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A Small Window of Opportunity to Make Huge Gains in Climate Action
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Updates to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) are currently underway. NBI is drawing on deep experience in advanced energy code development and implementation in cities and states, as well as past success in the IECC process to achieve more than a 10-15% efficiency improvement. Along with a broad group of partners, NBI has developed roughly 30 code proposals that if adopted will improve energy efficiency in the IECC and put us on a glide path to lower energy costs and higher property values, better comfort and productivity, and lower carbon emissions from buildings. A recent blog from NBI Program Director Amy Cortese outlines compelling reasons for the importance of this proposed increase.
Cities face unrelenting demands on policy priorities. Affordable housing, transportation, economic development, climate action, and other pressing issues compete for limited resources and funds. Now is a moment in time, however, when the opportunity to make significant progress toward carbon emission goals, to stimulate the local economy and to reduce the ongoing energy burden for owners and renters is attainable by many cities at very little cost or effort.
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Watch an
on-demand webinar from
NBI and the Energy Efficiency Codes Council to hear from experts working on the 2021 IECC update. The session explains the IECC process and proposed changes and how you can get involved.
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New Local Government Toolkit to Support Cities
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To further support cities, counties and states that want to spark better energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions from local building stock, NBI has developed a
State and Local Government Toolkit
that includes select resources from nonprofit efficiency groups, governmental entities, and others working for better building efficiency. The Toolkit directs governments planning and developing energy and climate action policies and programs to four strategy areas including: 1) upgrading publicly owned existing buildings, 2) ensuring all new buildings are constructed as ultra-low energy buildings, 3) instituting policies that drive energy optimization in the built environment, and 4) ways to communicate, educate and celebrate progress.
Cities, counties, state agencies, school districts, and other governing bodies can use this toolkit to lead by example by getting on a path to ultra-low/zero energy and carbon in their own buildings as well as policies that impact buildings in their community.
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Breaking: Getting to Zero Buildings Count and Trends for 2019
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Targets for zero energy and zero carbon outcomes are growing exponentially. Recently, Grand View Research Inc. forecast $78.8 billion of growth in the global zero energy (ZE) building market by 2025. That’s compared to $8.04 billion in 2016, according to the report.
NBI has been tracking the ZE building sector for nearly a decade and our annual
Zero Energy Buildings List
is j
ust about complete! Typically a printed, static list, this year’s zero energy buildings inventory will be shared as a dynamic online tool allowing users to access the most current data every day of the year. The Getting to Zero Buildings Database will allow users to see a map and list of ZE projects across North America and generate custom graphics and analytics based on location, building type, age, ownership, and more.
Learn about the current status of ZE buildings during a May 9 webinar where NBI Research Director Cathy Higgins with share current project counts and trends, and Senior Program Manager Alexi Miller will demonstrate the new tool. Also presenting is Clay Nesler, Vice President, Global Sustainability and Industry Initiatives at Johnson Controls, who will be presenting findings from the
2018 Energy Efficiency Indicator Study
, a survey of 1,900 facility and energy management executives in 20 countries evaluating global market trends driving investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart building technologies.
WEBINAR:
Getting to Zero Buildings Growth and Trends for 2019
Thursday, May 9
10-11 AM PDT/ 1-2 PM EDT
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What’s your number?
Don’t miss getting your building on the
Getting to Zero Buildings List. Submit your ultra-low and zero energy project information and have your numbers shared! NBI maintains the most comprehensive list of zero energy verified, emerging and ultra-low energy buildings in North America and we are always seeking new projects to add to our new online database tool.
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Schools Have the Opportunity to Support Students and Climate Goals
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On March 15, an estimated 1.4 million young people from 123 countries did not go to school, but rather rallied to demand stronger climate action to protect the environment for their future. Ironically, the school buildings where these students spend their days offer one of the best opportunities for cutting carbon emissions from the built environment. Buildings account for 39% of carbon globally and leading districts are working now to achieve zero energy (ZE) and even zero carbon performance in their schools. ZE buildings use only as much power as can be generated by clean, renewable resources, and ZE schools represent the largest segment in this market, showing a remarkable 850% growth since 2010, according to tracking by NBI and summarized in the recently released
2019 Zero Energy Schools Watchlist for K-12 Schools, Colleges, and Educational Projects
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Want to learn more about how schools are leading in Getting to Zero?
Join us for a webinar!
Understanding the Feasibility of Getting to Zero in School Retrofits
Thursday, April 25
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Noon-1:00 PM PDT/ 3:00-4:00 PM EDT
Featured speakers:
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Farrah Farzaneh
Sustainability & Energy Manager
San Bernardino Community College District
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Philip Saieg
Regional Director
McKinstry
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Visit our
Zero Energy Schools Resource Hub
highlighting state policies and national programs working toward ZE schools; districts pursuing ZE goals and the strategies they use to achieve this target; feasibility studies, assessment strategies, and other technical looks at design; and case studies of successful ZE school buildings.
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NBI’s
Multifamily Guide
Named as a Prescriptive Path in LEED V4.1 Residential Design and Construction
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Coming this summer, multifamily projects can use the U.S. Green Building Council’s latest iteration of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). LEED v4.1 Residential Design and Construction: Multifamily is part of USGBC’s new approach to residential projects. As part of this evolutionary update, the
Building Innovation
Multifamily Guide,
an advanced standard to achieving predictible energy savings in multifamily buildings, has been included as a prescriptive path to both meet the energy prerequisite and earn additional credits under “Optimize Energy Performance.” NBI’s
Multifamily Guide
includes a set of 13 base measures and six “Additional Efficiency Packages” that provide greater savings. Projects meeting the requirements of the 13 base measures qualify for the energy prerequisite under Option 2. Prescriptive Compliance. Projects that pursue one of the Additional Efficiency Packages can then earn up to six additional points
The incorporation of the NBI
Multifamily Guide
into LEED 4.1 continues a long collaboration between NBI and USGBC. NBI’s
E*Benchmark
and
Core Performance Guide
were included in previous editions of LEED and the
New Construction Guide
continues to provide prescriptive options to meet energy prerequisites and earn additional credits in LEED for small commercial projects. The
Multifamily Guide
was developed as part of the Building and Program Innovation suite of design tools and is free to access through an easy-to-use account set up.
