Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB)

Concepts, Frameworks and Roadmap for Project Analysis and Implementation

Shady Attia

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9780128124628
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Civil Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB): Concepts, Frameworks and Roadmap for Project Analysis and Implementation provides readers with the elements they need to understand, combine and contextualize design decisions on Net Zero Energy Buildings. The book is based on learned lessons from NZEB design, construction, operation that are integrated to bring the most relevant topics, such as multidisciplinarity, climate sensitivity, comfort requirements, carbon footprints, construction quality and evidence-based design. Chapters introduce the context of high performance buildings, present overviews of NZEB, cover the performance thresholds for efficient buildings, cover materials, micro-grid and smart grids, construction quality, performance monitoring, post occupancy evaluation, and more.- Offers a roadmap for engaging in energy efficiency in high performance buildings projects- Combines solid grounding in core concepts, such as energy efficiency, with a wider context that includes the technical, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions- Covers key areas for decision-making- Provides a logical framework to analyze projects in the context of environmental change- Presents worldwide examples and cases for different climates and societies

Chapter 1

Introduction to NZEB and Market Accelerators

Abstract

In the light of climate change, the building sector is required to implement large scale high-performance buildings. Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) are solid solutions to delivering healthy and energy-efficient buildings that also generate energy. NZEB are based on renewable energy technologies and high resource efficiency measures to manage quality and optimize building performance. NZEB can accelerate the industry for a greener economy. In this chapter, we present the key market accelerators that will increase the market uptake of NZEB. We provide data as well as perspectives on the future of the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry and how to reach NZEB status. Finally, we summarize the book chapters and share the lessons learned to position the AEC industry towards the future of technological solutions and innovations in the building sector.

Keywords

Climate change; energy security; high-performance buildings; health; zero energy; smart buildings; smart grids

Abbreviations

AEC Architectural, Engineering and Construction

ASC active systems controls

ASHRAE American society for heating and refrigeration engineers

BAC building automation and control

BIM building information modeling

BMS Building Managements Systems

DER distributed energy resources

DOE US Department of Energy

EPBD energy performance of buildings directive

EPC energy performance certificate

EC European Commission

EUI energy use intensity

HVAC-R heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration

IAQ indoor air quality

IEQ indoor environmental quality

KPI key performance indicators

LCA life cycle analysis

NAHB National Association of Housing Builders

NAR National Association of REALTORS

nZEB nearly Zero Energy Buildings

NZEB Net Zero Energy Buildings

PM particular matter

PEB positive energy buildings

POE postoccupancy evaluation

REHVA Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations

RET renewable energy technologies

RMI Rocky Mountain Institute

SME small and middle-size enterprise

US United States

WGBC World Green Building Council

1 Introduction

Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) are going to be the next big frontier for innovation and competition in the world’s real estate market and can be rapidly scaled across Europe and North America. The Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is under increasing pressure to deliver cost-effective, robust, ultra-low energy buildings at a fast speed. Embracing energy efficiency in high-performance buildings implies in accepting a new paradigm in the construction cycle. All stakeholders (architects, engineers, contractors, and owners) must agree beforehand on the performance levels.

NZEB are a significant part of energy efficiency strategies worldwide. As buildings represent about 30%–40% of the final energy use worldwide, the reduction of their energy demand is the key for a sustainable future. Besides being updated with energy-efficient technologies, every stakeholder should have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the area and be familiar with the roadmap of such projects. Therefore, this book provides AEC professionals and researchers with fundamental concepts and analytic frameworks to make decisions in the context of energy-efficient and healthy buildings.

NZEB are ultra-low energy buildings that meet their energy needs annually from renewable sources, produced onsite or near-by. Examples and models for NZEB already exist throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. NZEB definitions and concepts vary across Europe (Attia et al., 2017a). The strength of NZEB is based on combining the supply and demand sides of energy for the same building. Also, NZEB is a promising concept for Smart Cities. NZEB empower building owners and tenants and makes them seek ultra-efficiency and generate energy onsite. At the same time, NZEB are complex and require greater attention for planning, design, construction, and operation. They require systematic performance metrics and monitoring. If design teams are not experienced, this can result in greater costs. Therefore, we wrote this book to guide decision makers and inform them about the methods and approaches to achieve NZEB construction in a speedy and cost-effective way.

Several authorities and organizations including the European Commission (EC), World Green Building Council, American Society for Heating and Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE), the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA), US Department of Energy (DOE), and several national ministries strongly believe that states and local governments should work together to enable NZEB for new construction in their jurisdictions to scale large development and make a concerted effort to facilitate enabling policy design and stakeholder engagement to support this global project. Such effort would not only promote innovation and development in the real estate sector, but would also help leverage the abundant solar potential in states, encourage local job creation, and increase employment overall. This is a win-win market-based solution with a business case for states, local governments, developers, and homebuyers across the world.

