PEWAUKEE, Wis. - The Gustave A. Larson Co. and Mitsubishi have joined together to sponsor the University of Colorado at Boulder 2005 Solar Decathlon team. Larson and Mitsubishi will provide a Mitsubishi MXZ30 and two MSH09 units. The MXZ30 is a multi-zone outdoor heat pump, which utilizes inverter technology, and when paired with the MSH09 wall-hung unit provides whole-house energy-efficient heating and cooling.

The Solar Decathlon brings 18 college and university teams from around the globe to design and build houses that demonstrate the advantages of a solar lifestyle. In fall 2005, teams transport their solar houses to Washington, D.C., where they construct a "solar village" on the National Mall.

The teams compete against each other in 10 contests that range from architecture, livability, and comfort to how well the solar homes perform in providing energy for space heating and cooling, hot water, lights, and appliances. Each solar house must also power an electric car. The teams will build their houses to accomplish all this using only energy from the sun.