ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“Zero and Net-zero Energy Buildings + Homes,” a 64-page White Paper that proclaims “the next frontier in the green building movement,” is available online from Building Design+Construction (www.BDCnetwork.com). The 40,000-word report from Building Design+Construction, a professional publication serving the $350 billion commercial building sector, provides a road map for the U.S./Canadian design, construction, and real estate industry to develop “net-zero” buildings and homes—energy-efficient, affordable structures that generate as much energy as they use. Commercial buildings consume 19% of the nation’s energy; homes consume 20%. In the report, industry experts provide case studies of completed net-zero energy buildings, notably the Research Support Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colo. The White Paper offers detailed information on energy-conservation technologies and renewable energy strategies, as well as the “business case” for net-zero buildings and proposed building and energy codes and standards for such structures. A prototype “net-zero carbon” building, designed to produce no greenhouse gas emissions, is also presented.
