Topic: Existing Buildings
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…
Cities Get Help to Prioritize Energy Upgrades, Improve Codes and Policies that Drive Better Building Performance
Post / April 21, 2017 / Benchmarking & Feedback, Existing Buildings
Buildings are responsible for almost half of all U.S. energy consumption (46%), and poor-performing buildings have an outsized impact on energy use. But without a systematic approach to track building performance, it’s often difficult to know where to start. By setting...
SMARTScale
Online Tool / February 21, 2017 / Existing Buildings
Introducing SMARTScale... In 2014, the US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a grant to NBI partner Ecology Action to create and demonstrate a nationally scalable model targeted to utility and public benefits efficiency program operators for delivering deep retrofits in…
Ultra-Low Energy High Rise Office: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Headquarters
Case Study / December 19, 2015 / Existing Buildings
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) headquarters is an ultralow-energy, Class A office building that pushes the norm in sustainable design. Located in downtown San Francisco, the 13-story building houses more than 900 employees who were previously located in…
Ultra-Low Energy Multifamily Residence: La Valentina North Townhomes
Case Study / December 19, 2015 / Existing Buildings
The La Valentine North Townhome project is the result of a partnership between SMUD and the owner/developer of the project, Domus Development LLC. The 18-unit affordable multifamily development is a research and demonstration project in SMUD’s Townhouse Home of the…
Verified ZNE K-12 School: Redding School for the Arts
Case Study / December 19, 2015 / Existing Buildings
Redding School for the Arts in Northern California connects education and arts for K-8 students in a community of 90,000 people. The school was originally created in August 1999 in response to the rapid decline of arts programs in local…
Verified ZNE Small Office Retrofit: DPR Construction
Case Study / December 19, 2015 / Existing Buildings
Acting as owner, designer and contractor, DPR rehabbed a near-obsolete, 1984 building into a vibrant, zero-net energy multi-tenant office. DPR’s new 24,000 SF tenant improvement includes an open office space along with 11 conference rooms, a large gathering area and…