challenging design principles and strong social context.

The Solar Decathlon is a biennial event hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy. Twenty collegiate teams - drawn from around the globe - compete to design, build and operate an energy-efficient solar-powered house. The teams will display their houses on the National Mall's West Potomac Park between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials in a series of events that simulate real-life household activities. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.