Commercial zero net energy (ZNE) buildings have more than doubled in number since a 2012 report, says the New Buildings Institute (NBI). A new report, 2014 Getting to Zero Status Update, says that 213 North American structures qualify, up from 99 in the initial report.
ZNE verification of buildings is based on review of one-year of measured energy data including building energy consumption and renewable energy production, or other valid documentation from a third-party entity.
NBI tracks the development of ZNE buildings in North America throughout the year. NBI had identified and verified 33 ZNE projects including 32 buildings and one district (a group of buildings), an additional 127 projects that were working toward ZNE but did not have a full year of energy use yet to verify net-zero, and 53 buildings that had verified high levels of efficiency comparable to zero net energy performance, but without sufficient onsite renewable generation, for a grand total of 213 buildings.
Key report findings include:
