VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

“JNANA SANGAMA”, BELGAUM – 590018

A Technical Seminar Report on

ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS
Submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of
Bachelor of Engineering
In
Civil Engineering

Submitted by
SACHIN R
1IC16CV018

Seminar Guide
Mr. PAVAN P GOWDA
Assistant Professor
ICEAS Banglore

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

IMPACT COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & APPLIED SCIENCE
Sahakaranagara, Bangalore – 560092
2019-2020
IMPACT COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES
Sahakaranagar, Bangalore-92.

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE
Certified that the Technical Seminar on the topic entitled “SUBMERGED FLOATING
TUNNEL” carried out by Mr. SACHIN R, USN 1IC16CV018, a bonafide student of
IMPACT COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES in partial
fulfillment for the award of Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering of the
VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, BELGAUM during the year
2019-20. It is certified that all corrections/suggestions indicated for Internal Assessment
have been incorporated in the Report deposited in the Departmental library.

The report has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in respect of Technical
Seminar prescribed for the said degree.

Mr. PAVAN P GOWDA Mr. AMBRESHWAR N Dr. A N KHALEEL AHMED

Assistant Professor Head of Dept, Principal
Dept. of Civil Engineering Civil Engineering ICEAS
Seminar Guide, ICEAS ICEAS
 DECLARATION

I, SACHIN R bearing USN No. 1IC16CV018, a student of 8th semester B.E.

(Civil Engineering) at Impact College of Engineering & Applied Sciences,
Bangalore, hereby declare that the technical seminar report entitled “ZERO
ENERGY BUILDINGS” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the award of degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering of the
Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi during the academic year of
2019-2020.

Place:Bangalore SACHIN R
Date: 1IC16CV018
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The satisfaction & euphoria that accompany the successful

completion of any task would be incomplete without mentioning the people
who made it possible because “Success is the abstract of hard work and
perseverance, but steadfast of all is encouragement and guidance”. So, we
acknowledge all those whose guidance and encouragement served as a
beacon light & crowned our efforts with success.
• We are grateful to Dr. A N KHALEEL AHMED, Principal, and
ICEAS for his kind co- operation and encouragement.
• We are extremely grateful to Mr. AMBRESHWAR N, Head of the
Department, Civil Engineering, for his co-operation andencouragement.

• We express our deepest gratitude and sincere thanks to our Seminar guide
Mr. PAVAN P GOWDA, Assistant Professor ICEAS for the valuable
guidance throughout the technical seminar work.

• We also thank all the Staff members of Department of Civil

Engineering for their help during the course of this Technical Seminar.

• Last but not the least; we thank our parents, family members & friends,
for their continuous and great support and encouragement throughout
this project.

SACHIN R
1IC16CV018
 TABELES OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 01:INTRODUCTION .................................................................................1
1.1:DEFINITION .......................................................................................... 2
1.1.1 ZERO NET SITE ENER…………………….……..……/ .............. 2
1.1.2 ZERO NET SOURCE ENERGY………..….…...……/ ...................... 2

1.1.3 ZERO NET ENERGY EMIS… ....................................................... 2

1.1.4 NET ZERO COST ......................................................................... 2
1.1.5 NET OFF-SITE ZERO ENERGY. ............................................... 3
1.1.6 NET ZERO ENERGY BUILDING ................................................................. 3
CHAPTER 02:MEASUREMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES
2.1BOUNDARIES… .................................................................................... 6
2.2ENERGY ACCOUNTING AND MEASUREMENT............................. 7
2.3SOURCE ENERGY CALCULATIONS…............................................. 7
CHAPTER 03:DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ...................................................... 9
3.1 ZERO ENERGY BUILDING vs GREEN BUILDING ....................... 10
3.2 INERNATIONAL INITIATIVES… .................................................... 11
3.2.1 INDIA............................................................................................. 11
3.2.2 AUSTRALIA ................................................................................. 11
3.2.3 UNITED STATES… ..................................................................... 12
3.3ENERGY HARVEST ............................................................................ 13
CHAPTER 04:DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS ........................................................ 14
4.1 INFLUENTIAL ZERO ENERGY AND LOW ENERGY
BUILDINS… ............................................................................................. 14
4.2 NET ZERO CARBON CONVERS ..................................................... 15
4.3 NET ZERO ENERGY BUILDING DEFINITION ............................. 15
CHAPTER 05:ADVANTAGES AND DIS ADVANTAGES ................................... 16
5.1ADVANTAGES… .............................................................................. 16
5.2 DISADVANT AGES… ...................................................................... 17
 TABELS OF FIGURES

Fig(1):SCHEMATIC BALANCE ...................................................................... 3

Fig(2):DIFFERENT TYPES OF BALANCE .................................................. 5

Fig(3):INDIRA PARIYAVARAN BHAVAN................................................ 11

Fig(4):AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL HOUSE ................................................ 12