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Getting to Zero Forum Program Planning Underway, Jigar Shah of Generate Capital to Keynote
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We are inspired by breadth of work related to zero energy and zero carbon buildings that was shared through the record number of Call for Speaker submissions for the 2019 Getting to Zero Forum this Oct. 9-11 in Oakland! While we work with
our program advisors
on reviewing proposals, we are continuing to plan our program tours, workshops and keynote speakers. We are excited to announce that Jigar Shah, Co-Founder and President of
Generate Capital
, will be a keynote for our event. Jigar Shah is an Executive with broad experience in all aspects of the renewable electricity, resource efficiency, and climate solutions. Jigar Shah is focused on deployment barriers of well tested solutions in distributed energy, food, water, and transportation. Stay tuned for other annoucements including Early Bird Registration and discounted room rate links.
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Technology Talk—Getting To Zero Energy In Existing Buildings
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Without upgrading our existing buildings to higher efficiency technologies we have zero hope of getting to zero energy (ZE)--or at least ultra-low energy performance--and our carbon reduction targets. We know that there are many roads to retrofits but rapid scaling relies in part on the commercialization of new technologies, integrated applications of existing products, and pure research and development.
So where are the technology priorities and gaps to help get to zero energy buildings, and where is further investment needed? That was the subject of an extensive study analyzing technology gaps* led by Itron with NBI, EPRI, Integral Group, Davis Energy Group, and UC Davis for the California Energy Commission (CEC) in 2018.
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New Zero Energy Designed Homes Certification from NBI and RESNET
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NBI and the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) have teamed up to launch an exciting new certification program: Zero Energy Designed Homes (ZED Homes). Now in a pilot phase, the program is intended to certify homes in which the HERS rating process provides a high degree of confidence that the home will reach zero energy performance.
This program will also be simple and convenient for utility program adoption and is intended to dramatically increase the opportunity for utility program administrators to leverage the solid HERS infrastructure
. This
includes HERS
Accredited Rating Software, HERS
Raters, and HERS Index as a way to scale incentives for high-performance homes in their service territories.
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Life-Cycle Energy Performance Framework for Cities released
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and NBI have developed a new web-based tool, with support from the DOE and NEEA, to help jurisdictions tackle energy use in buildings. Cities require comprehensive strategies that include policies, programs, administrative resources, tools and on-going funding sources. Up until now, no single resource has described how these pieces relate to each other or how to implement them as a coherent whole. The tool is available at the
WBDG Whole Building Design Guide
® website.
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Catch up with the GridOptimal
TM
Buildings Initiative
The GridOptimal Buildings Initiative is a national coalition of utilities, nonprofits and other partners working to ensure better integration of buildings with smart controls and onsite solar generation into the utility grid. Learn more about the project
team’s progress is developing metrics by which building features and operating characteristics can be measured and quantified at our on-demand webinar.
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GSA Green Building Advisory Committee Advice Letter Posted
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Green Building Advisory Committee, Building-Grid Integration Task Group (BGI TG) has provided policy recommendations to the GSA that support opportunities to advance grid-integrated buildings. Actions would yield benefits in terms of reduced infrastructure investment, energy use, and pollution, the letter says.
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Five Things You Wanted To Know About Our Net Zero Future
Growth of the commercial net zero construction market is vital to the high performance and zero carbon future. In this on-demand webinar, NBI staff members Cathy Higgins and Alexi Miller report trends and case studies of net zero construction across the United States.
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NBI named a Top 100 Best Green Workplace
Oregon Business has
recognized NBI as a top green workplace in Oregon. Winners are determined by an anonymous employee survey and an independent assessment of the employer's sustainability practices.
Find out more about the award and the latest developments at NBI in our
In the News
section. Recent news includes the links to various publications featuring NBI thought leadership, and press releases on project work.
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Where we'll be: Catch up with NBI staff at these events
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4/8/19 | Portland, OR
Cathy Higgins and Sean Denniston
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4/28/19-5/8/19 | Albuquerque, NM
Eric Makela
Jim Edelson
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5/2/19 | Seattle, WA
Webly Bowles
Creating a Zero Carbon City: Putting Policy into Practice
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Reilly Loveland and Amy Cortese
Getting to Zero Energy in Schools Workshop
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5/14/19 | Coeur d'Alene, ID
Mark Frankel
Nailed it/Failed it: Turning Energy Benchmarking into Action
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5/16/19 | Sacramento, CA
Reilly Loveland and Amy Cortese
From Dream to Reality:
Getting to Zero in Schools Workshop
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6/5/19 |
Santa Clara, CA
Cathy Higgins
Zero Energy Buildings–
a Path to Zero Carbon
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Sean Denniston
Mark Frankel
New Design Strategies for the New Electricity Grid
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6/19/19 | San Leandro, CA
Ralph DiNola
Multi-Family Dwellings:The Untapped Retrofit Market
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6/25/19 | Kansas City, MO
Jim Edelson
Targeting What? Best Practices for setting Performance Goals
Kevin Carbonnier
Radiant Buildings Post Occupancy: Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy and Occupational Performance
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