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 Featured ZNE Project | |
Packard Foundation
Los Altos, CA
The Packard Foundation's new 49,161 sf offices were built in 2012 and recently received Net-zero Petal Certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The new office building features two long, two-story wings connected by enclosed walkways and organized around a landscaped courtyard. The program included private offices, open work areas, communal gathering spaces and conference rooms for approximately 120 employees. Strategies included natural daylighting with clerestory windows and skylights, ample shading devices and lighting controls. Climate-responsive cooling includes passive night cooling, chilled beams and a 50,000-gallon cooling tower. The project also included a high performance envelope, renewables, plug load management strategies and dashboards for monitoring the building uses and operations.
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NEW RESEARCH
US Energy Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate Change & Extreme Weather
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This report is part of the Administration's efforts to support national climate change adaptation planning through the
Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force and Strategic Sustainability Planning process. The report
examines current and potential future impacts of critical climate trends on the U.S. energy sector. It identifies activities underway to address these challenges and discusses potential opportunities to enhance energy technologies that are more climate-resilient, as well as information, stakeholder engagement, and policies and strategies to further enable their deployment. Increasing temperatures, decreasing water availability, more intense storm events, and sea level rise will each
independently, and in some cases in combination, affect the ability of the United States to produce and transmit
electricity from fossil, nuclear, and existing and emerging renewable energy sources. These changes are also projected to affect the nation's demand for energy and its ability to access, produce, and distribute oil and natural gas.
For more information:
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| Issue: 12 | Fall/Winter 2013 |
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 David & Lucille Packard Foundation, Los Altos, CA
Photo Credit: Jeremy Bitterman
It has been a big year for Zero Net Energy buildings. We have had more uptake in the market, and there are now more resources and tools for early adopters. Innovative buildings such as the Packard Foundation are demonstrating that these high performance buildings are a valuable extension of a businesses' mission and values, and communities are pushing policy advances on both coasts. More conferences and ZNE events have taken place this fall than ever before, and this leadership is having ripple effects across the nation. Read more in the Fall/Winter Action Bulletin below. We wish you a very happy holidays and hope you will carry this inspiration forward into your efforts for further ZNE advances in 2014!
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.
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News & Events
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NEWS
New Public Buildings Solar Policy Adopted in Maryland
On November 19, the Prince George's County Council, unanimously approved Council Bill 83-2013, legislation requiring clean energy systems for new County buildings and major renovations of public buildings. CB-83-2013 defines Clean Renewable Energy as technology or a system that employs solar, wind or geothermal energy.
The legislation makes Prince George's County the first jurisdiction in the State of Maryland to fund clean energy systems in all new public buildings and major renovations of public buildings. The legislation requires the County to budget an additional 2% into the total cost of a building or renovation to pay for the required installation of 1 kilowatt (KW) of clean energy for every 1,000 square feet of gross floor area in the building. Council Member Mary Lehman who proposed the legislation noted, "The Council has adopted one of the most ambitious policies for clean energy on public buildings in the country. This bill will spur clean energy jobs for our workforce, energy savings for our taxpayers, and a cleaner environment for our children."
Architecture at Zero Design Competition 2013 Winners Announced
On November 8, PG&E and the America Institute of Architects San Francisco Chapter announced the 2013 winners of the Architecture at Zero design
competition.The zero net energy design competition was open to students and professionals worldwide, engaging architecture, engineering, planning students and professionals in the pursuit of energy efficient design. The challenge was to create a design for a new, roughly 150 unit, 10-story, mixed-use residential apartment building located in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California, with a mix of affordable and market-rate housing units, a full neighborhood-serving grocery store on the ground level, and plausibly designed as close to zero net energy as possible.
For more information: View winners and find out more by visiting the
EVENTS
ZNE Leadership Network for Public Sector Early Adopters
On October 14, NBI facilitated a meeting of the ZNE Early Adopters Leadership Network in Sacramento, California. More than 65 participants joined DGS, NBI and CPUC for the second in a series of workshops to help early adopters develop a ZNE planning process. Entitled, "Organizing Internal Resources for ZNE: People, Plans, and Process," the meeting included representatives from k-12 schools, institutions of higher education, local government staff, state agencies and utilities. Highlights included presentations from NBI on their recent national "Getting to Zero" conference, new research on the status of ZNE buildings, and case study presentations from KW Engineering, DGS and CPUC. For reference, presentations and materials from the October meeting are linked below. Additional meetings in early 2014 will support public sector leaders in developing their methodology for planning, financing, design and stakeholder engagement.
Recent ZNE Conferences
This fall was a watershed moment for ZNE education and leadership events. Major conference events included:
- NBI - NASEO Getting to Zero Forum (policy & commercial buildings) This September, New Buildings Institute, in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials, collaborated to host a first-of-its-kind conference on issues related to zero-net energy building performance. The Denver conference brought together energy officials from 37 states and included leading policymakers, program managers, design professionals and building owners. To learn more, visit the Forum blog or NBI's website at newbuildings.org/gettingtozero.