Fig(5):ZERO EMISSION OFFICE BUILDING ............................................ 12

ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 2019-20

CHAPTER 01
INTRODUCTION
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office contracted
with the National Institute of Building Sciences (Institute) to establish definitions, associated
nomenclature and measurement guideline for zero energy buildings, with the goal of achieving
widespread adoption and use by the building industry. The Institute prepared this report, A
Common Definition for Zero Energy Buildings, to present the results of that work.
A zero energy building (ZEB) produces enough renewable energy to meet its own annual energy
consumption requirements, thereby reducing the use of non-renewable energy in the building
sector. ZEBs use all cost-effective measures to reduce energy usage through energy efficiency
and include renewable energy systems that produce enough energy to meet remaining energy
needs. There are a number of long-term advantages of moving toward ZEBs, including lower
environmental impacts, lower operating and maintenance costs, better resiliency to power
outages and natural disasters, and improved energy security. Reducing building energy
consumption in new building construction or renovation can be accomplished through various
means, including integrated design, energy efficiency retrofits, reduced plug loads and energy
conservation programs. Reduced energy consumption makes it simpler and less expensive to
meet the building’s energy needs with renewable sources of energy.
ZEBs have a tremendous potential to transform the way buildings use energy and there are an
increasing number of building owners who want to meet this target. Private commercial
property owners are interested in developing ZEBs to meet their corporate goals, and some have
already constructed buildings designed to be zero energy. In response to regulatory mandates,
federal government agencies and many state and local governments are beginning to move
toward targets for ZEBs ZEB.

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1.1 DEFINITIONS
1.1 .1 Zero net site energy
In this type of ZNE, the amount of energy provided by on-site renewable energy sources is
equal to the amount of energy used by the building. In the United States, “zero net energy
building” generally refers to this type of building.
Zero net source energy
This ZNE generates the same amount of energy as is used, including the energy used to
transport the energy to the building. This type accounts for energy losses during electricity
generation and transmission. These ZNEs must generate more electricity than zero net site
energy buildings.

Net zero energy emissions

Outside the United States and Canada, a ZEB is generally defined as one with zero net
energy emissions, also known as a zero carbon building(ZCB) or zero emissions
building(ZEB). Under this definition the carbon emissions generated from on-site or off-site
fossil fuel use are balanced by the amount of on-site renewable energy production. Other
definitions include not only the carbon emissions generated by the building in use, but also
those generated in the construction of the building and the embodied energy of the structure.
Others debate whether the carbon emissions of commuting to and from the building should
also be included in the calculation. Recent work in New Zealand has initiated an approach to
include building user transport energy within zero energy building frameworks.
Net zero cost
In this type of building, the cost of purchasing energy is balanced by income from sales of
electricity to the grid of electricity generated on-site. Such a status depends on how a utility
credits net electricity generation and the utility rate structure the building uses.
Net off-site zero energy
A building may be considered a ZEB if 100% of the energy it purchases comes from
renewable energy sources, even if the energy is generated off the site. buildings are stand-
alone ZEBs that are not connected to an off-site energy utility facility. They require distributed
renewable energy generation and energy storage capability. Off-the-grid buildings are stand-
alone ZEBs that are not connected to an off-site energy utility facility. They require distributed
renewable energy generation and energy storage capability .

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Net Zero Energy Building

Based on scientific analysis within the joint research program “Towards Net Zero Energy
Solar Buildings a methodological framework was set up which allows different definitions, in
accordance with country’s political targets, specific (climate) conditions and respectively
formulated requirements for indoor conditions: The overall conceptual understanding of a Net
ZEB is an energy efficient, grid-connected building enabled to generate energy from renewable
sources to compensate its own energy demand

Figure(1):Schematic Balance
Figure 1: The Net ZEB balance concept: balance of weighted energy import respectively
energy demand (x-axis) and energy export (feed-in credits) respectively (on-site) generation (y-
axis)
The wording “Net” emphasizes the energy exchange between the building and the energy
infrastructure. By the building-grid interaction, the Net ZEBs becomes an active part of the
renewable energy infrastructure. This connection to energy grids prevents seasonal energy
storage and oversized on-site systems for energy generation from renewable sources like in
energy autonomous buildings. The similarity of both concepts is a pathway of two actions: 1)

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reduce energy demand by means of energy efficiency measures and passive energy use; 2)
generate energy from renewable sources. However, the Net ZEBs grid interaction and plans to
widely increase their numbers of evoking considerations on increased flexibility in the shift of
energy loads and reduced peak demands

.Within this balancing procedure several aspects and explicit choices have to be determined:

• The building system boundary is split into a physical boundary which determines which
renewable resources are considered (e.g. in buildings footprint, on-site or even off-site, see[18])
respectively how many buildings are included in the balance (single building, cluster of
buildings) and a balance boundary which determines the included energy uses (e.g. heating,
cooling, ventilation, hot water, lighting, appliances, IT, central services, electric vehicles, and
embodied energy, etc.). It should be noticed that renewable energy supply options can be
prioritized (e.g. by transportation or conversion effort, availability over the lifetime of the
building or replication potential for future, etc.) and therefore create a hierarchy. It may be
argued that resources within the building footprint or on-site should be given priority over off-
site supply options.
• The weighting system converts the physical units of different energy carriers into a uniform
metric (site/final energy, source/primary energy renewable parts included or not, energy cost,
equivalent carbon emissions and even energy or environmental credits) and allows their
comparison and compensation among each other in one single balance (e.g. exported PV
electricity can compensate for imported biomass). Politically influenced and therefore possibly
asymmetrically or time-dependent conversion/weighting factors can affect the relative value of
energy carriers and can influence the required energy generation capacity.
• The balancing period is often assumed to be one year (suitable to cover all operation energy
uses). A shorter period (monthly or seasonal) could also be considered as well as a balance
over the entire life cycle (including embodied energy, which could also be annualized and
counted in addition to operational energy uses).
• The energy balance can be done in two balance types: 1) Balance of delivered/imported and
exported energy (monitoring phase as self-consumption of energy generated on-site can be
included); 2) Balance between (weighted) energy demand and (weighted) energy generation
(for design phase as normal end users temporal consumption patterns –e.g. for lighting,

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appliances, etc.- are lacking). Alternatively, a balance based on monthly net values in which
only residuals per month are summed up to an annual balance is imaginable. This can be seen
either as a load/generation balance or as a special case of import/export balance where a
“virtual monthly self-consumption” is assumed (see figure 1)

Figure(2):Different Types of Balance

Figure:2:The Net ZEB balance concept: Graphical representation of the different types of
balance: import/export balance between weighted exported and delivered energy,
load/generation balance between weighted generation and load, and monthly net balance
between weighted monthly net values of generation and load

• Besides the energy balance, the Net ZEBs can be characterized by their ability to match the
building's load by its energy generation (load matching) or to work beneficially with respect to
the needs of the local grid infrastructure (grind interaction). Both can be expressed by suitable
indicators which are intended as assessment tools only.

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ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 2019-20

CHAPTER 02

MEASUREMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

GUIDELINES
The guidelines that follow identify the methodology for establishing boundary
conditions, conducting energy measurements and achieving energy balances that support
applying the Zero Energy Building, Zero Energy Campus, Zero Energy Portfolio and Zero
Energy Community definitions. The guidelines address:

• Measurement boundaries for all definitions.

• Energy accounting and measurements.

• Source energy calculations.

• Using the “Zero Energy Building” designation.

• Using Renewable Energy Certificates.

Boundaries
The definitions require the use of a defined site boundary. The site boundary represents a
meaningful boundary that is functionally part of the building(s). For a single building on a
single property, the site boundary is typically the property boundary. The site boundary should
include the point of utility interface. Figure 1 shows the site boundary of energy and how it
forms from building energy, on-site renewable energy production, delivered energy and
exported energy.

The site boundary for a Zero Energy Building (ZEB) could be around the building footprint if
the on-site renewable energy is located within the building footprint, or around the building site
if some of the on-site renewable energy is on-site but not within the building footprint.
Delivered energy and exported energy are measured at the site boundary.The site boundary for
a Zero Energy Campus allows for the building sites on a campus to be aggregated so that the
combined on-site renewable energy could offset the combined building energy from the
buildings on the campus. The site boundary for a Zero Energy Community or Zero Energy
Portfolio would allow a group of project sites at different locations to be aggregated so that the

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combined on-site renewable energy could offset the combined building energy from the
aggregated project sites.

Energy Accounting and Measurements

A ZEB is typically a grid-connected building that is very energy efficient. The premise is
that ZEBs use the electric grid or other energy networks to transfer any surplus of on-site
renewable energy to other users.

ZEB energy accounting would include energy used for heating, cooling, ventilation, domestic
hot water (DHW), indoor The site boundary for a Zero Energy Building (ZEB) could be
around the building footprint if the on-site renewable energy is located within the building
footprint, or around the building site if some of the on-site renewable energy is on-site but not
within the building footprint. Delivered energy and exported energy are measured at the site
boundary. The site boundary for a Zero Energy Campus allows for the building sites on a
campus to be aggregated so that the combined on-site renewable energy could offset the
combined building energy from the buildings on the campus. The site boundary for a Zero
Energy Community or Zero Energy Portfolio would allow a group of project sites at different
locations to be aggregated so that the combined on-site renewable energy could offset the
combined building energy from the aggregated project sites. Zero Energy Communities can
share the benefit of renewable energy projects in the community that pool investments from
multiple building owners and provide power benefits in return.

