NASEO and NBI Hold Zero-Net Energy Meeting

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NASEO and NBI Hold Zero-Net Energy Meeting

On October 16, 2012, the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), New Buildings Institute (NBI), and Resource Media convened state and local government officials and energy efficiency advocates in Arlington, Va., to discuss zero-net energy (ZNE) policies and practices for commercial buildings.

The buildings sector consumes more than 40% of energy in the United States and nearly half of that is attributable to commercial buildings. Setting a long-term vision to achieve widespread deployment of zero energy and zero energy-capable buildings would create important economic development, technology advancement, and energy savings opportunities.

The meeting participants acknowledged that the time is right for states and cities to take the lead in setting a vision for ZNE building policies and programs. NASEO, NBI, and other partners will be developing a ZNE Action Plan to outline the policy and programmatic strategies that will address common barriers to ZNE and accelerate high-performance and ZNE buildings. The ultimate goal of this initiative is large-scale policy and market transformation that results in significant development of zero-net energy commercial and public building projects for both new and existing buildings.

To learn more about this initiative, contact Chris Wagner, NASEO Project Manager (cwagner@naseo.org).