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BigRentz › Think Big Blog › How to Design a Net Zero Energy Building
CONSTRUCTION • HOW TO
How to Design a Net Zero
Energy Building
By: BigRentz on July 5, 2021
The building sector emits such huge amounts of greenhouse
gases that urgent action is necessary to avert climate
disaster. Net zero energy buildings will play a big role in
curbing global warming in the decades to come.
Most people probably think of fossil fuels in transportation
when they think of global warming and greenhouse gas
emissions. So it’s surprising — and important — to note that
the building sector produces nearly 40% of the world’s
emissions.
To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the building sector
must attain net zero carbon by 2050. That means billions of
buildings worldwide will need to comply to keep global
warming below 2 degrees Celsius. The Biden administration
also set a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
What Is a Net Zero Energy
Building?
Net zero energy buildings are buildings that make, or supply,
their energy through renewable resources, which results in
zero carbon emissions. Put simply, a net zero energy building
is one that produces as much energy as it consumes on an
annual basis.
These types of buildings can take energy from electrical grids,
and send unused energy back to offset their energy
consumption.
Don’t be confused by conflicting terms. NZEB stands for “net
zero energy building.” ZNE is short for “zero net energy
building.”
They all mean the same thing. They also might be referred to
as “green buildings.”
There is a difference between “net zero” and “zero.” For
example, New York state law says 85% of reductions must
come from the state’s own industrial and energy emissions.
The remaining 15% may come from carbon offsets, including
in forestry and agriculture.
Carbon offsets work whether an organization stops its own
emissions or offsets its emission reductions elsewhere. The
climate effects are the same.
During the 1970s, solar panels on the roofs of homes began
harnessing the sun’s power. This reduced energy costs and
helped the environment at the same time. California and
other states created programs to encourage their use, but
they haven’t gotten us where we need to be. And while solar
panels are important, they can’t do the job alone.
This is because net zero energy building has to be far more
holistic in its approach. It needs to include a number of
factors that promote energy conservation. It also should go
well beyond single-family renewable energy homes and
residential buildings. It must include other building types,
including commercial buildings.
Some of the ways to achieve net zero energy will be covered
in the sections that follow.
How Does a Building
Achieve Net Zero Energy?
Several factors go into designing an energy-efficient building
that achieves net zero energy goals.
Location
To construct a net zero energy building, you must take several
conditions into consideration. The building site, where you are
building, the climate and the building’s exposure all have an
effect.
Among other things, take into account:
Climate
Sun
Wind patterns
Temperature
Rain patterns
Orientation
The orientation of the building depends on the success of
achieving net zero energy. Certain renewable energy
generation mechanisms, like solar panels, work best when the
building is facing south.
But factors that conserve energy are also important. Besides
harnessing the sun’s energy, you can conserve by orienting
your building to take maximum advantage of the shade. In
warm climates, this means you’ll need to use the air
conditioning less to keep your building cool.
Lighting is another important factor. Lighting systems can
account for almost 25% of a building’s total energy
consumption. Orienting your building to take advantage of
natural lighting can reduce that load. Window arrangement
and the use of skylights are strategies that can be considered
when deciding on a building’s orientation.
You can also situate your building to take advantage of natural
breezes. Using natural resources to power your building’s
energy systems and reduce energy requirements, will
conserve resources at the same time.
Design
Building design is next. Make sure to select the best-
insulating materials possible so the building conserves as
much energy as possible. Windows (dual- or, better, triple-
pane and effectively sealed) can pose a major factor in
conserving energy.
Passive strategies aren’t about energy production. They’re
about minimizing energy usage — and maximizing energy
performance. In fact, they operate without energy use, which
is why they help buildings achieve net zero energy use:
High-efficiency appliances require less energy and lighten
the overall energy load.
Low-energy HVAC systems do the same.
Air sealing prevents cooled or heated air from escaping
through cracks, often around openings such as windows
and doors. This results in less need for air conditioning or
heating to maintain climate control.
Insulation performs the same function by providing an
extra barrier between the interior and exterior of a building.
This layer traps heat (in winter) and cool air-conditioned air
(in summer) that otherwise might escape through walls,
ceilings, etc.
The effectiveness of insulation is rated in R-values. These vary
based on the thickness, density, and type of insulation: the
higher the R-value, the better. Types of insulation include:
Fiberglass
Wool
Foam boards or blocks
Cellulose
Polystyrene
Polyisocyanurate
Polyurethane
Ventilation is particularly important in tropical climates. It’s
necessary to replace stale air with fresh air. This can help
to moderate internal temperature while reducing the build-
up of moisture that can cause mold and bad odors. The
energy used to maintain proper ventilation, by using
electrical fans, for example, can be reduced significantly by
employing natural strategies.