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ZNE North American Leadership Summit (primarily residentially focused) This October Summit in Irvine, California, brought together leaders to help drive and shape the future of the net-zero energy movement. ZNE innovators convened to discuss the evolving practice, market-building initiatives, supporting pillars, and to form a common leadership agenda. To learn more visit netzeroenergysummit.com/ or contact Sonja Winkelmann at Zero Energy Home Coalition.
- Net Zero Cities (internationally focused)
This October in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Net Zero Cities conference was held to discuss best practices and inspire innovative thinking around net zero energy, carbon and water communities. Concurrent panels will explore these topics through the triple-bottom-line lens of technical and environmental solutions, people and policy; and economic development and business models. To learn more visit the conference website at www.netzerocities.com
Upcoming ZNE Conferences
The European Nearly Zero Energy Buildings Conference 2014
February 27-28, 2014 | Wels/Austria
The conference will offer presentations of criteria for "nearly zero energy buildings" (NZEB), information on the latest technology trends and financing solutions, discussions on optimal levels of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, an outlook on the developments of European and global markets for sustainable buildings, including national plans for NZEB, inspirational case studies of new buildings and renovations and site visits, exchange of experience among experts and new business opportunities, WSED next - a conference for young researchers on energy efficiency in buildings and a major trade show, the "Energiesparmesse", dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings, with 1,600 exhibitors.
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Policy & Planning
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CPUC Annual ZNE Commercial Stakeholder Meeting
On October 3, the CPUC held its annual ZNE Commercial Stakeholder workshop at the Pacific Energy Center in San Francisco. The event included an update on the CPUC Strategic Plan efforts, ZNE case study presentations, and new tools and resources including the ZNE Communication Toolkit.
Presentations and meeting materials linked below:
CPUC Residential ZNE Action Plan Stakeholder Workshop
On October 22, the CPUC held a Residential ZNE Action Plan Stakeholder Workshop in Sacramento to review and discuss a draft Residential Action Plan and provide an opportunity to give input on the plan's direction and content. View the draft Residential Action Plan.
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| Education & Training | |
NBI Webinar on the Status of Zero Net Energy Buildings
Thursday, January 16, 2014| 10-11:30 a.m. (Pacific)/ 1-2:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Zero net energy projects, policies and programs are emerging across North America. Join New Buildings Institute on January 16 as we release our most recent review of this growing trend. This 90-minute webinar will revisit key themes from the recent Getting to Zero National Forum and present findings from our new 2014 status update on zero net energy (ZNE) covering how many commercial buildings are achieving zero net energy performance across North America, common technologies and features, new perspectives, as well as policy and program drivers that are supporting this practice. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today. For more information: Register for the webinar
NESEA Building Energy Master Series: Zero Net Energy Homes
Online Course: February 10-April 18, 2014
Join Marc Rosenbaum to learn how to do your own energy modeling and design a full Zero Net Energy Home. Gain a comprehensive understanding of all of the key components of a ZNE home - envelope, systems, and renewables - and how they fit together, with key pitfalls to avoid, and numerical guidelines on sizing peak heat loss, glazing amounts, and solar electric systems that will empower you to confidently design a zero net energy home. Successful students will actually do a full design of a Zero Net Energy Home, and earn NESEA's 'Zero Net Energy Homes Professional Certificate'. Approved for 12 AIA CEUs + Six MA CSL Credits .
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| Innovative Buildings | 
Photo Credit: Bruce Damonte
La Valentina North Ultra-Low Energy Townhomes
Sacramento, California
The La Valentine North Townhome project is an18-unit affordable multifamily development is a research and demonstration project in SMUD's Townhouse Home of the Future (HOF) program. The team considered the reduction of solar heat gain, a large energy driver in Sacramento's hot climate, as a primary design objective. This Home of the Future Demonstration Program project features promising and efficient technologies that can be shared as lessons with local builders and ideally incorporated into SMUD's SolarSmart Homes program.
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| Other Announcements | |
2013 GEELA Awards Recognize Nasa Ames Sustainability Base
On December 10, the California 2013 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) for Sustainable Practices or Facilities was presented to NASA Ames Sustainability Base. The GEELA is California's most prestigious environmental honor, given only to organizations that exemplify exceptional leadership for protecting and enhancing the environment while at the same time promoting economic growth. Receiving the award on behalf of NASA Ames Research Center were Krisstina Wilmoth, Executive Officer to the Associate Center Directors, and Rose Grymes, Lead for Sustainability Partnerships. Only 13 GEELA's were chosen statewide this year.
For more information: View the press release or see the awards ceremony program
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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, 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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