Growth in numbers, locations, types and sizes all mark progress on the state of commercial zero net energy (ZNE) buildings—ultra-efficient buildings that generate as much power from onsite renewable energy sources as they consume in a year, according to a report from New Buildings Institute (NBI).
Of buildings surveyed across North America, the report finds the number of buildings achieving or pursuing ZNE have more than doubled since the last study was released in 2012.
In addition to the 2014 Getting to Zero Status Update: A review of the projects, policies and programs driving zero net energy commercial buildings, NBI released an interactive map showing the geographic spread, square footage and other characteristics of all buildings verified by NBI to have achieved zero net energy performance.
NBI is a national nonprofit working to improve the energy performance of commercial buildings. ZNE verification of buildings is based on review of one-year of measured energy data including building energy consumption and renewable energy production, or other valid documentation from a third-party entity.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW INTERACTIVE VERSION
The 2014 list of ZNE verified buildings includes 32 buildings and one district for a total of 33 projects. These projects are located in 36 states covering all climate zones and include a variety of building types. View interactive format.
“While this remains a relatively small set of buildings, the growth and diversity are important indicators for what we should expect in the coming years,” said Ralph DiNola, executive director of New Buildings Institute. “The future is now for ZNE buildings and we are seeing this play out in the shift from a handful of projects primarily in the public domain, to private companies such as Walgreens and TD Bank embarking on ZNE building projects and using those experiences to inform future development.”
NBI tracks the development of ZNE buildings in North America throughout the year. At report press time, NBI had identified and verified 33 ZNE projects including 32 buildings and one district (a group of buildings), an additional 127 projects that were working toward ZNE but did not have a full year of energy use yet to verify net-zero, and 53 buildings that had verified high levels of efficiency comparable to zero net energy performance, but without sufficient onsite renewable generation, for a grand total of 213 buildings.
This is more than double the number of buildings included in NBI’s inaugural ZNE report, which identified 21 verified and 39 emerging ZNE buildings, plus 39 ultra-efficient structures for a total of 99 buildings.
“We are proud to support NBI on this important ZNE study,” said David Terry, Executive Director of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). “We continue to see states across the country integrating cost-effective ZNE strategies into long-term policy, program, and energy planning goals. The aspirational nature of ZNE buildings captures the attention and imagination of everyday citizens, business leaders, and government officials especially in sectors such as schools and public buildings.”
NASEO and NBI work together to support policy leaders looking to zero net energy as a strategy for meeting carbon reduction goals.
Key report findings include:
• ZNE is achievable in all regions and climate zones: ZNE buildings exist in 36 states and two Canadian provinces covering all eight U.S. Department of Energy climate zones.
• ZNE works for many building types and sizes: The 2014 report includes a wide diversity of building types, including K-12 schools, universities and offices. New to the report this year are low-rise apartment buildings and emerging laboratory buildings. More than 25% of the ZNE and ZNE emerging buildings referenced in this report are larger than 50,000 sq. ft., and half of those are over 100,000 sq. ft.
• ZNE districts are a growing trend: In addition to individual buildings, there is a new trend of communities and campuses committed to groups of ZNE buildings to leverage resources. NBI identified 18 ZNE Districts in the report, with the U.S. Army and several universities as the leading entities.
• Private sector increase in ZNE development: 26% of the verified ZNE and ZNE emerging buildings on this year’s list were privately developed, including TD Bank in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, DPR Construction in Phoenix, Arizona and the recently-opened Walgreens retail store in Evanston, Illinois.
• ZNE is achievable in existing buildings: 24% of the verified ZNE buildings in the report were renovation projects, demonstrating the potential for ZNE during major building renewals and expanding the potential floorspace for ZNE well beyond just new construction in North America.
• Large share of ZNE projects are education buildings: Consistent with the last report, education buildings such as K-12 schools and universities, make up the single largest category in this year’s report at 1/3 of all ZNE buildings, such as the Center for Energy Efficient Design (CEED) – an award-winning ZNE learning laboratory for middle school students in Rocky Mount, Virginia.
