At least 20 energy efficiency programs in the U.S. and Canada are focusing on encouraging and assisting building projects to be built to zero-energy and zero-energy-ready standards.
According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), these programs have an annual budget of about $65 million. They have collectively completed nearly 200 single-family homes, about 900 apartments in multifamily buildings, and 74 commercial totaling more than two million square feet of floor area. Affordable housing accounts for a significant portion of the multifamily projects.
A zero-energy building produces an amount of onsite energy (typically from photovoltaic panels) that equals or exceeds the energy it buys from utilities plus the energy losses from generation and transmission over the course of a year. Zero-energy-ready buildings are typically efficient enough to be operated with onsite energy, but lacking the solar energy systems needed to make the building truly zero-energy.
A few programs promote zero-carbon buildings, which emit no net carbon over the course of a year. Zero-energy homes and buildings often cost a little more to build than conventional homes and buildings, but as experience is gained, costs are going down, ACEEE says.
Related Stories
| Jan 18, 2012
Report analyzes residential hurricane codes in 18 states
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) released a new report analyzing residential building codes in 18 hurricane-prone coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast.
| Jan 18, 2012
Death in Chicago high-rise apartment fire blamed on fire code
The death of a Chicago woman who stepped off her elevator into a blazing inferno last week has underscored the need for fire sensors in elevators.
| Jan 18, 2012
California approves open cell spray foam for energy efficiency standards
The California Energy Commission (CEC) now recognizes open-cell spray foam as an accepted insulation in its 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards.
| Jan 5, 2012
Building to LEED standards now an 'easy call' from cost standpoint
Once seen as a cost burden, building to LEED standards is now an "easy call," according to Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability for real estate management and development firm Jones Lang LaSalle.
| Jan 5, 2012
Minnesota's GreenStep Cities program aids communities in winning grants
GreenStep Cities, a Minnesota initiative, was designed to provide greater recognition to the state's communities for achievements in meeting sustainability standards and goals.
| Jan 5, 2012
Some ADA accessibility rules change in 2012
Some changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act go into effect beginning March 15, 2012.
| Jan 5, 2012
Ontario's stringent energy code has builders concerned over indoor air quality
Some Ontario builders are worried that new building code requirements with stricter energy efficiency measures could lead to poor indoor air quality.
| Jan 5, 2012
New law bars Defense Department from new LEED certifications
The Defense Department will not be allowed to use any money to certify its buildings LEED Gold or Platinum, under a law President Obama signed Dec. 31.
| Jan 5, 2012
Some ADA accessibility rules change in 2012
Some changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act go into effect beginning March 15, 2012.
| Jan 3, 2012
New SJI Rule on Steel Joists
A new rule from the Steel Joist Institute clarifies when local reinforcement of joists is required for chord loads away from panel points. SJI members offer guidance about how and when to specify loads.
