Leading in LA

Report / December 26, 2018 / Existing Buildings

New Buildings Institute led a major research project funded by the California Energy Commission in response to the critical need to greatly reduce energy use in California’s existing commercial buildings with cost-effective and scalable solutions. Working with prominent energy efficiency…

Aiming for Zero Energy in Existing Buildings

Post / October 10, 2018 / Existing Buildings, Operations & Maintenance

This blog was originally published as an article in Facility Executive on October 9, 2018. As the extreme weather impacts of a changing climate become more urgent, cities and states are racing to put in place strategies that will reduce...

Dreaming the Future: How Zero Net Energy Design Can Transform the School Environment

Webinar / June 13, 2018 / Existing Buildings, HVAC

Education is rapidly emerging as a leading sector among zero net energy (ZNE), high performance buildings. ZNE schools are highly efficient buildings that can meet all their energy needs with on-site renewable resources. Studies show that classrooms with sustainable attributes…

Prop 39 ZNE School Retrofit Pilot Case Studies

Webinar / May 31, 2018 / Existing Buildings

This one-hour webinar will highlight two projects that demonstrate the proof-of concept in ZNE school retrofits: Newcastle Elementary School and Los Osos Middle School. Attendees will advance their knowledge of the stakeholder engagement, building assessment, design process, and technology applications…

SMUD Zero Energy for Existing Buildings Workshop

Event / June 26, 2018 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm PDT / Existing Buildings

This workshop will outline best practice steps and approaches to comprehensively enhance the energy performance of existing buildings to ZNE. The workshop will investigate retrofit opportunities in individual buildings as well as how advanced benchmarking can help prioritize opportunities across…

Inefficiency is Old School: A Technical Deep Dive for Getting to Zero in Schools

Event / October 30, 2018 @ 1:00 am - 5:00 pm PDT / Existing Buildings

The four-hour interactive workshop in Pasadena, CA, will highlight technical design features, technology packages and construction practices from the ongoing journey of the Proposition 39 ZNE pilot schools. Attendees will advance their knowledge of the design process, technology application and…

Delivering The Winning Pitch: Making the Business Case for ZNE Schools

Event / June 26, 2018 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT / Existing Buildings

The zero net energy (ZNE) process can be daunting! Discover how the spark of an idea can ignite buy-in and fire-up key decision makers in the ZNE process. This three-hour session focuses on the business of creating ZNE in California’s…

Dreaming the Future: How Zero Net Energy Design Can Transform the School Environment

Webinar / June 13, 2018 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT / Existing Buildings

Education is rapidly emerging as a leading sector among zero net energy (ZNE), high performance buildings. ZNE schools are highly efficient buildings that can meet all their energy needs with on-site renewable resources. Studies show that classrooms with sustainable attributes…

Prop 39 ZNE School Retrofit Pilot Case Studies

Webinar / May 31, 2018 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT / Existing Buildings

This one-hour webinar will highlight two projects that demonstrate the proof-of concept in ZNE school retrofits: Newcastle Elementary School and Los Osos Middle School. Attendees will advance their knowledge of the stakeholder engagement, building assessment, design process, and technology applications…

Public Buildings Portfolio Management

Guideline / January 11, 2018 / Existing Buildings

Hundreds of Mayors across the United State have made formal commitments to the Paris Climate Accord. Others have signed onto the 2030 Challenge and/or the Better Buildings Challenge. To meet these goals, an effective strategy to track, manage, and improve…