High Performance Schools & Public Buildings

High Performance Public Buildings

Zero Net Energy Public Buildings

Local, state and federal governments are setting aggressive targets to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, ultimately requiring buildings to be "zero net energy" in coming decades. In general, zero net energy buildings consume as much energy as they produce using clean renewable energy sources. The Northeast has begun to construct zero net energy public buildings, including schools, health centers, transit centers and more - but these projects are not yet the norm. To help get states on the pathway to zero net energy, NEEP is currently developing a Zero Net Energy Roadmap for the Northeast. The Roadmap will be available Winter 2012.

New Guidance for Municipalities awarded ARRA and SEP Grants

NEEP is currently a member of a national network providing technical assistance to recipients of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program (EECBG), State Energy Programs (SEP) and Better Buildings (BB) grantees under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Check out the Data, Resources & More section for materials that NEEP has developed as part of the technical assistance network, which is funded by the Oak Ridge National Laboratories. Read NEEP's latest guidance on getting the most out of your energy audits.

Emerging changes in the way buildings are sited, designed, built, maintained and renovated could reduce the lifetime costs of public buildings while improving their environmental performance and increasing the productivity of the people in them.

NEEP's work in the area of high performance buildings has evolved from the highly successful implementation of its High Performance Schools Exchange.

High Performance Public Buildings

The work we do today concerning high performance buildings will pave the way for the eventual development of Net Zero Energy Buildings on a broader scale throughout the region.In the simplest terms, Net Zero Energy Buildings are those buildings that consume no more energy than they are able to produce. Because such on-site generation needs to be clean and sustainable, the integration of renewable energy technologies with the building itself is an essential component of a Net Zero Energy Building.

NEEP plans to tap into the existing knowledge base of renewable energy advocates and practitioners - in keeping with NEEP's practice of facilitating partnerships - and marry that with our own capabilities regarding energy efficient technologies and practices.

High Performance Public Buildings

Beginning with the public building sector, NEEP will expand the guidance it has developed in the area of high performance schools to additional building stock, encompassing both new construction and existing buildings.

The High Performance Buildings Project will both inform, and be informed by, NEEP's Building Energy Codes Project, particularly in those areas where the Codes Project will examine an Informative Appendix to the code that encompasses established building models, such as ENERGY STAR Homes and the New Buildings Institute's Core Performance Guide.

NEEP is currently developing an operations and maintenance guidance document for public facilities due out soon.