From the Editor
Remember a few years ago, when you couldn’t open a trade publication without seeing a profile of a building that had achieved the “first LEED Platinum certification in the Northwest,” or was the “first LEED Gold hospital,” or the “largest LEED-certified office building? Now, you’re starting to see similar articles about net-zero energy commercial buildings. Even though many perceive a truly net-zero energy commercial building as impractical, at best, and science fiction at worst, these buildings are springing up more and more frequently these days.

What exactly is a net-zero energy building? The simple answer is one that produces at least as much energy as it uses annually. But there’s some nuance to that answer. If you’re defining net-zero in the most rigid interpretation of the term, then the building must be totally grid-independent. It generates its entire energy spend on site, and is therefore not only net-zero, but also carbon-zero. That is extremely difficult and usually works only on small buildings with big budgets.

The more common path to net-zero energy buildings is ultra-efficient design and operation, onsite renewable generation (like solar), and then purchasing the remaining (usually very small) balance in the form of renewable energy certificates or directly from utilities.

Sure, net-zero energy buildings still only represent a small percentage of new construction projects — just like LEED-certified projects eight or nine years ago. But, net-zero advocates say, much like green building in general, the tipping point is coming soon. Will you be ready?

Cheers,

Green Strategies
Ready or Not, Carbon Limits Likely
Few facilities will take a direct hit, but the effects of pending regulations will ripple out to all electricity consumers. Here is what you need to know about impending climate legislation.

In the News
Top 10 Green Building Trends for 2010
Green building will continue to grow at a torrid pace, experts predict. Net-zero energy buildings becoming increasingly commonplace lands at No. 8 on this list of trends.

Green Toolkit
Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative
The home of one of the Department of Energy’s Commercial Building Initiatives, this site offers case studies, design and evaluation advice and other resources about net-zero energy commercial buildings.

GreenTech Conference & Exposition

What’s Your Score? Benchmarking Energy Use through Energy Star

This presentation from GreenTech 2009 by Laurie Gilmer and Gregory Hughel of Facility Engineering Associates provides justification for and tips on how to use Energy Star tools to benchmark and reduce energy use in facilities.

Registration for NFMT 2010 is now open. The show will take place March 16-18, 2010 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Click here to register