News - NZEB

The First NZE Academic Building Constructed in Northeast USA: The John J. Sbrega Health and Science Building, Fall River, Mass.

Designed by Sasaki Associates, the 50,000 sq.ft John J. Sbrega Health and Science Building at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts, is the first net-zero energy academic science building in the Northeast. Intended to be a high performance facility, the project team has pushed the boundaries of energy efficiency to become a net-zero energy (NZE) building. A key question asked by the project team was how can a building achieve net-zero target for an energy-dense program in a cold climate?

The approach taken was a holistic mix of passive and active strategies. Ultimately, the energy efficiency components incorporated in the building reduce the energy consumption by 80% compared to the baseline. Passive features include a Wall-to-Window-Ratio (WWR) ratio of 22%, cooling through natural ventilation and openable windows, optimum orientation to maximize daylight and reduce heat gain, adequate shading systems to cut out glaze and inclusion of a high performance envelope to reduce air leakage and thermal bridging. Active features include reduction of the lighting power density to 0.58 W/sq.ft, dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS), ground source heat pumps etc. To meet the energy requirements, the site plan includes a 3.2 MW solar PV array.

Through these strategies the building has pioneered the concept of pushing the limits of sustainable design while maintaining an occupant-friendly teaching environment.

Buildings in New York City to be Awarded Grades Based on their Energy Efficiency

Following the footsteps of Australia and the European Union, buildings in New York City will be graded based on their energy efficiency. The main goal is to reduce the GHG emissions of buildings, which account for two-thirds of the emissions of the city. By the beginning of 2020, mid-size and large buildings will be required to submit their annual energy consumption details. Further, they will have to post the grades allotted by the city based on the energy data.

The process would include the submission of energy-use statistics to an online portal developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The tool will calculate greenhouse emissions by taking into account factors such as building type, number of occupants etc. The buildings will then submit their scores to the city, after which letter grades will be awarded. The grading spectrum will range from ‘A’ to ‘D’ with ‘A’ allotted to highly energy efficient buildings while ‘D’ will indicate energy guzzlers.

Pushing the Boundaries of Self-Sufficiency, the Newly Designed Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF) Generates 130% More Energy than Needed

Proceeding rapidly towards the final completion stage, the 15,000 sq.ft building designed by Ashley McGraw for the Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF) challenges conventional thinking towards energy efficiency by generating 130% more energy than it needs. The building is located in the Lehigh Valley town of Schnecksville, PA. Some of the key features of the building include a roof-mounted photovoltaic array, variable refrigerant flow system, daylighting controls, advanced electricity metering, and a solar thermal hot water system. The project aims to showcase the viability of net-zero commercial building to the construction sector.

Bladeless Fan Technology Unveiled which reduces Air temperature by 15 deg C and Humidity by 15%

Can a fan replace conventional air-conditioning systems to provide space cooling? Backed by Temasek Holdings Private Limited, a bladeless fan developed by the American company ‘Phononic’ reduces the ambient air temperature by 10 deg C and humidity by 15%. The Outdoor Active Cooling in Singapore (OACIS) bladeless fan uses half the energy of an industrial fan, depending on the operating mode and ambient temperature. Further, there is a possibility for OACIS to be integrated into the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems of residential and commercial buildings in future, thereby resulting in further reduction of energy consumption.

Capgemini Campus in Bangalore Becomes the First Corporate Campus in India to achieve the Net-Zero Energy Rating by IGBC, CII

In line with its vision of creating a sustainable organization, the Capgemini campus in Bangalore becomes the first corporate campus in India to achieve the Net-Zero Energy -Platinum certification from Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

The campus is designed to be climate responsive and incorporates a wide range of sustainable initiatives such as variable refrigerant flow systems and water cooled chillers for comfort air conditioning, a dual feeder electricity supply to reduce diesel generator operations and smart aisle containment for efficient cooling at its data center. To generate on-site renewable energy, a solar plant of 1100kwp with bidirectional energy meters was commissioned. The meters export unused green energy to the local grid during weekends and holidays. The organization has also entered into a long-term agreement for purchase of renewable power from offsite solar and wind farms to meet its energy requirements.

Construction of Net Zero Houses for Low Income Group Underway In Rhode Island

How feasible is it to pair adorable housing with net-zero energy design? A project in Providence, Rhode Island called ‘Sheridan Small Homes’ is soon going to answer this question. The site plan consists of five houses, each of 750 sq.ft built on a 0.75-acre plot. The project costing $1.4 billion is majorly funded through a program called ‘Zero Energy for the Ocean State’ which is a public-private partnership between Rhode Island Housing, National Grid, and the state Office of Energy Resources.

