A building that produces all the energy it requires, without sacrifices to its operations or concessions of human comfort, might sound like pie in the sky. But according to the New Buildings Institute (NBI), 160 commercial and institutional buildings in the U.S. are targeting or have achieved net zero energy—meaning that, over the course of a year, they produce at least as much energy from renewable sources as they consume. Although 160 admittedly is a small number, only two years ago the nonprofit institute's count was less than half of that, at 60 buildings. What's more, these aspirations are no longer limited to small demonstration projects: net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) now encompass everything from schools to federal office buildings and laboratories, and many have large, sophisticated programs.
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