“The beauty of the Center for Energy Efficient Design as an educational facility is that it's not just a theory or picture in a book. Our students actually live and learn in the space,” said Neil Sigmon, CEED instructor and project leader. “Many of our students have gone on to careers in architecture and engineering. This is where they got their start."
NBI will host a webinar on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 10-11:30am Pacific to share report findings.
About New Buildings Institute | www.newbuildings.org
New Buildings Institute New Buildings Institute (NBI) is a nonprofit organization working to improve the energy performance of commercial buildings. We work collaboratively with commercial building market players—governments, utilities, energy efficiency advocates and building professionals—to remove barriers to energy efficiency, including promoting advanced design practices, improved technologies, public policies and programs that improve energy efficiency. NBI also develops and offers guidance to individuals and organizations on designing and constructing energy-efficient buildings through our Advanced Buildings® suite of tools and resources.
Related Stories
| May 16, 2011
Dassault Systèmes to distribute Gehry Technologies’ digital project
Dassault Systèmes and Gehry Technologies announced that Gehry Technologies’ Digital Project products will be integrated into the Dassault Systèmes’ portfolio and distributed through Dassault Systèmes. Digital Project is a suite of 3D BIM applications created by Gehry Technologies using Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA as a core modeling engine.
| May 11, 2011
DOE releases guide for 50% more energy-efficient office buildings
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the release of the first in a new series of Advanced Energy Design Guides to aid in the design of highly energy efficient office buildings. The 50% AEDG series will provide a practical approach to commercial buildings designed to achieve 50% energy savings compared to the commercial building energy code used in many areas of the country.
| May 10, 2011
Google hires Ingenhoven Architects to design new Mountain View office
The current Googleplex is straining at the seams and yet the company is preparing its biggest hiring surge ever, so Google decided now’s the time to build its own office space—a first for the Internet giant. The company hired Ingenhoven Architects, a German firm that specializes in sustainable architecture, to create plans for what could be a 600,000-sf office.
| May 10, 2011
Solar installations on multifamily rooftops aid social change
The Los Angeles Business Council's study on the feasibility of installing solar panels on the city’s multifamily buildings shows there's tremendous rooftop capacity, and that a significant portion of that rooftop capacity comes from buildings in economically depressed neighborhoods. Solar installations could therefore be used to create jobs, lower utility costs, and improve conditions for residents in these neighborhood.
| May 10, 2011
Dinner is now served…atop the Lincoln Memorial?
Take a look at the temporary restaurant sitting atop Brussels’ historic Arc de Triomphe-Triomfboog. The Cube, by Electrolux, offers 18 diners a spectacular view of the Parc du Cinquantenair, and is one of two structures traveling across Europe, making stops at famous landmarks in Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, and Russia. What do you think about one of these 60-tonne structures being placed on a U.S. memorial?
| May 6, 2011
Ellerbe Becket now operating as AECOM
*/ The architecture, interiors and engineering firm Ellerbe Becket, which joined AECOM in 2009, has fully transitioned to operating as AECOM as of May 2, 2011.
| May 2, 2011
URS acquires Apptis Holdings, a federal IT service provider
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and CHANTILLY, VA– April 28, 2011 – URS Corporation and Apptis Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of information technology and communications services to the federal government, announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which URS will acquire Apptis.
| May 2, 2011
Perkins+Will merges with Vermeulen Hind Architects, offically launches Perkins+Will Canada
Ottawa and Hamilton-based Vermeulen Hind Architects, one of Canada’s leading healthcare architectural firms, has merged with Perkins+Will. Vermeulen Hind joins Toronto-based Shore Tilbe Perkins+Will and Vancouver-based Busby Perkins+Will to create Perkins+Will Canada. The combination marks the official launch of Perkins+Will Canada, a merge that will establish the firm as among the pre-eminent interdisciplinary design practices in Canada.
| Apr 26, 2011
Ed Mazria on how NYC can achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030
The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects invited Mr. Mazria to present a keynote lecture to launch its 2030 training program. In advance of that lecture, Jacob Slevin, co-founder of DesignerPages.com and a contributor to The Huffington Post, interviewed Mazria about creating a sustainable vision for the future and how New York City's architects and designers can rise to the occasion.
