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Featured ZNE Project | |
VanDusen Botanical Centre
Photo Credit: Perkins+Will
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, the 19,000 square foot VanDusen Botanical Centre is aiming for net zero energy and water use, and is on the path to receiving LEED Platinum and living building status. Toured by 70,000 visitors each year, ths new visitor center is an inspiring example of beauty and ecological innovation.
Photo Credit: Perkins+Will
The building is 93% daylit, ventilated or cooled with operable windows, and features solar hot water tubes, curving rammed earth walls, and an undulating green roof that mimics the organic design of a flower. According to Eco-Structure Magazine, the facility achieves net zero through 11 kw solar panels on the parking lot and "swap[ping] excess hot water from the solar tubes for electricity generated in a newly upgraded HVAC system that is housed in a connecting building. The system's largest electric load is a café for the new building. Since the center has more solar-hot-water tubes than it needs, the center trades heat with an existing restaurant in return for electricity. This allows the project to create all of its energy on site."
Pproject designers Perkins + Will note achieving a 73% energy savings and an energy use intensity (EUI) in the low 30's.
Although costly, at a pricetag of $14.4 million, the visitor center is a beautiful learning laboratory of how buildings can blend with the landscape and achieve high energy performance.
Project Contact: Perkins + Will
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| New Research | |
Green Labeled Homes Garner 9% Higher Sale Prices in CA
[From the City of San Francisco's website]:
Economists from UC Berkeley and UCLA completed an analysis of all 1.6 million single-family homes sold in California from 2007-2012 (Q1), studying the effect of green building labels on property sale values. They found that the approximately 4,000 green labeled homes with Energy Star, LEED for Homes, and GreenPoint Rated labels sold for 9% more (±4%) than comparable, non-labeled homes. The research indicates that the premium exists in hotter climates (where cooling costs are higher) and where environmental ideology (as measured by the rate of registration of hybrid vehicles) influences consumers' buying choices.
An LA Times article on the study notes that "Homeowners who are interested in pursuing green labels can check out L.A. County's Energy Upgrade California, which offers county residents up to $2,000 in rebates for a green home label and up to $8,000 in rebates for specific home improvements."
For more information: Read the study, read the LA Times article.
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VanDusen Visitor Centre, Vancouver, BCPhoto Credit: Perkins + Will In this Issue: - Featured ZNE Project: VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre
- Events: Webinar on Financing California Commercial Energy Improvements with PACE
- Planning & Policy: Research, Presentations, and Case Studies from CPUC Stakeholder Meeting on ZNE
- Research: New Study Finds Green Labeled Homes Garner 9% Higher Sale Prices
- Education & Training: Zero Energy Design - Video Series
- Innovative Buildings: ZNE K-12 School Prototype
- Announcements: New Federal Energy Efficiency Legislation
About the Action Bulletin In response to requests for more information on news and events in the zero net energy (ZNE) buildings arena, New Buildings Institute, in partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), 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. |
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News & Events |
Webinar: How to Finance Energy Improvements in Commercial Buildings in California with PACE January 30, 2013, 10:00-11:00 a.m. PST With the launch of CaliforniaFIRST, financing energy improvements in commercial buildings is now more attractive. Indeed, about 70% of California is now covered by a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program for the commercial building sector. These innovative financing mechanisms can help unlock capital for energy saving projects, including solar and energy efficiency retrofits. The webinar is designed to help commercial building owners and energy contractors better understand how the PACE programs work. The webinar will include: - Case study -- Rich Chien of GreenFinanceSF will present a case study of a recently completed $1.4 million upgrade to Prologis' headquarters on Pier 1 in San Francisco.
- CaliforniaFIRST program mechanics -- Simon Bryce of Renewable Funding (the program administrator) will outline how the process works and who can participate.
- Financing -- Derek Brown of Clean Fund will provide details of the financing: What is the value proposition? How to get lender consent? Why is PACE is attractive to building owners?
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| Education & Training |
Net Zero Energy Design | Autodesk Sustainability Video Series To achieve net zero cost effectively, you'll need to reduce energy demand as much as you can. This video series shows strategies for designing a net zero energy building including the basics of building energy loads, passive design strategies, lighting and daylighting, and efficient HVAC design |
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Planning & Policy |
CPUC ZNE Stakeholder Meeting - Presentations & Case Studies On November 28, 2012, the CPUC's Zero Net Energy Stakeholder Workshop drew broad attendance from those following new research and planning for zero energy residential and nonresidential buildings. Materials presented at the ZNE Stakeholder Workshop are available on the CPUC website, including:
- Slides for PG&E/Heschong Mahone Group's draft report on "The Road to Zero Net Energy: Mapping Pathways to ZNE Buildings in California"
- ZNE Building Case Studies
- West Village, UC Davis
- San Jose HERs Zero Score Home
- ABC Home, Southern California Edison
- IBEW Training Center, San Leandro
- DPR Building, San Diego
- Presentations from PG&E, SDG&E and SoCalGas regarding their contributions to California's ZNE Goals, presented in the afternoon sessions.
- Slides from PG&E/Arup's December 3rd presentation: "The Technical Feasibility of ZNE Buildings in California- draft report"
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Innovative Buildings | |
Image Credit: Eco-Structure Magazine
Net Zero Energy K-12 High Performing School Prototype
Recognized for innovation in design, Swift Lee Office's Net Zero Energy K-12 High Performing School Prototype was a top winner of the Los Angeles Unified School District competition for classrooms.
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Other Announcements | |
Obama Signs Off on Energy Efficiency Legislation
The legislation directs the Department of Energy to undertake several tasks. According to a news release from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), those tasks are:
- Develop and issue an annual best-practices report on advanced metering of energy use in federal facilities
- Establish collaborative research and development partnerships with other programs to support the use of innovative manufacturing processes and to support applied research, development, demonstration and commercialization of new technologies and processes to improve industrial efficiency
- Conduct a study, in conjunction with the industrial sector, of the barriers to deployment of industrial efficiency technologies.
For more information: read more at smartgrid.com |
We look forward to hearing about your ZNE efforts. If you want to get the word out on related upcoming ZNE events, new research, buildings or other CA ZNE Action Plan news, please send info to Heather Flint Chatto at heather@newbuildings.org. |
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