Predictions Made for High Performance Building

Net-zero energy buildings are so 2013. Net-positive energy buildings are the future. That was among the predictions for 2014 made by green builder Hammer & Hand for the US high performance building industry.

The Portland/Seattle builder believes cheap solar panels, more electric vehicles and market mechanisms that reward onsite energy production will emerge.

Building energy codes will move toward performance-based measures, as the limitations of prescriptive codes become more obvious to policy makers.

Other predictions include:

• CO2 heat pumps will help transform heating and cooling performance.
• US-made high performance windows will continue to make high performance building easier here.
• Builders and designers of high performance homes will design ventilation systems with a focus on quality of ventilation rather than just quantity.
• The US-led move to make Passive House more climate-specific will improve performance at both micro and macro levels.