A new report released by the New Buildings Institute (NBI) and the Zero Energy Commercial Building Consortium (CBC) reveals that zero energy commercial buildings—highly efficient buildings that produce as much energy as they use through on-site renewable resources—are cropping up across the United States.

The report, “Getting To Zero 2012 Status Update: A First Look at the Costs and Features of Zero Energy Commercial Buildings” examines the number, location, costs and design strategies of various types of zero energy commercial buildings as well as zero energy-capable buildings, which are energy efficient enough to be zero energy, but have not taken the final step of on-site renewable generation. It is the most comprehensive look at the state of zero energy commercial buildings to date.

Key findings include:

* Zero energy buildings have been successfully built in most climate zones of the United States. The majority of zero energy buildings to date are small or very small buildings, however there are increasing examples of larger and more complex buildings, and include K-12 schools, offices, university buildings, recreation centers, assembly halls and more. Among the innovative buildings capturing the attention of architects and builders are the IDeAs Z2 Design Facility in San Jose, CA; Hudson Valley Clean Energy Headquarters in Rhinebeck, New York; and Richardsville Elementary School in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

* Zero energy buildings are constructed using readily available technology. An integrated design approach with careful attention to building site and layout, envelope, mechanical systems and electrical systems is critical to achieve the high levels of energy efficiency. Unique or experimental systems are infrequently used to reach net zero goals, but the emergence of new technologies will be a factor in the expansion to more building types.

* Modeling studies indicate costs of 3% to 18% for energy efficiency features, depending on building type, size, climate and other variables. Reported incremental costs are only available from a few ZEB projects making conclusions or trends difficult to derive from the limited information available. However, the few reported zero energy buildings appear to show lower overall incremental costs than modeled estimates, possibly due to positive trade-offs with other features in the design and construction process. Those costs range from 0% to 10%.

The report also summarizes recommendations that would encourage additional development of ZEBs such as: practical guidance for the commercial building community including cost information for owners; increased measurement and communication of results on successful design strategies and technology applications; and better benchmarking to define expectations for performance of highly energy efficient buildings.

Get the report here.

Craig DiLouie

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