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Inside this Issue | |
Education+Training
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Featured Building | |
Photo Credit: David Wakley | |
IDeAs Z2 | San Jose, CA
This retrofit of a 6,560 sf 1960's commercial building is a great example of how common building forms can be adapted to functional Zero Net Energy (ZNE) office spaces.
The project features new skylights, high performance windows, increased insulation, and a radiant heating system coupled with ground source heat pump and displacement ventilation.
Designers placed extra attention on minimizing plug loads (both through selection of equipment and controls) and incorporated lighting controls with occupancy and photo sensors.
The building employs a custom control sequence to shut off specified circuits when the security system is armed, thereby eliminating phantom loads and ensuring equipment is off at night.
For more information, contact:
Nicole Tindall
Integrated Design Associates, Inc.
1084 Foxworthy Avenue, Suite 150
San Jose, CA 95118
408-448-6300
www.ideasi.com
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 New Research | |
Examples of Deep Energy Savings in Existing Buildings
This spring, New Buildings Institute (NBI) published a report for the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) documenting commercial building retrofits, renovations and upgrade projects that demonstrated or predicted performance of 30% or better than their baseline consumption. These examples are intended to identify common technologies and practices to support the NEEA's Existing Building Renewals (EBR) Initiative. Broad outreach and research methods resulted in a list of 50 national and international examples. Of these, offices were the most predominant building type identified.
The study found that there is inconsistent terminology and definitions on the scopes, measure, baseline definitions, and percentage of energy savings. There is also no centralized or dominant resource for collection of information on building performance. This creates a major challenge to obtaining detailed, consistent and reliable building characteristics, measure descriptions, and energy use and savings data.
For more information:
Download a copy of the report also see new Deep Savings Case Study Profiles
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IDeAs ZNE Building of the Month.
Photo Credit: David Wakley |
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In response to multiple requests for more information on news and events in the zero net energy (ZNE) buildings arena, New Buildings Intitute, in partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), has developed this ZNE Action Bulletin to keep you informed of new trainings, workshops, innovative buildings and developments with key strategic efforts in policy and planning.
We welcome your comments and feedback on our inaugural issue. |
| News & Events | |
CPUC Releases New Energy Efficiency Financing Report
This July, the CPUC released a new consultant report, "Energy Efficiency Financing in California - Needs and Gaps - Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations." In coordination with the Energy Division at CPUC, the consultant team of Harcourt Brown & Carey (HB&C) conducted workshops in October 2010 to explore issues, needs and potential financing ideas. The consultant team documented mechanisms for financing, prepared a needs and gaps assessment, and made findings and recommendations for the most effective approaches to faciliate capital investment in efficiency.
For more information: View the Financing Report |
| Education & Training | |
Webinar on Designing Net Zero Energy Buildings
USGBC-NCC GBCI Course #301 (USGBC-NCC 101) - Currently available for purchase and download. GBCI Learning Units: 1.0 Hours This two-part course provides an overview of net zero energy design. Starting with the various definitions of net zero, Clark Bisel, Senior Vice President at WSP Flack & Kurtz guides viewers through recent efforts in achieving net zero buildings, major differences between the new California energy code and codes used elsewhere in the U.S., processes for reducing energy consumption and generating renewable onsite energy to achieve net zero energy buildings, and an overview of major design constraints and limitations pertaining to net zero facilities. Ken Powelson, Project Architect at EHDD Architects, then goes through a detailed case study of the Marin Country Day School -- the first net zero energy classroom building in North America -- and describes specific design and engineering strategies employed. He summarizes this case study with a series of lessons learned on this and other net zero facilities. For more information or to register: www.aecknowledge.com/courses/21 |
| Planning & Policy | ZNE Action Plan Update
HVAC ZNE Action Plan Published by CPUC
The CPUC published the California statewide HVAC Action Plan (www.performancealliance.org) on June 8, 2011 as part of the implementation process of the
that is also the basis for the ZNE Action Plan. The HVAC Action Plan covers four major Strategic Plan HVAC sector goals including Code Compliance, Quality Installation/Quality Maintenance, Whole Building Integration, and Advanced Technology. The Western HVAC Performance Alliance has key responsibilities for implementing the Action Plan. Champions from both the HVAC Action Plan and ZNE Action Plan will be looking for the natural cross-cutting linkages that are integral to the success of both Action Plans.
CPUC ZNE Commercial Action Plan WorkshopOn June 15, more than 60 California leaders convened in San Francisco for the Annual ZNE Commercial Action Plan Workshop. Attendees included champions of the Plan's action items and other California experts in energy and sustainability. CPUC staff presented an overview of the Action Plan progress to date, and several of the Action Plan champions gave updates on recent initiatives and successes moving their action items forward. Dave Hewitt from New Buildings Institute presented new research on Costs of Zero Net Energy Buildings and on Deep Energy Savings in Existing Buildings. The later part of the session included breakouts to brainstorm key Action Plan efforts in the areas of Financing, Integrated Design, Integrated Demand Side Management (IDSM) and Codes.
For more information: View the June 2011 Updated ZNE Commercial Action Plan
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| Innovative Buildings | |
Cascadia Center for Sustainable Design & Construction, Seattle, WA
As designed, the Cascadia Center's six-story, 52,000 square foot building is slated to achieve extraordinary levels of energy efficiency. Modeling shows the building will have an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 16 kBTU/sf2 of gross floor area. This remarkably low EUI will be achieved through integrated design, cutting edge technology, and tenants with an eye to low environmental footprints. The building will meet its annual energy needs using a solar array on the roof, high performance envelope, closed-loop geothermal system and ventilation, and radiant floor heating and cooling with passive cooling and natural ventilation. The building will also use daylight dimming, efficient lighting design and aggressive reduction of plug loads.
 According to Dave Hewitt, Executive Director of New Buildings Institute, "the graphic above shows how energy use in buildings is shifting significantly. For example, more than a quarter of the building's energy use is dedicated to information processing. In terms of a research agenda, it may be time to adjust our focus." Read more about the Cascadia Center |
| Other Announcements | Army Announces "Net Zero" Winners
The Army has announced 17 installations for the "Net Zero Energy, Water and/or Waste Contest." With over 100 applicants, six zero net energy installations were selected: Fort Detrick in Maryland, Fort Hunter Liggett in California, Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Parks Reserve Forces Training Area in California, Sierra Army Depot in California and West Point in New York.
For more information - read the article on the DOD Energy Blog |
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We look forward to hearing about your ZNE efforts. If you want to get the word out on related upcoming ZNE events, or have information to share on new research, innovations in ZNE buildings or other Action Plan news, please send info to Heather Flint Chatto, heather@newbuildings.org.
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