Architectural design in new buildings maximizes efficiency
and promotes sustainability.
ASHRAE, or the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration,
and Air Conditioning Engineers, has created standards that
apply to building design. The group, founded in 1894, has 87
active standards and guideline project committees that
address some of the following topics:
Thermal comfort
Energy conservation in buildings
Reduction of refrigerant emissions
Indoor air quality
Renewables
The final step in designing high-performance buildings is
determining the most relevant renewable energy sources
based on the building. If the building is industrial scale, wind
generators might be used on-site rather than off-site. Solar
panels might be the way to go for new homes or even ones
that can be converted.
Active strategies reduce energy consumption during the
building process through the use of renewable energy
strategies, such as:
Photovoltaics — Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of
light into electric power using semiconducting materials
such as silicon. Each solar panel contains numerous
photovoltaic cells, which work together to produce
electricity.
Wind power — Wind is a kind of solar energy produced by
three factors. It’s affected by the sun unevenly heating the
atmosphere, irregularities in the Earth’s surface, and the
planet’s rotation. The resulting wind turns propeller blades
around a rotor, which spins a generator, creating electricity.
Wind farms in mountain passes near San Bernardino (San
Gorgonio Pass) and Northern California (Altamont Pass)
contain hundreds of huge propellers.
Hydroelectric power — Hydroelectric plants capture the
energy of falling water and convert it into electricity. Water
flows downhill and is captured by a reservoir behind a dam.
This reservoir acts like a battery, releasing water during
periods of peak demand to produce power.
Biomass — Biomass stores chemical energy from the sun,
produced by plants through photosynthesis. It can be
burned directly to produce heat or can be converted into
renewable liquid and gas fuels. Biomass can be as simple
as a log on a fire. It’s like a solar battery, which releases
bioenergy.
Geothermal power — Geothermal power involves water
pressure in the form of steam. Geothermal wells drilled a
mile or two underground pump hot water to the surface.
There, the pressure drops and the water turns into steam.
The steam spins a turbine connected to a generator,
producing electricity.
Solar power — Sunlight shining on a panel is absorbed by
photovoltaic cells in the panel. This creates an electrical
charge in response to an electrical field in the cell,
producing electricity.
Solar thermal — Solar thermal power systems use mirrors
to collect sunlight and concentrate it. This raises the
temperature until it is high enough to produce electricity.
Examples include curved parabolic troughs, such as those
used in the Mojave Desert.
Net zero energy buildings react in various ways to their local
electricity grid. Whether the grid is integrated or conventional
affects the way it interacts with buildings and strategies (such
as renewable energy sources).
Energy moves between the grid and conventional energy
buildings in a single direction. It flows from the grid to the
building, utilizing conventional metering.
Moderately responsive buildings have interactive demand
response.
Buildings that are fully integrated with the grid include
passive efficiency features as well as renewable energy
production onsite.
Put another way, the two types of ZNE building typologies
must work together to optimize grid performance:
Renewable-oriented (active strategies)
Efficiency-oriented (passive strategies)
Utilizing both passive and active strategies will prove most
beneficial to the relationship between the utility grid and ZNE
buildings.
Net Zero Retrofits for
Existing Buildings
Energy retrofit can be defined as adding new technologies to
existing buildings to reduce energy consumption. The process
of retrofitting a building takes time, planning, plus substantial
materials, construction equipment, and labor.
Retrofitting existing buildings usually is more environmentally
friendly and less expensive than new construction. This is
true when the building location, current design, and building
stability are considered.
Here’s what we do know, based on studies, about the success
rates of retrofitting as well as associated costs:
The more compact a building is, the more energy-efficient
it will be if it undergoes energy retrofit.
Buildings in areas with mild and harsh climates were the
closest to attaining net zero energy savings.
The less expensive a retrofit construction project is, the
more likely the building will save on net zero energy.
Between $200 per square foot and $450 per square foot is
ideal.
The elements that contribute the most to the net zero
efficiency are solar panels and window replacements.
New building construction accounts for an overwhelming
amount of negative environmental impacts. New
construction for an energy-efficient building will negatively
impact the environment 10 to 80 years after completion.
When compared to retrofitting buildings, new construction
is best for increasing energy performance and savings and
maintenance costs.
