It was a different era in 1997, when Portland, Ore.-based New Buildings Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes energy performance improvements in commercial buildings, was founded. LEED and ENERGY STAR® buildings, Living Buildings, market adoption of renewable energy to any measurable degree—all were yet to come. “Reducing energy use was almost exclusively driven by utility efficiency programs focusing largely on fluorescent lighting upgrades,” NBI reflected recently. Today, At least 50% of customers have the option to purchase renewable electricity directly from their power supplier according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Energy conservation has become considerably more sophisticated in a report NBI recently released to coincide with the organization’s 20th anniversary. While still small in relation to total buildings and floor space, zero building development in the U.S. is accelerating, according to the report. Zero energy buildings—defined by the U.S. Department of Energy as a property or community where “on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy”—are gaining favor across virtually all property types. The recent NBI report, “Getting to Zero Status Update and List of Zero Energy Projects,” highlights nearly 500 zero energy commercial building projects across the U.S. Projects owned by for-profit companies account for 26% of the list. Privately held buildings account for 46% of zero energy buildings, with K-12 schools representing 18%. By contrast, NBI’s first Getting to Zero Status Update in 2012 reported just 60 commercial and multifamily buildings or projects that were either verified as zero energy or approaching that level. Zero energy buildings had the potential to grow in popularity, Greg Zimmerman, executive editor of FacilitiesNet, said in 2010, because they are “the embodiment of sustainability because net-zero is a model that is self-contained—no...
Net-Zero Design
Ultimate energy efficiency
Architectural design and build are art forms of a functional sort, the kind that balance creativity with budget constraints. Perhaps if budgets weren’t an issue, there’d be nothing but beautiful, environmentally-friendly buildings. More realistically, sustainable design for the earth must also be sustainable for the company’s bottom line. According to Scientific American, homes and commercial buildings contribute to approximately 40 percent of the nation’s energy consumption, not to mention billions of dollars in energy costs for residential and commercial customers. By making more efficient buildings, the nation’s carbon footprint can reach new lows while saving consumers money. Pushing down development costs for such projects is the best way to achieve more widespread adoption of these techniques. Net-zero energy designs are models of such efficiency. These buildings are like miniature factories, producing enough renewable energy to fuel the inhabitants’ operations without drawing from the grid. In fact, net-zero buildings can even create a surplus of energy that is sold to energy providers or exchanged for credits. The concept has appealed to environmentally conscious designers and consumers throughout the nation. From 2005 to 2011, residential green building experienced an increase of 15 percent according to a McGraw-Hill Market survey. Communities such as Serenbe in north Georgia and Prairie Crossing of Illinois are among those that use sustainable building techniques, including LEED certification. They’ve also incorporated large amounts of preserved open space into their communities, and encourage residents to use alternative transportation. Builders KB Home, Shea Homes, and Nexus EnergyHomes jump started bi-coastal net-zero communities in eight states with notable success. In the commercial sector, there are 21 certified net-zero commercial buildings across the nation and another dozen in the marking. Universities are also on board. UC Davis’ West Village has reined in the power of zero-waste designs, and boasts that it is the largest net zero energy community in the country. Energy efficiency was improved 50 percent over existing standards thanks to innovative building, and the remaining power needs will be supplied by renewable sources, like a biodigester that will recycle waste into energy. While the population of net-zero buildings has grown markedly, it still represents a small fraction of new builds in the nation. Undoubtedly, these structures are capable of reducing carbon emissions and dependence on the grid. Indeed, occupants can bring their energy bills to zero, or better yet have the energy company paying them. So why hasn’t every design and build team across the nation jumped on the net-zero jet plane? The reasons are multifaceted but mainly circle back to the ever-present balance sheet. Net zero properties can be a tough sell. The buildings are only as efficient as their occupants. A multitude of small decisions each day help the building operate optimally: turning off even energy efficient appliances when not in use; maintaining water and waste recycling systems; and being aware of resource consumption. Getting the most out of net-zero buildings requires a conscious shift in mental processes. Firms recognize that traditional designs require less on the part of potential buyers, increasing the buildings’ marketability. Firms face a myriad of costly obstacles when building in different regions. In the Southeast, passive heating and envelope designs transform buildings into saunas. Advanced low-energy cooling systems increase costs in this region compared to other areas. Net-zero energy designs require spacious, flexible lots and ideally offer access to sunlight and cross breezes, all things that can be hard to come by in metropolitan areas. Firms with interest in energy efficient design must first overcome the challenge of keeping costs low, regardless of the location. Data from Inman News suggests that net-zero homes cost $30,000 to $40,000 to build, but those figures are on the rise along with construction costs as a whole. Perhaps the weight isn’t as heavy as it first seems. Projects by MoSA reveal that solar energy has become more accessible, dropping nearly 50 percent in recent years. Net-zero...
