Growth of Zero Energy Buildings - New Buildings Institute

Published by Metal Architecture: The buildings industry is changing fast. Tomorrow’s project flow may not look like it has in the past. The fast-growing awareness of the impending climate crisis is driving major policy and market changes across North America and around the world. Buildings account for about 40% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. We cannot solve today’s most pressing climate challenges without addressing energy use and emissions in the buildings sector. This article features Alexi Miller, NBI Senior Project Manager.

New Buildings Institute (NBI) has been tracking zero energy (ZE) buildings for more than a decade now. In the first Getting to Zero Status Update published by NBI in 2012, we proudly reported 60 commercial and multifamily buildings or projects that were either Verified by NBI as having achieved zero energy performance or were Emerging to that level. Today, our free, interactive Getting to Zero Buildings Database maps more than 650 zero energy buildings across North America: that’s over 1000% growth in 10 years!