Zero-energy commercial buildings are both feasible and affordable, and they are appearing across the U.S., a report from the New Buildings Institute (NBI) and the Zero Energy Commercial Building Consortium (CBC) finds.
The report, Getting to Zero 2012 Status Update: A First Look at the Cost and Features of Zero Energy Commercial Buildings, defines zero-energy buildings as highly efficient structures that produce as much energy as they use through on-site renewable resource.
Altogether, the report identifies 99 existing and under-construction buildings that are either zero energy or zero energy-capable. These are spread through most U.S. climate zones. And while ZEBs were once considered the province of educational institutions and non-profits, the report found that recent zero-energy buildings include office buildings and a credit union.
The report identifies 21 occupied buildings with either measured net zero energy results (15 cases) or credible modeled expectations for such results (six cases). These are listed in the table above.
With the exception of two facilities completed in 2010 – Richardsville Elementary at 77,000 square feet and the NREL facility at 222,000 square feet – all ZEBs are less than 15,000 square feet, and half are less than 5,000 square feet, NBI said.