Retrofit energy projects are often used to improve efficiency.
There’s a pressing need for them because the average age of
the U.S. home is nearly 40 years. But it isn’t just important for
buildings that went up in the early or mid-20th century.
Buildings constructed to meet energy codes in place as
recently as 1999 use 67% more energy than those built today.
Retrofits not only work as efficiency measures; they’re also
cost-effective because they can reduce operational costs.
Two strategies are particularly useful:
Building reskinning — In simple terms, this process means
the exteriors of existing buildings are retrofitted with more
insulation. A three-dimensional scan is made of a building’s
exterior. Then the scan is used to create insulating panels
that can be fitted over the building and installed quickly
onsite.
Packaged mechanicals — This process simplifies the
components of mechanicals into a single unit for easier
installation, connection, and control. It decreases the
amount of work needed onsite. A package can include a
heat pump, solar hot water pumps, and energy monitoring
within one integrated control module.
Before undertaking an energy retrofit, it’s helpful to create an
action plan that includes the following steps.
Determine which systems to replace for the highest
efficiency. Some systems may be operating at peak levels
already and won’t need to be replaced.
Review utility bills from the past few years. This can tell
whether energy consumption has risen.
Perform energy audits to make adjustments accordingly. An
energy audit can reveal which systems need to be
upgraded. It identifies things like clogged filters, leaks,
disabled sensors, and bad wiring.
Examine the building envelope for proper ventilation and
insulation. Check for gaps around vents and pipes, poorly
sealed windows, and areas where moisture is coming in.
5 Ways to Retrofit a
Building for Net Zero
Energy Savings
Simply retrofitting your building won’t automatically create
net zero energy savings. Slight changes might not be enough.
Furthermore, every case is different, so there’s no one-size-
fits-all approach to retrofitting. The amount of work depends
on how extensive the modifications need to be. That, and
several other factors: the climate, the building’s original
design, its structural stability, and materials you use. These
also affect the cost of a project.
Although retrofitting is almost always less expensive than
starting from scratch, older buildings that need extensive
work can require significant investments in terms of
materials, equipment, demolition disposal, and labor.
Tax incentives and other stimulus can offset some of the
long-term costs, along with future energy savings.
Here are five ways to retrofit your building to make progress
toward a net zero goal:
1. Replace outdated mechanical
systems.
Trade out the furnace/boiler/window air conditioner for
central systems and/or solar water heating.
2. Insulate leaks.
Insulate basements to reduce mold.
Insulate roofs and foundations with spray foam to keep
building interiors cool in the summer and warm in the
winter.
Insulate empty walls to effectively warm an older house.
3. Replace old windows.
Windows are similar to insulation. They prevent climate-
controlled air from escaping while keeping air and water from
getting into the house. Energy Star provides a list of efficient
windows.
Triple-pane glass windows are the best option for
maximum energy efficiency. While a dual-pane design can
almost double the level of window insulation, a triple-pane
window is even more efficient.
Windows should be installed properly to prevent water
damage or air infiltration for optimal energy efficiency.
Window placement can increase your energy efficiency. For
example, windows placed on east or west walls can waste
twice as much energy as those facing north or south. This is
because they face direct sunlight in the mornings and
afternoons, respectively.
Low-emissivity glass coatings reduce the amount of
infrared and ultraviolet light that passes through the glass.
However, these low-e coatings do not affect the amount of
visible light that comes through. This allows you to:
Keep your interior cool by reflecting heat in the summer.
Retain warmth by reflecting cold air during the winter
Prevent fade damage by blocking UV rays.
4. Purchase Energy Star
products.
These types of products are the best for saving energy and
reducing electricity bills. Energy Star offers an online
portfolio manager to benchmark the energy use of any
building. It measures it against similar buildings in terms of
consumption and performance level.
Since 1992, Energy Star and its partners have helped
businesses and families save $450 billion in energy costs.
They’ve also achieved 4 billion metric tons in greenhouse
gas reduction and saved 5 trillion kilowatt hours of
electricity.
Energy Star is perhaps best known to consumers for
certifying an array of appliances and electronics, including:
Refrigerators and freezers
Washers and dryers
Air purifiers and dehumidifiers
Dishwashers
Televisions
Digital media players
Lightbulbs
However, it also certifies building products, including:
Roofing products
Sealing and insulation
Storm windows
Residential windows, doors, and skylights
In addition, it certifies heating and cooling products, which
play a role in a building’s energy efficiency, including:
Central and room air conditioners
Furnaces
Geothermal and air-source heat pumps
Ductless heating and cooling
Smart thermostats
Ventilation fans
Boilers
5. Switch to renewable energy.
Produce your own energy using various types of renewable
energy sources to help conserve energy and reduce costs.
