Kentucky Will Soon Boast the Nation's First Net-Zero Energy School

The school district of Warren County, KY, is in the process of constructing the nation's first net-zero energy public school. Kentucky? I am impressed, as Kentucky is not the first state that comes to mind in terms of green building. However, according to this article, the school district is actually quite well-known for their green focus, boasting energy-star ratings on 14 of the districts school buildings, and recently receiving the 2009 Andromeda Star of Energt Efficiency Award.

The school, Richardsville Elementary School, will feature a range of innovative solutions, including a "solar hall", where laptop computers can be recharged, a hall where the students can also witness how much energy is being received from the solar panels. The school will also feature a "geothermal hallway", "water conservation hallway" and a "recycling hallway", where information about the school's energy efficiency will be available for the students.

Looks pretty cool, right?

Read more at http://biofriendly.com/blog/energy/first-net-zero-energy-public-school-set-to-open-this-year/

First Net-Zero Electric Commercial Building in the U.S.

The New Jersey construction firm of Ferreira Construction, became a front-runner in energy-efficient commercial space, when their new net-zero energy headquarter, located in Branchburg, NJ opened in 2006. Ferreira Construction's primary field is the construction of heavy highways, road and bridges.

The 223 kW grid-tied photovoltaic system, consisting of 1,276, 175-watt solar panels provides the entire 41,508 square ft. building with sufficient energy, so effective that the PV system has met 100% of the building's electrical needs since its opening in 2006. According to the company's President Nelson Ferreira, the project was feasible thanks to incentives provided through the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and New Jersey's Clean Energy Program.

Definitely an example to follow, you can read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1521686/ferreira_construction_building_maintains_first_net_zero_electric_status/index.html

Seven Steps to a ZEH (Zero-Energy House)

Toolbase.org features a wide range of information on homebuilding, in terms of products, materials, building technologies and so forth. What makes this site great, is their Zero Energy Housing category, which features a number of cool links relating to ZEH. I found an interesting list on how to make your home a Zero-Energy Home, in seven "simple" steps. These steps include how to decrease energy requirements, increase efficiency of furnace/air-conditioner, efficient lighting fixtures and more. The site also includes list to important sources for information on the various steps needed. Check it out at http://www.toolbase.org/ToolbaseResources/level4CaseStudies.aspx?ContentDetailID=2472&BucketID=2&CategoryID=58

Timber Creek House - Zero-Energy Building

http://timbercreekzeroenergyhouse.com

The award-winning Texas architects of William Peck & Associates has recently finished a net-zero house in Lewisville, TX. The house serves as a demonstration project for the Department of Energy's "Building America" program, a program designed for encouraging Americans to focus on building green and energy-efficient. Much emphasis is put on how to least impact the surrounding environment, and a number of clever products and materials have been used, including: 95 % recycled content sheetrock, 85 % recycled content garage doors, LED and compact flourescent lighting and 5000 gal. rainwater collection for irrigation.

The design of the house looks very European and conventional and while this design is not too common in the U.S., the house could fit right into any newer Danish residential neighborhood. It would be interesting to know the total cost of building, too see if the idea of creating a neighborhood of net-zero houses is feasible.

Home Sweet Earthship - Autonomous Building

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-earthship

The Scientific American magazine has rather recently published an article featuring "earthships", an increasingly sought after type of autonomous building, mostly found in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Colorado. The idea of the "earthship" originated in the town of Taos, NM, a town which features several communities of these so-called "earthships". The homes are built by "natural and recycled materials, such as old tires and recycled cans", and are meant to be as autonomous as possible from infrastructural support. While a vast majority of fanatic environmentally friendly homes appears as just that - fanatic, these houses on the other hand features a more conventional design (perhaps the reason for the rising popularity?), and appears rather modern and comfortable. Want to own an earthship? Then follow this link -> http://www.taosearthships.com/

Blog is up & running

Welcome.

This blog will keep you posted and updated on news and projects occuring in the field of Autonomous & Zero-Energy Building technologies.

But first of all, what is this Autonomous and Zero-Energy Building?

An autonomous building is more or less a building built to be self-sufficient from external infrastructural supplies, for instance electricity power grids, sewage treatment systems, municipal water systems, gas grids, storm drains, and in extreme cases, even public roads. This autonomy is meant to provide an environmentally sustainable home, in addition to minimize costs for residents, due to the lack of infrastructure. Some advocates also points to the pros of living in an autonomous building in a case of terrorist-attacks or natural disasters, which will greatly affect a house connected to the general infrastructure, but will not affect an autonomous house.

A zero-energy building revolves around the idea of zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions. The idea behind this home is to develop a comfortable home, on par with standard housing in the developed world, with the use of zero-energy. Zero-energy housing is relatively common in developing parts of the world, as huts, yurts and caves are often used for housing. However, these forms of housing does not qualify as "comfortable living" in developed countries, which leads to the aspect of creating a comfortable and energy independent home - zero-energy building.