ZNE ACTION BULLETIN

Progress Towards Zero Net Energy Buildings

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FeaturedprojectFeatured ZNE Project

 

Exploratorium Reopens with Goal of Nation's Largest Zero Net Energy Museum

  
Excerpt from an article by Inhabitat: The new 330,000-square-foot museum will itself serve as an interactive exhibit, educating the public about energy-efficient design. To achieve its goal of net-zero energy, the Exploratorium partnered with Silicon Valley-based solar manufacturer SunPower to offset its 1.3-megawatt solar system to offset the new facility's energy needs. The new museum, which is being designed EHDD Architecture and GLS Landscape Architecture, will be one of the greenest museums in the country. The innovative new building will feature a bay water heating and cooling system that will circulate about 74,000 gallons of water per hour throughout the facility. The cold temperature of the bay water will be used to cool the building, and for heating it will be passed through electric heat pumps. By avoiding the use of evaporative cooling towers, the system will save an estimated 2 million gallons of water per year. Additionally, rainwater will be collected from the new building's roof to be reused for toilet flushing. "This project combines an effort to both innovate and think critically about the impact science can have on the world. Our net-zero goal is, in part, a way to reduce our global footprint and help improve the community we've been a part of for more than 40 years," said Dennis Bartels, the Exploratorium's executive director, in a press release. "Net-zero is a process - and an opportunity for the public to learn with us."
  
For more information: visit the Exploratorium website or read the inhabitat article

 

ResearchNew Research

CONGRESSIONAL BILL MAY OFFER FUNDING FOR ZNE & ENERGY CODE ADVANCES

 

The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act (also known as the Shaheen-Portman Bill) whould help increase efficiency for commercial and residential buildings. The bill includes a call for special studies that would examine the feasibility of code improvements for zero net energy buildings. Below is text from the current bill:

 

"The Secretary, in consultation with building science experts from the National Laboratories and institutions of higher education, designers and builders of energy-efficient residential and commercial buildings, code officials, and other stakeholders, shall under-take a study of the feasibility, impact, economics, and merit of:

 

1. code improvements that would require that buildings be designed, sited, and constructed in a manner that makes the buildings more adaptable in the future to become zero-net-energy after initial construction, as advances are achieved in energy-sav-ing technologies;

 

2. code procedures to incorporate measured lifetimes, not just first-year energy use, in trade-offs and performance calculations; and

 

3. legislative options for increasing energy savings from building energy codes, including additional incentives for effective State and local action, and verification of compliance with and enforcement of a code other than by a State or local government."

 

For more information: Read about the bill on the EnergyCollective Website, View the Bill, view a one-page summary of the bill

 

 


Key Resources

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

ZNE Action Bulletins
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Issue: 10Spring 2013
  
 Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
Photo Credit: Amy Snyder
 
In this Issue:

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 (NBI), 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.
NewsNews & Events

NEWS

 

National Legislation to Fund ZNE Code Research: Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Bill 

 

According to the Alliance to Save Energy, the Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Bill, known as the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act, was just approved by the Senate Energy Committee and will be moving to the full Senate for consideration. The bill will increase efficiency for commercial and residential buildings and includes a call for special studies that would examine the feasibility of code improvements for zero net energy buildings. Read more about the proposed studies in the Research sidebar or see the links below for more information.

 

For more information: Read about the bill on the EnergyCollective Website, view the Bill, view a one-page summary of the bill

  

EVENTS

 

Residential ZNE Action Plan - Stakeholders Meeting

Wednesday, May 15, 9:30am-1:00pm | CPUC, Courtyard Room

505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California

 

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will be hosting its next ZNE Residential Stakeholder Group Meeting to develop a ZNE Draft Action Plan for the residential sector.

 

For more information: see Policy & Planning section below for meeting details and agenda.

 

 

PCBC 2013 Homebuilding Tradeshow
June 5-6, 2013 | San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California

 

For more information: Visit the event website

 

 

SAVE THE DATE!

Getting to Zero National Forum at the 2013 NASEO Annual Meeting: Framing the policies, programs and projects that will drive zero energy buildings | September 17-18 in Denver, Colorado


This September, the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) is dedicating two days of its 2013 Annual meeting to issues related to zero net energy performance in buildings. Under a partnership with New Buildings Institute, NASEO and NBI will host a first-of-its-kind symposium bringing together a cross-section of leading policy makers, design professionals, building owners and commercial real estate representatives. Attendees will share perspectives on the growth of ZNE policies and projects and discuss a framework for the future of these extremely efficient buildings that produce as much energy as they consume over the course of a year.  

  
For more information: Visit NBI's website to learn more 
EducationEducation & Training

 

Paths to ZNE in Existing Buildings: Performance, Practice & Policy

Living Future UnConference, May 15-17 | Seattle, Washington
Improvements to existing building stock and to ongoing operation of newly constructed buildings must become a major part of performance improvement efforts to successfully reduce the climate impacts of the building sector. This session will explore emerging tools and strategies to address deep efficiency in existing building stock and provide examples of highly successful projects and policies that are pushing the boundaries of performance in the existing building sector. The panel will also discuss the role of operations and occupant behavior in building performance and explore policies and strategies to address building performance at low levels of energy consumption.

