Impressions from the 2015 Getting To Zero National Forum Event
March 16, 2015
Lawmakers, architects, engineers and real estate experts gathered in Washington, D.C. in early February to visit the 2015 Getting to Zero National Forum. Over 250 attendees shared insights and best practices for designing and building zero energy buildings. Presenters at the conference also spoke on the latest technological innovations and other factors driving zero energy architecture into the mainstream. The success of the zero energy approach is helping to push the entire building industry toward greener pastures, and the key themes that emerged from the conference highlight the industry and policy changes that could lead to the greater adoption of net zero building strategies.
A new approach for a Net Zero future
Policy and market perception can often make or break a movement's potential to succeed. Thankfully, the attitudes of public and private sector decision makers seem to be evolving in a zero direction. The 2015 Getting to Zero National Forum Event report pointed out that states from Hawaii and California to Massachusetts and New York already have policies in place that support or incentivize net zero building. The number of available incentives may even increase down the road if the government continues to ramp up carbon emission reduction targets.
Presenters at the conference spoke to the potential for zero energy buildings to generate better market demand among private sector investors by repositioning zero-energy building (ZEB) as a forward-thinking investment. With greater environmental regulation around the corner, businesses can save themselves the hassle of meeting government-mandated compliance by investing in a zero net energy building that far exceeds the current efficiency standards for commercial facilities. Forward-thinking architects and engineers took a similar approach to implementing LEED long before the certification standard became the near ubiquitous standard for building efficiency.
Getting to Zero
The Forum Event report also highlighted the importance of using smart energy systems and distributed generation to power net zero buildings more efficiently. The grid-wide shift toward cleaner energy generation means that architects and engineers must soon become familiar with concepts like microgrids and the integration of locally generated renewables if they wish to remain on the cutting edge of industry trends.
By incorporating solutions like energy storage and intelligent energy controls, net zero buildings can both take advantage of how the time of day impacts energy costs and account for intermittency issues that may hamper renewable generation. In fact, the Forum Event report noted demand response management and energy storage is a strategy that is expected to be used extensively in the next generation of zero net energy buildings.
Small design changes make big impacts when designing a building
Another point of emphasis that was stressed at the forum was how much of an impact that minimal changes to design can have on a construction project to make buildings significantly more energy efficient. Reorienting a facility to take better advantage of natural light, for instance, helps to make the building more comfortable and limits the need to run HVAC equipment. Likewise, small touches like a more secure building envelope or the use of light-reflecting glazes on exterior windows contribute to the long-term savings on fuel and maintenance.
When combined with other zero energy building best practices, architects can use these passive efficiency strategies to draft a building that generates at least as much energy as it consumes - starting with structural solutions reduces the need to add complexity. After all, simplicity in design and use is a foundation of net zero building.