Local governments and professionals in the AEC industry need to understand the fundamentals of energy efficiency and performance-based buildings before engaging in related projects. They need to position themselves towards future technological solutions and best practices in the building sector. There are major barriers among professionals to manage, design, and construct NZEB: Mainly the lack of understanding about the trias energetica concept and performance-driven design approach benefits, and methodological and systematic advice on how to implement high-performance buildings (see Chapter 2, Section 3). This book offers a roadmap to make decisions, analyze the technological solutions, and related tools currently available. We strongly believe that states and local governments should work together to enable new construction in their jurisdictions to scale new NZEB development and make a concerted effort to facilitate enabling policy design and stakeholder engagement to support the mechanism. The worldwide cases and examples presented in this book help translate the concepts to practice, also taking into consideration a variety of climatic and societal conditions. The book provides models to increase comfort, safety, energy neutrality, and affordability to scale NZEB to single and multiple families and, at the same time, commercial buildings in the market over time. This book shows how to promote innovation and development of NZEB and help leverage the abundant solar potential in urban areas, encourage more local job creation, and increase employment overall. Cutting-edge energy efficiency technologies and construction techniques are presented with a business case for local governments, developers, and homebuyers.

The book offers a roadmap for engaging in energy efficiency in high-performance buildings projects. It combines a solid grounding in core concepts of this subject area, such as viewing energy efficiency with a wider context to include the technical, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions. We explore comprehensive building modeling techniques as a tool to achieve NZEB on a large scale. The book provides logical frameworks and different roadmaps to analyze projects in the context of environmental change. Also, the book presents worldwide examples and cases for different climates and societies. We focus on lessons learned and shared best practices. The target audience is meant to be professionals in the AEC industries—building engineers and professionals. In particular, eight types of readers would benefit from reading this book, namely:

1. 1. Developers and building owners
2. 2. Architects
3. 3. Engineers and building consultants
4. 4. Contractors
5. 5. Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HAVC-R) and Building Automation and Control (BAC) professionals and manufactures
6. 6. Property managers and building operators
7. 7. Government (policy makers) and public funds officials
8. 8. Graduate students and academics

The book addresses NZEB for industrial countries following high-tech approaches, as well as NZEB for nonindustrial countries following low-tech approaches. In the following sections, we present the accelerating factor that will make NZEB a main stream win-win market-based solution with a business case for nations, local governments, developers, and homebuyers. We also explore and summarize the structure of the book by providing a summary for each chapter in Section 5.

2 Climate Change and GHG Emissions

The AEC industry is under increasing pressure to deliver sustainable and neutral buildings. The global ecosystem of nature, in which we all live, cannot support present rates of economic and population growth (Meadows et al., 1972). After the great disaster in East Japan in 2011, the need for self-sufficient buildings and assured energy security has become crucial. There is a new generation of standards, certification schemes, and codes to create sustainable buildings (Attia, 2018). There is a rapid development and increasing market share of rapidly-built, affordable, all-electric NZEB. Homes are being turned around health, comfort, and energy performance standards at breakneck speed. NZEB are remarkably leading the way in utilizing local materials and local skills with a smart, methodological, and lean approach to design, construction, and operation. Both policy makers and the AEC industry are confronted with a range of challenges and opportunities when it comes to reducing energy consumption, improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and increasing the use of renewables.

2.1 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have an impact on economy, society, and environment. The never-ending stream of carbon pollution break records for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide exceeded the 410 parts per million threshold in many cities across the world. The cause of the steady increase of carbon dioxide is human activities that emit carbon pollution. Those human activities are altering the basic chemistry of our atmosphere and destabilizing the climate (Berry et al., 2017). Since the industrial revolution, human activities have added more carbon dioxide than plants can take up resulting in climate variability and change. As a consequence, temperatures have risen by roughly 1°C, sea levels have inc...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1. Introduction to NZEB and Market Accelerators
• Chapter 2. Evolution of Definitions and Approaches
• Chapter 3. Net Zero Energy Buildings Performance Indicators and Thresholds
• Chapter 4. Integrative Project Delivery and Team Roles
• Chapter 5. Occupants Well-Being and Indoor Environmental Quality
• Chapter 6. Materials and Environmental Impact Assessment
• Chapter 7. Energy Systems and Loads Operation
• Chapter 8. Smart-Decarbonized Energy Grids and NZEB Upscaling
• Chapter 9. Construction Quality and Cost
• Chapter 10. Occupant Behavior and Performance Assurance
• Chapter 11. NZEB Case Studies and Learned Lessons
• Chapter 12. Roadmap for NZEB Implementation
• Index