Bloomberg posted a long feature on what it calls “the world’s greenest building.” The Edge, which is being developed by OVG Real Estate in Amsterdam, offers many energy efficiency features, some of which are being developed in conjunction with the main tenant, Deloitte. An example of a low cost way to cut energy use and save money is a smartphone app that traces employees' travels to work and directs them to an empty parking space and appropriate available work space within the building.
Another key feature are specially designed LED panels from Philips that are so efficient that they can be powered by electricity carried in communications cables. The LEDs have sensors – all told, there are 28,000 in The Edge – that control motion, light, temperature and infrared. The story says that The Edge has attained the highest sustainability score – 98.4 --ever awarded by BREEAM, a British rating agency.
Last week, Energy Manager Today reported on the U.S. Department of Energy’s promulgation of an official definition of zero energy buildings. The definition of such a building is one in which "on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy,” according to the DoE.