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July 2019

Our Latest Annual Report Celebrates Recent Accomplishments and the Legacy of the Organization 

Last year, NBI celebrated its 20th anniversary marking steadfast progress in achieving market transformation toward improved energy efficiency in the built environment. Our founders envisioned a new organization that would be dedicated to advancing codes, conducting research, and developing guidance needed to drive markets in energy efficiency in the building sector. With the help of our board members and valued sponsors and partners, we have even made strides to achieving market growth in ultra-low energy outcomes for buildings as well as the ultimate efficiency goal: zero energy and zero carbon.

We are proud to present the latest reporting of the work being done by our dedicated staff. Download the Fiscal Year 2017-18 Annual Report. 

Local Governments Can Lead by Example on Climate Action

From Missoula to Providence, cities across the country are looking at their own municipal building portfolios and assessing opportunities for efficiency improvements using a newly developed Public Building Portfolio Management framework. For the last two years, NBI and partners EcoEdge and Maalka have worked to create a practical and affordable process that helps cities to better understand how efficiently their own buildings use energy, how they compare to similar buildings, and to inform strategic decision making for funding efficiency improvements. The project was launched with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA). Each of the eight pilot communities was motivated to “lead by example” by improving the energy performance of their own building portfolios. The results of NBI-led analysis fed directly into a strategic planning and prioritization process designed to help cities develop concrete, achievable plans that clearly describe the role municipal buildings will play in meeting broader carbon reduction goals. The process undertaken with each city was documented and developed into guidance, including case studies for other jurisdictions looking to target improved energy performance in their own buildings as a way to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.

Want to learn more about Public Building Portfolio Management?

Join us for a webinar: Helping Cities Lead By Example

Join us to hear about the results of this three-year project and to learn about this replicable framework and a wide variety of free, open-source tools and resources available for local governments seeking to lead by example.

Thursday, September 12

10:00-11:00 AM PDT/ 1:00-2:00 PM EDT

New Local Government Toolkit Supports Better Building Efficiency

Cities, counties, state agencies, and other governing bodies can use a newly developed toolkit to help them “lead by example” by getting on a path to ultra-low/zero energy and carbon in their own buildings. The toolkit covers steps related to new and existing projects, and provides resources for communicating about the opportunities for advanced energy performance. It also provides critical resources on policies that can effectively drive better efficiency outcomes for privately owned buildings in the local community. 

Building Market Titans Team up to Create a New Energy Future

From left to right: USGBC Senior Vice President Brendan Owens; Earth Day founder, Bullitt Foundation President and CEO Denis Hayes; NBI CEO Ralph DiNola; 2018-2019 ASHRAE President Sheila J. Hayter, P.E; and the incoming 2019-2020 ASHRAE President Darryl Boyce . 

Two new agreements send a strong signal that prominent building industry organizations are coalescing around the expanding “getting to zero” movement. Both ASHRAE and the U.S. Green Building Council signed agreements in May with New Buildings Institute committing the organizations to work together on zero energy and zero carbon emissions building market development. As a growing number of cities and states commit to meeting the challenge of rapid adoption and delivery of improved efficiency and carbon reductions from buildings, these groups are working to ensure architects, engineers, builders and other buildings professionals have the information and training needed to deliver on the raft of improvements necessary to reach city and state targets.

NBI has launched the Getting to Zero Leadership Network to deliver information and resources to leaders interested in driving zero energy and zero carbon in the built environment. You are invited to connect with leaders who are working on the same issues, and gain support from others as you dive deep into thorny issues that are holding you back.  How you would like to engage and communicate with other leaders? Take the poll and join the network.

Energy and Carbon: Rethinking Words and Metrics in B uildings

Decarbonization. Electrification. Zero Carbon. The landscape for the building efficiency is changing rapidly and creating a degree of confusion and uncertainty around language and definitions of terms. As cities and states focus on carbon metrics, traditional utility and other programs are reexamining energy savings metrics to understand whether changes are necessary. Success will require a deliberate shift from promoting energy efficiency measures that result in kilowatt-hour savings to programs and policies that deliver overall carbon reductions and even carbon neutrality. Building efficiency must also expand to include grid enablement to address the growing number of distributed renewable resources. So how does this happen? Two new blogs from NBI look at how the infrastructure of traditional efficiency programs offer cities and states opportunities to achieve their carbon goals, as well as a new lexicon for talking about building decarbonization in this changing market. 

Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Goals Converge at the Built Environment

Decarbonizing Buildings: A changing lexicon  

Zero Energy Building Growth Continues in all Sectors

Join Us to Find Out More About the Current State of the Residential ZE Market

Growth in the number of projects continues in all sectors of the zero energy building market with a total of 580 commercial buildings in 2019, according to NBI’s annual release of the zero energy building count in the United States and Canada. Commercial buildings, including educational facilities and multifamily housing, have posted 10-fold growth since NBI began tracking and reporting in 2012. The most current numbers and analysis can be found in the new interactive Getting to Zero Buildings Database (see link below), which allows users to search by location, building type and other aspects. Similarly, residential projects are showing substantial gains. Learn more and register below.

