Selling ‘zero net energy’

August 18, 2014

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “zero net energy”? What about “zero energy” or “net zero energy”? And what about if I use these phrases to describe a building?

Across the country, leading designers, architects and builders are striving to meet a new standard in high performance buildings. Often called “zero net energy” or ZNE, these buildings are designed to produce onsite as much energy through renewable means as they use in a year. ZNE buildings can be found across the country, from the rainy and cloudy Pacific Northwest to the Deep South and Central Appalachia.

If expanding the number of buildings striving for this ZNE status is a goal worth pursuing, then what’s the best way to promote it?

That’s a question we’ve been grappling with along with our friends at the New Buildings Institute. And we’re hoping you can help us find the answer.

Together, we’ve created a survey designed to solicit information about the best way to talk about and “sell” the ZNE concept.

We hope you’ll help us out by filling out the survey and circulating the link to your colleagues and friends.

We want to hear from people from all walks of life: builders and designers, engineers, developers, regulators, building owners, tenants, NGOs, clean energy advocates, homeowners and others.

We’ll be actively collecting responses through the end of September, so please take a minute to take the survey and forward the link along to colleagues and friends. Thanks!

Amy Frykman

Above photo by Green Energy Future via Flickr/Creative Commons