For more information: Visit the Living Futures Conference website

 


Building a Net Positive Energy Future
May 22, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm | San Francisco--Pacific Energy Center  
(joint training with AIA SF Committee on the Environment)


In this program, Dr. Ray Cole, Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at University of British Columbia, will discuss the necessary shift in building design from an approach that seeks to minimize harming the environment to one that offers social and ecological benefits. The session will examine the underlying thinking that has generated and shaped current assessment tools and consider their ability to create fundamental and widespread change. While the emphasis and language of green design is largely one of reducing resource use and adverse environmental impacts of buildings, regeneration carries the positive message of considering the act of building as one that can give back more than it receives-- that is, buildings can be "net-positive". The emerging notion of "net positive" design poses equally significant, but much more complex, theoretical implications as "net zero". As such, a key aspect of this session will be directed at providing a definition of energy net positive design.

Cost: No fee for this program for California businesses and residents.
Credits AIA: 3 (HSW)

For more information: Visit the PG&E Training Center website and search for Zero Net Energy under course topics.
  

Towards Regenerative Design - The Search for Zero Carbon Impact: Redefining Buildings and Communities
May 22 (Wednesday, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm) San Francisco--PEC

(In conjunction with AIA SF Committee on the Environment)

  
Since the 1990s, the construction industry has learned to create very efficient buildings, with many LEED-certified buildings achieving a 40-50% reduction in energy consumption in comparison to benchmarks. Sustainability standards continue to be raised by efforts including the 2030 Challenge and the Living Building Challenge (LBC) that target zero net energy and zero carbon impact. LBC anticipates regenerative design, an emerging focus of sustainable design that examines the relationship between the human footprint and natural systems. Regenerative design, which applies to buildings and communities, goes beyond reducing consumption to creating a source of health for both human and ecological systems. Peter Busby, Managing Director and Principal with Perkins + Will San Francisco, will lead a discussion informed by case studies. These case studies will include the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitors Centre and the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), both Perkins+Will projects in Vancouver, BC that push the boundaries for buildings across North America to move beyond LEED Platinum and are amongst the first to pursue the Living Building Challenge in Canada. The projects will be presented from a technical perspective, looking at the deviation from a typical LEED building before discussing the constraints and challenges associated with the Living Building Challenge and regenerative design strategies. 

 
Cost: No fee for this program for California businesses and residents.
Credits AIA: 1.5 (HSW) 

 

For more information: Visit the PG&E Training Center website and search for Zero Net Energy under course topics.
PolicyPlanning & Policy

Residential ZNE Action Plan - Stakeholders Meeting

Wednesday, May 15 9:30am-1:00pm, CPUC Courtyard Room, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California

 

The CPUC will be hosting its next ZNE Residential Stakeholder Group Meeting to develop a ZNE Draft Action Plan for the residential sector. The meeting will be held at the CPUC with refreshments at 9:00 am; the meeting begins at 9:30. The meeting objectives are:


1. Discuss context of planning and how it fits with other efforts
2. Review subcommittee work on ZNE goals, strategies and metrics
3. Identify gaps and interconnected elements
4. Develop understanding of priorities in draft plan
5. Identify next steps
 
This is an in-person or call-in (listen only) meeting.
Conference Dial-in Number: (605) 477-2100
Participant Access Code: 829941# 

 

InnovativebuildingsInnovative Buildings

 

Photo Credit: Robert Benson Photography

 

2013 NESEA ZNE Winner: Bosarge Family Education Center 

 

The Bosarge Family Education Center located in Boothebay, Maine, was the winner of this years Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) ZNE Building Award. The project impressed the judges partly because of its location in a climate with the most heating degree days and because it was pre-assembled primarily offsite. According to project designers Maclay Architects, "The orientation of the building allows for the use of passive solar strategies, optimizes the orientation of the roof-mounted PV and solar hot-water panels, and minimizes the impact to the existing site and trees.  Meters provide real-time energy data for all systems. Signage and a 'truth wall' educate visitors about the buildings sustainable features. The highly insulated building envelope, high levels of daylight, and automatic controls optimize occupant comfort." To meet the client's tight schedule requirements, the designers used a panelized construction system  which "allowed for off-site fabrication, minimized on-site waste, site impact and time and meets the air infiltration standards required for net-zero buildings. The panelized process offers a level of control and precision in a factory environment.  The envelope design and building assembly now established within the prefabrication parameters can be adapted for other projects." The project has 8,200 square feet of conditioned space with a construction cost of $390 per square foot.

 

For more information: Read more details about the design and energy systems of the project on the NESEA website, or view the award poster.

AnnouncementsOther Announcements

Have ZNE experience and stories to share? Send them to NBI!

 

Are you a policymaker, designer, owner, consultant or someone else in the building industry who has had an experience with zero-net energy policies or projects in the commercial sector? We want to hear your story. The National Association of State Energy Officials and New Buildings Institute are collecting these experiences in a repository so that they can be shared with others who want to learn how to advance zero-energy building practices and policies.  Share your story now!

 


Please sign up to join our ZNE Bulletin mailing list, and feel free to to others you think would be interested.

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 [email protected].

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