At least 20 energy efficiency programs in the U.S. and Canada are focusing on encouraging and assisting building projects to be built to zero-energy and zero-energy-ready standards.
According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), these programs have an annual budget of about $65 million. They have collectively completed nearly 200 single-family homes, about 900 apartments in multifamily buildings, and 74 commercial totaling more than two million square feet of floor area. Affordable housing accounts for a significant portion of the multifamily projects.
A zero-energy building produces an amount of onsite energy (typically from photovoltaic panels) that equals or exceeds the energy it buys from utilities plus the energy losses from generation and transmission over the course of a year. Zero-energy-ready buildings are typically efficient enough to be operated with onsite energy, but lacking the solar energy systems needed to make the building truly zero-energy.
A few programs promote zero-carbon buildings, which emit no net carbon over the course of a year. Zero-energy homes and buildings often cost a little more to build than conventional homes and buildings, but as experience is gained, costs are going down, ACEEE says.
Related Stories
| Dec 13, 2012
New OSHA initiatives on tap at AGC safety and health conference
More than 150 industry professionals will discuss the development of regulatory and legislative activity on national and local levels at the Associated General Contractors of America’s health and safety conference.
| Dec 13, 2012
So-called fiscal cliff is already affecting construction jobs, AGC finds
In November, the construction industry shed 20,000 jobs and its unemployment rate reached 12.2%, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.
| Dec 13, 2012
New York City poised to enact recycling mandate for multi-family dwellings
New York City lags behind other large cities in recycling with only 15% of residential trash being recycled. A new bill passed by the City Council aims to improve the rate by changing how new apartment buildings are constructed.
| Dec 13, 2012
Pima County, Ariz. officials say improved code enforcement scores will help lower insurance bills
Insurance Service Office, Inc. (ISO) recently analyzed building codes and enforcement and found that Pima County, Ariz., consistently outscored comparable jurisdictions in Arizona and the nation.
| Dec 13, 2012
D.C. aims to be a green leader with new building codes
The District of Columbia has released a revised set of building codes to make it a leader in green construction.
| Dec 7, 2012
Georgia court limits contractors’ ability to foreclose on liens
The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in 182 Tenth, LLC v. Manhattan Construction Company that lien claimants such as contractors, subcontractors, and materialmen, may not foreclose on a lien that includes unpaid general condition costs.
| Dec 7, 2012
San Francisco real estate records will include ‘green labels’
Ecologically-sustainable building practices, or “green labels,” will now be included on official land records maintained by San Francisco.
| Dec 7, 2012
Tokyo’s Green Building Program has reduced power consumption by 20%
Tokyo city officials calculate that its Green Building Program reduced energy consumption by 20% since its inception, a statistic they identify as the reason the power stayed on during the 2011 earthquake.