Some of the features of the houses include triple-glazed windows, 11-inch thick walls, electric heat pumps, highly insulated roofs and PV panels. To enable equal share in the solar generated energy, the managing association will own the solar panels. The project aims to serve as a blueprint for future projects, as the city has identified some 250 vacant, tax-reverted lots that might be suitable for small, affordable homes.

New Zealand Commits To Carbon Neutrality By 2050

In line with the Paris Agreement to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5° Celsius, New Zealand lawmakers have unanimously approved the ‘Zero Carbon bill’ which commits the country to carbon neutrality by the year 2050. The country is well-poised to meet this target. It generates around 80% of its electricity requirements through renewables and has committed to planting around 1 billion trees by the year 2028. Further, the government is shifting its fleet to electric vehicles and is investing around $14.5 billion into transit, biking and walking infrastructure.

Net-Zero Energy Housing Community to come up in Melbourne, Australia

Mirvac, a prominent real estate company in Australia, is all set to deliver a high performance, net-zero community housing community in Altona, Melbourne. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has funded around $784,000 to support phase -1 of the project.“The Fabric” will consist of two, three and four bedroom townhouses in the first phase with mid-rise apartments in the estate’s future as well.

Some of the features integrated in the project include a high performance envelope, photovoltaic panels, efficient air-conditioning and lighting systems, EV -charging facilities and smart-home energy monitoring. By achieving environmental as well as economic benefits, the project hopes to serve as a blue-print for future housing communities across the country.

Andhra Pradesh Gears up to Enforce ECBC 2017 Code in all Commercial Buildings

Propelled by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), the state government of Andhra Pradesh is gearing up to make the implementation of the ECBC 2017 code mandatory for all commercial establishments. The plan is to integrate it with the Development Permission Management System (DPMS) of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Depratment (MA&UD).

Through the implementation of the code, there is a scope to save around 30% of energy along with monetary savings of Rs.538 crore per annum in Andhra Pradesh alone. Hence, the government is looking to expedite its implementation in all commercial buildings and expand it to the residential sector in the near future.

The ‘Zero Carbon Buildings for All Initiative’ launched at the UN-Climate Action Summit

Currently, less than 1% of the buildings in the world are net-zero in terms of carbon. Considering that the building sector consumes a substantial amount of energy, the world needs to rapidly move towards a decarbonized building sector & tackle climate change. At the recently held UN-Climate Action Summit at New York, USA, leaders from the national and local level launched the ‘Zero Carbon Buildings for All Initiative.’ This proposal aims to unite officials from all sectors to develop & implement policies to to accelerate decarbonization of new buildings by 2030 and existing building by 2050. Previously, zero carbon buildings were considered a target only for wealthy countries. But the current initiative is looking to implement it in all the countries irrespective of their development status.

Pittsburgh launches its own International Center of Excellence on High Performance Buildings

After New York City’s Building Energy Exchange (Be-ex), Pittsburgh becomes the second city in the world to launch the Greater Pittusburgh International Center of Excellence on High Performance Buildings after the agreement was signed between United Nations Economic Council on Europe (UNECE) and the Green Building Alliance (GBA). Pittsburgh is also home to world’s largest ‘2030 District.’ The Center will follow the UNECE’s Framework Guidelines for Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings. It will be a collaboration between regional partners, including the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Under the framework, the Center will conduct training programs for design professionals, host discussions, and advocate for local and state policy changes regarding building codes and energy regulations.

Through these initiatives, Pittsburgh is becoming one of the finest examples of a green city driving advance sustainable solutions in its built environment!

World’s First Low Carbon Greenhouses to come up in UK.

Agriculture is one of the top five carbon intensive sectors! However, the decarbonization of this sector is progressing at an alarmingly slow rate. Taking a huge stride in this direction, Greencoat Capital (an asset managing company dedicated to the resource efficiency and renewable energy sectors), UK is investing 120 million to construct UK’s largest greenhouses near Norwich and Bury St. Edmunds.

The greenhouses in UK are among the largest ones constructed, each covering more than 13 hectares.Greenhouses are designed to capture and store solar radiation, thereby increasing air temperature and accelerating plant growth. In Europe, solar radiation alone cannot provide sufficient energy to reach optimal growing temperatures throughout the day. To overcome this, greenhouses generally utilize gas-fired boilers to increase the temperature.

The proposed advanced greenhouses will be warmed via heat pumps through residual heat from nearby water recycling centres. Further, electricity for the heat pumps will be provided by a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, with waste heat from the CHP providing further warmth for the greenhouses.