Net Zero Buildings: Strategies for Sustainable Design

Net Zero Buildings are defined as: “…buildings that use no more energy over the course of the year than they produce from on-site renewable sources”.

This book includes an introduction to Net Zero Buildings as well as definitions, variations, goals, initiatives, features, benefits and locations of Net Zero buildings.

The book also covers Net Zero Building strategies, including building energy efficiency, energy use intensity (EUI), renewable energy options, typical costs and return on investment (ROI) of Net Zero buildings, Net Zero building certification, lessons learned from Net Zero building and Net Zero case studies.

The book provides an introduction to the Living Building Challenge Net Zero certification process. When you have completed reading this book, you should be able to:

1) Describe what a Net Zero building is, including the goals, features and benefits of a Net Zero building, as well as introduce various Net Zero initiatives.
2) Evaluate various strategies to design and construct a Net Zero building.
3) Assess the average cost and return on investment for a Net Zero building.
4) Compare various Net Zero building design and certification options.
5) Analyze the lessons learned from Net Zero building analysis and research.
6) Discuss real world case studies of Net Zero buildings.