NZE Action Bulletin

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) represents 60,000 members in over 130 countries, but nowhere is its work to advance the Earth and space sciences more visible than at the organization’s headquarters near DuPont Circle in Washington, DC. AGU began a renovation of its building this spring to update equipment and materials in its 25-year-old building. … Continue reading AGU net-zero energy renovation to slash building energy use

United Therapeutics located in Silver Spring, MD, plans to open a net-zero energy building, the Unisphere, this month. The 125,000-square-foot building contains office spaces, virtual laboratories, retail, and an additional 75,000 square-foot parking structure. To reach the net-zero goal, the building will use 75% less energy than equivalent buildings in the areas and will be … Continue reading United Therapeutics Digs Deep for Energy Efficiency

When Arlington County set out to build a new 98,000-square-foot elementary school, which opened in 2015, project managers decided to pursue a net-zero energy (NZE) performance goal. The effort resulted in the largest NZE public school in the United States and serves as a living laboratory for students, faculty and visitors on energy efficiency and … Continue reading A 21st Century School: Discovery Elementary

Washington DC Mayor Bowser signed the Green Finance Authority Establishment Act of 2018 earlier this month, making the District the first U.S. city to establish a green bank. The innovative policy tool seeks to expand renewable energy, lower energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create green jobs. “Washington, DC is a global leader on … Continue reading Historic Green Finance Authority Establishment Act established a green bank in the District

Exponentially falling costs of residential photovoltaic (PV) equipment in California has led to high market PV adoption. The high cost-effectiveness of these systems could soon justify residential building standards requiring PV installation in new buildings. However, CEC’s cost-effectiveness analysis is limited to the home and does not account for the utility-scale costs of PV grid … Continue reading Grid integration study

EnVision, a new zero net energy (ZNE) community in Clovis, California, broke ground August 2017 and is expected be one of the largest to date in the Golden State. The development will be California’s largest detached, single-family ZNE community to date with 36 homes. "We know that at some point the state will require everyone to … Continue reading Clovis is soon to be home to one of California’s largest ZNE communities

San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is responsible for educating over 56,000 students from grades kindergarten through 12th, preparing them for the future. In late September, the Board of Education took action to ensure that future would be sustainable by passing the Carbon-Neutral Schools Resolution. The resolution makes SFUSD the first in the nation to … Continue reading San Francisco schools take aim at reducing carbon, energy use