These can be solar, wind power, hydroelectric, and
photovoltaic.
Retrofits are often sizable projects and may require heavy
equipment, especially if extensive new materials are being
introduced. You may consider renting construction equipment
to help.
Net Zero Energy Buildings
and the Grid
Despite the increased production of renewable energy, we
don’t have the technology to store the energy on a large scale.
Hydroelectric dams alone aren’t nearly enough.
As discussed earlier, a grid connection is needed to help
buildings achieve net zero energy. It sends any excess energy
buildings produce back to the utility grid.
This involves a concept called load flexibility, under which
demand can be shifted to accommodate fluctuations in wind
and solar supply. There will be times of peak demand. But
there will also be times when surplus power is generated
using active renewable energy strategies.
Load flexibility involves full connectedness to the grid, which
works like this:
Integrating a building with the grid to produce your own
energy lets you rely on that energy when climate conditions
allow. In other words, you produce energy when the sun is
shining, water is running, or the wind is blowing.
Any excess electricity you produce during these periods is
fed back into the grid. Most states and utilities employ net
metering, which “turns back” your electricity meter as you
send power to the grid. Utility grids need to be responsive
and interactive. They need to work with all types of
renewable energy sources to attain net zero energy.
When conditions don’t allow you to create your own energy,
you can access energy supplied by the grid. This means
when the sun isn’t shining, water isn’t running, and the
wind isn’t blowing.
To pursue this option, you’ll need to know:
What equipment you need to connect to the grid,
including meters, power conditioning equipment, and
safety equipment.
What requirements your power provider has set.
What state and community codes and requirements
you’ll have to meet.
There are two different net zero building typologies:
renewable-oriented and efficiency-oriented.
Renewable-oriented buildings:
Use more energy but also generate more energy.
Rely on active strategies such as mechanical HVAC
systems, thermal storage, demand response, and night
ventilation.
Efficiency-oriented buildings:
Use and generate less energy.
Rely on passive strategies like effective insulation, built-
in shading, daylighting, and building orientation.
The Future of Net Zero
Energy Buildings
Billions of buildings need to be renovated or built at net zero
to reduce global warming and meet the Paris Agreement.
Sharing these goals, the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory works on the research and development of
renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies.
The current U.S. presidential administration’s American Jobs
Plan seeks to invest $2 trillion in jobs, renewable energy, and
renewed infrastructure.
This investment will impact the climate crisis by:
Providing infrastructure to reduce impacts on the
environment and communities.
Supporting clean energy technologies to lessen the impact
of greenhouse gases.
Removing current environmentally damaging energy
sources.
The Department of Energy has set goals or metrics to focus
on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Among them:
Deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind within the decade.
This will help:
Create jobs for Americans.
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Generate clean energy to power millions of homes.
Cut the current cost of solar energy by 60% by 2030 by
improving solar technology and supporting new jobs. This
will help put the U.S. on a path to achieving 100% clean
electricity by 2035.
States’ initiatives for net zero
energy buildings
States are getting into the act, too. New York’s 2019 legislation
created goals of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 and net
zero emissions by 2050. Hawaii adopted a 100% target in 2015.
And California, Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico,
Oregon, and Washington have passed major climate change
legislation.
Among other things, California’s plan calls for all new
commercial construction to be zero net energy. It also
requires half of existing commercial buildings to be retrofitted
to zero net energy use by 2030.
Net zero energy buildings in the
private sector
In the private sector, continued expansion in the retrofit
market combines with new construction for net zero energy
buildings.
Still, to make a significant difference in global warming,
energy efficiency investments and grid interactivity must
increase dramatically. This means increasing building retrofit
rates from about 1% a year to more than 5% a year.
Active and passive strategies must be employed in concert.
But builders can’t stop at energy efficiency. Buildings must be
fully interactive with the grid and able to take advantage of
flexible load management.
Conclusion
The challenges are significant, but the methods of meeting
and overcoming them are known. We just need to accelerate
the methods and make them work together to maximize
energy efficiency. If we do this for new and existing buildings,
we can meet the goals we’ve set for 2030 and 2040. We can
even meet those for 2050, as we work to identify new, longer-
term goals.
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