Cutting a two-by-four: ten points.
Sanding roof joists: seventeen points.
Fist-pumping, high-fiving, and dancing in an attempt to beat your fellow Santa Clara Solar Decathlon teammate: priceless.
The black Nike FuelBand worn by all members of the team is believed to be a crucial wardrobe item in addition to the orange safety vests, construction hats, and steel-toed boots.
The wristband records arm movement and converts it to fuel points, allowing us to track the amount of work that the team is putting into the house. The goal is to earn at least two thousand fuel points by the end of the day. Some overachievers reach this goal by lunch and are into the upper thousands by the end of the day.
This little gadget has become a game for many people on the team. Daily check-ins with your co-workers create friendly competition and fuel the fire (pun intended) to keep everyone motivated to complete construction of the house.
At the end of each day, the bands are synched to personal Nike accounts, and at the end of each week, the highest-ranking member is announced so everyone knows who to watch out for. In the end, the sun isn’t the only thing fueling this house and its production.