ASHRAE 2015 Annual Conference includes seminar on ZEBs
ATLANTA — Zero-energy buildings (ZEBs) eliminate the use of nonrenewable energy sources by decreasing energy use and producing enough renewable energy to meet the annual energy use attributable to their buildings. While the concept of ZEBs is generally accepted in the building industry, no common definition exists. This creates a challenge in trying to incentivize such buildings and in developing common design strategies.
“We talk about green buildings, sustainable buildings, and high-performing buildings, but it’s hard to measure success,” said Paul Torcellini, principal engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. “Zero energy gives you an energy goal that you can predict and measure, and you know if you’ve achieved it – ‘Yes, this is,’ or ‘no, this isn’t a zero-energy building.’”