IRVINE, CA (Oct. 16, 2015): The overall winner of the Solar Decathlon 2015 will be announced at a Final Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 9:45 a.m. at the Orange County Great Park’s Hangar 244. U.S. Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson will be the keynote speaker. Irvine Mayor Steven Choi will also speak at the ceremony. Members of the public are invited to attend.

After the ceremony, visitors to the free Solar Decathlon will have the opportunity to tour 14 solar-powered houses, including the winning houses in categories such as Market Appeal and Architecture, which were announced earlier in the week. Those on hand can gather ideas to use in their own homes and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money.

Be sure to stop by Team Orange County’s house, Casa del Sol. Students from UC Irvine, Chapman University, Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College worked together to build the first local entry into the competition.

In addition to the house tours, families on Saturday and Sunday will enjoy the Children’s Activities Area, which includes bounce houses, face painting and balloon artists.

The Solar Decathlon houses will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on this final weekend of the event, which concludes Sunday. The Children’s Activities Area is available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is $10. For more information, visit solardecathlon.gov and cityofirvine.org. You can also watch the daily Solar Decathlon Minute on the City’s YouTube channel, http://youtube.com/ictv30.