Efficiency Gold Standard Continues to Set New Mandates. BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A handful of energy-efficient buildings that have achieved net-zero energy are driving new mandates for energy efficiency, according to the latest issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine. According to the examples in Jeff Gavin's article, "The Full Gain of Net-Zero," net-zero energy buildings actually produce their own energy, ultimately offsetting the energy they expend. Some also produce more energy than they use, and can sell the excess back to the utility. The efficiency perfection of these tightly constructed buildings are also leading communities and states to set 15- to 30-year target dates when new construction must meet net-zero. "Power quality and its impact on consumers is part of our growing residential content," said John Maisel, publisher of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md. * Aldo Leopold Legacy Center: a conservation center in Baraboo, Wis.: the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-rated building in the United States for new construction, meeting all of its energy needs on site and using 70 percent less energy than a National Electrical Code-compliant building. The Center's roof-mounted solar array is projected to meet 110 percent of the building's energy needs annually. H&H Group Inc., Madison, Wis., served as the primary subcontractor, and added solar energy to the project seven years ago. H&H's net-zero strategies included daylighting controls, motion sensors, compact fluorescents, a grid-tied photovoltaic system, a geothermal radiant floor systems and an air chamber forced air system that greatly reduces HVAC energy use. * Austin, Tx.: will require all of its community's new homes to be net-zero-energy capable or able to operate completely off the grid by 2015, with Dallas and other Texas cities setting their own green-construction standards. California’s Energy Commission has recommended similar goals by 2020 for the entire state. For the full article, go to: http://www.ecmag.com/index.cfm?fa=article&articleID=10361
