Items Tagged with 'zero energy buildings'

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National League of Cities have announced the launch of the Better Buildings Zero Energy Districts Accelerator to move the building market toward adopting sustainable practices to help achieve zero energy use in buildings.

An analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the global energy-efficient building market from 2016 to 2020 is included in the latest report from Technavio. It reveals the top three emerging trends driving the market according to Technavio’s research analysts.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reached a significant milestone in bringing the building community together by releasing a common definition of a zero energy building, or what is also referred to as a “net zero energy” or “zero net energy” building.

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.

The winning entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 2015 Race to Zero Student Design Competition includes a HVAC system that is so efficient, it would generate only $282 in annual heating costs, and $38 for cooling.

While advances in energy efficient buildings are reducing the energy consumption of many new and existing structures, the spread of zero energy buildings, which generate as much energy over the course of a year as they use, is a primary indicator of aggressive approaches to mitigating the impacts of climate change in the built environment.