Construction of zero net energy commercial and public buildings is on the rise as companies and organizations are increasingly discovering that zero energy buildings can improve their bottom line. Facilitiesnet.com dispels four myths about zero energy commercial buildings that developers and builders should not let stand in their way. And the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released a manual for builders and developers on Cost Control Strategies for Zero Energy Buildings. At least two national organizations are certifying net zero commercial buildings.
Certification of Zero Net Energy Buildings
The New Buildings Institute lists almost 400 rigorously vetted commercial and public buildings with zero or below-zero energy use intensity (EUI). Download their Getting To Zero Database. The Living Future Institute also certifies commercial buildings. See their listings of certified zero energy projects, most of which are commercial or public buildings.
2019 Zero Energy Buildings Count Nears 600
New dynamic tool offers online access to project details
Every year, New Buildings Institute (NBI) digs into its extensive Getting to Zero Buildings Database and analyzes the information collected from thousands of low-energy projects across the United States and Canada in order to offer the market an official count of zero energy (ZE) buildings and related trends.
The official 2019 count is 580 certified, verified and emerging projects, according to the 2019 Getting to Zero Project List that NBI released yesterday. That is a 10-fold increase since NBI started tracking buildings in 2012.
In addition to the Zero Energy Project List, NBI released a new online tool that offers users access to information about the ZE buildings on the list and shows where they’re located on a map. The dynamic database allows searches on location, size and building type, and generates charts and graphics conveying the appropriate information.