Join Us for a Webinar: New Zero Energy Homes Inventory Shows Continuing Strong Growth 

Team Zero has concluded its fourth annual inventory of housing in the U.S. and Canada on the path to zero energy operations. Join us on an NBI-hosted webinar when Ann Edminster will share findings on the current state of ZE housing, with data on trends, emerging developments, and major influences in this still-nascent but rapidly expanding sector of the residential construction industry. Expe ct both some dramatic changes from prior years and some findings consistent with earlier inventories.  Also hear from a home builder about their own experiences pursuing zero energy performance in residences. 

Thursday, July 18

10:00-11:00 AM PDT/ 1:00-2:00 PM EDT

Featured speakers:

Ann Edminster

Principal   

Design AVEnues 

Geoff Ferrell

Chief Technology Officer

Mandalay Homes 

Alexi Miller

Senior Project Manager

New Buildings Institute

Key Takeaways from Recent IECC Code Development Hearings

Code officials, architects, builders, engineers and energy conservation professionals recently gathered in Albuquerque for the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)’s  Committee Action Hearings . The proceedings were the first step in a lengthy stakeholder process to update the 2021 IECC, which is the most widely adopted energy code used by states and local governments in the United States. The 2021 IECC, which will be voted on by eligible ICC members in November, is the best near-term opportunity to reduce energy demand by up to 15%  and curb carbon impacts from new buildings across the United States. At the end of 11 days of hearings, energy efficiency advocates had plenty of reasons to be optimistic that the stringency of the 2021 IECC will be vastly improved compared to the 2018 IECC.

Watch an on demand webinar that explains the outcomes from the recent IECC Committee hearings and lays out the best opportunities for achieving substantial energy savings in this important model energy code.

Learn more in a webinar, An Important Vote for the Climate:

2021 IECC Proposals To Know About

Join us for a webinar on the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) update process. During this 90 minute session, experts will outline the best opportunities for achieving substantial energy savings that will have decades-long impacts on the energy performance of residential and commercial buildings. Attendees will learn about critical proposals and public comments, steps governmental members must take to register to vote, and deadlines between now the online voting in November. International Code Council members and their registered voters can help make a difference in the 2021 IECC. Guides from NBI and our national partners will make it easy.  

Thursday September 19

10:00-11:30 am PDT/ 1:00-2:30 pm EDT

NBI is Working with Bloomberg American Cities to Improve Energy Codes

NBI has begun work with the cities of San José, California, and Denver, Colorado, to advance building electrification and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure through “reach” or “stretch” building codes. This work is supported by each cities’ status as a Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge winner and from their commitment to meet the greenhouse gas reduction targets of the international Paris Agreement. The Bloomberg Climate Cities. The American Cities Climate Challenge is an opportunity for 25 cities to accelerate their efforts to tackle climate change and promote a sustainable future for their residents.

 

The reach codes resulting from this process will enable San José to go beyond the minimum requirements of California’s latest Building Energy Efficiency Standards, which take effect on January 1, 2020. Denver’s stretch building code includes a pathway to zero energy buildings by 2035.

The current work on reach/stretch codes across the country represent some of the most advanced thinking on building efficiency requirements. Washington, DC, Boulder, Ithaca, New York City are some of the other jurisdictions that are utilizing this innovate approach to ensure regular and significant improvements to the rule that govern how new construction projects are designed and built.

New York State Is Leading the Northeast in Net-Zero Buildings

The 2019 New York Getting to Zero Status Report is a ground-breaking review of the state of the net zero energy buildings market in New York and provides detailed policy and market context about New York’s leading role in advancing deeply energy efficient and low-carbon projects. Against the backdrop of the state's energy efficiency commitment and recognizing the prominence of net zero energy and net zero carbon buildings in New York’s climate goals, NYSERDA commissioned this summary. As the report indicates, New York leads the Northeast region in number of documented NZE projects statewide including a list of the 132 best-in-class net zero energy, high performance, and Passive House buildings across New York State.

Cornell Tech Tower 2 | New York, NY

Credit: Handel Architects LLP

Where We'll Be: Catch up with NBI Staff at These Events

Upcoming Partner Events:

NZ19: The Net Zero Conference & Expo

The Los Angeles Convention Center

October 2-4, 2019

Join leaders in green at NZ19, the world's largest net zero building conference and expo. A hub for thought-leaders and industry-shapers in the Energy, Water, Waste, Transit, and Carbon sectors, NZ19 will bring 1,200+ green building pioneers from around the world to Southern California to inspire, educate, and evolve our built environment.

Learn More and register

Sustainable Building Week

Portland, OR

October 14-18, 2019

Sustainable Building Week has announced the dates for the second annual event-filled week for Portland’s AEC industry professionals and organizations. The week will bring the best and brightest together to educate, connect and foster opportunities for future collaboration to keep Portland on the forefront of the green building industry.

Learn More

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