Zero Net Energy: Beyond the buzzword
There may be major buzz around zero net energy buildings, but what does this mean beyond the buzzword? Integral Group’s new managing director in Australia, Andrew Mather, unpacks the opportunities for building owners.
The common definition of zero net energy (also called zero energy, net zero or ZNE) is a high-performing building that saves energy, avoids carbon emissions, and balances the energy used on a site with the solar, wind or geothermal energy generated on the same site.
In May, Santa Monica in California became the first city in the world to embed ZNE requirements into its building code, requiring all new single-family homes to be ZNE. Cambridge, Massachusetts plans to follow Santa Monica’s footsteps, phasing in ZNE in all new construction from 2020 starting with commercial buildings.
Many other cities in the United States have laid out similar plans, and the United States’ New Buildings Institute estimates that the number of ZNE projects increased by 74 per cent in 2016 alone.
“Constructing a cost-effective ZNE building is possible using technologies that are available today,” Mather says.
“As energy efficiency technology, such as battery storage and solar, continues to come down in price, and as ZNE design improves, it represents a new revenue stream for building owners,” he says.
Integral Group, which has a long pedigree as a green engineering specialist in North America, launched into the Australian market in September.
Mather has taken the reins as managing director after a long career with engineering firm WSP, having worked in the African, Asian and Australasian regions. He’s just finished a two-year term as national president of Consult Australia and was also a founding director of the Green Building Council of South Africa.
“The tenant driver for ZNE buildings isn’t there yet, because a tenant’s energy cost in most office buildings equates to roughly 10 per cent of rent costs.
“But if a building owner is able to save $10 per sqm on energy costs per year and charge this as rent, the value increases can add up,” he says.
For the tenant, the biggest potential reward may be found in improvements to productivity and performance.
“Net Zero Energy buildings emphasise abundant natural light and fresh air – the same features that attract tenants, earn design awards and can improve tenant retention, human health and wellbeing, not to mention reduce sick days,” he says.
The potential at the precinct scale is even more powerful. A precinct of high-performance ZNE buildings can slash greenhouse gas emissions while keeping energy dollars local, he says, pointing to Central Park and Barangaroo South as examples of ZNE precincts.
“Australia’s buildings are responsible for 23 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions.
“As governments and global institutions set carbon and energy goals, the whole world of construction is being challenged to make ZNE a reality. Our industry is uniquely positioned to make a real difference to Australia’s future, and that means taking a lead on ZNE.”
Integral Group is a global network of design professionals collaborating under a single deep green engineering umbrella. The company’s founder and chief executive officer Kevin Hydes is a former Chair of the US Green Building Council and World Green Building Council, and a founder and director of CanadaGBC.
Located in sixteen offices across North America, the United Kingdom and Australia, Integral Group is accelerating the shift towards environmentally responsive design by making sustainable designs affordable. Learn more about Integral Group online.