Source Energy Calculations

Most building managers are familiar with site energy, the amount of energy consumed by
a building as measured by utility meters. Site energy consumption can be useful for
understanding the performance of the building and the building systems, but it does not tell the
whole story of impacts from resource consumption and emissions associated with the energy
use. In addition, site energy is not a good comparison metric for buildings that have different
mixes of energy types, buildings with on-site energy generation, such as photovoltaics, or
buildings with cogeneration units. Therefore, to assess the relative efficiencies of buildings
with varying fuel types, it is necessary to convert these types of energy into equivalent units of

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raw fuel consumed in generating one unit of energy consumed on-site. To achieve this
equivalency, the convention of source energy is utilized.

Source Energy
Energy Form
Conversion Factor (r)

Imported Electricity 3.15

Exported RenewableElectricity 3.15

Natural Gas 1.09

Fuel Oil (1,2,4,5,6,Diesel, Kerosene) 1.19

Propane & Liquid Propane 1.15

Steam 1.45

Hot Water 1.35

Chilled Water 1.04

Coal or Other 1.05

National Average Source Energy Conversion Factors

Source energy would be calculated using the following formula:

Esource = ∑i(Edel,irdel,i) - ∑i(Eexp,irexp,i)

Source energy is calculated from delivered energy and exported energy for each energy type
using source energy conversion factors. Source energy conversion factors are applied to
convert energy delivered and exported on-site into the total equivalent source energy. The
source energy conversion factors utilized are from ASHRAE Standard 105 . While on-site
renewable energy is a carbon-free, zero-energy-loss resource, when it is exported to the grid as
electricity, it displaces electricity that would be required from the grid. In ZEB accounting, the
exported energy is given the same source energy conversion factor as the delivered energy to
appropriately credit its displacement of delivered electricity. Table 1 summarizes the national
average source energy conversion factors for various energy types.

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CHAPTER 03

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

The most cost-effective steps toward a reduction in a building's energy consumption
usually occur during the design process.[22] To achieve efficient energy use, zero energy design
departs significantly from conventional construction practice. Successful zero energy building
designers typically combine time tested passive solar, or artificial/fake conditioning, principles
that work with the on-site assets. Sunlight and solar heat, prevailing breezes, and the cool of
the earth below a building, can provide daylighting and stable indoor temperatures with
minimum mechanical means. ZEBs are normally optimized to use passive solar heat gain and
shading, combined with thermal mass to stabilize diurnal temperature variations throughout the
day, and in most climates are superinsulated All the technologies needed to create zero energy
buildings are available off-the-shelf today.

• Sophisticated 3-D building energy simulation tools are available to model how a building
will perform with a range of design variables such as building orientation (relative to the daily
and seasonal position of the sun), window and door type and placement, overhang depth,
insulation type and values of the building elements, air tightness (weatherization), the
efficiency of heating, cooling, lighting and other equipment, as well as local climate. These
simulations help the designers predict how the building will perform before it is built, and
enable them to model the economic and financial implications on building cost benefit
analysis, or even more appropriate – life cycle assessment.
• Zero-energy buildings are built with significant energy-saving features. The heating and
cooling loads are lowered by using high-efficiency equipment (such as heat pumps rather than
furnaces. Heat pumps are about four times as efficient as furnaces) added insulation (especially
in the attic and in the basement of houses), high-efficiency windows (such as low emissivity,
triple-glazed windows), draft-proofing, high efficiency appliances (particularly modern high-
efficiency refrigerators), high-efficiency LED lighting, passive solar gain in winter and passive
shading in the summer, natural ventilation, and other techniques. These features vary
depending on climate zones in which the construction occurs. Water heating loads can be
lowered by using water conservation fixtures, heat recovery units on waste water, and by using

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ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 2019-20

solar water heating, and high-efficiency water heating equipment. In

addition, daylighting with skylights or solartubes can provide 100% of daytime illumination
within the home. Nighttime illumination is typically done with fluorescent and LED lighting
that use 1/3 or less power than incandescent lights, without adding unwanted heat.
And miscellaneous electric loads can be lessened by choosing efficient appliances and
minimizing phantom loads or standby power. Other techniques to reach net zero (dependent on
climate) are Earth sheltered building principles, superinsulation walls using straw-bale
construction, pre-fabricated building panels and roof elements plus exterior landscaping for
seasonal shading.
• Once the energy use of the building has been minimized it can be possible to generate all that
energy on site using roof-mounted solar panels. See examples of zero net energy houses here.
• Zero-energy buildings are often designed to make dual use of energy including that
from white goods. For example, using refrigerator exhaust to heat domestic water, ventilation
sheat the building. These buildings make use of heat energy that conventional buildings may
exhaust outside. They may use heat recovery ventilation, hot water heat recycling, combined
heat and power, and absorption chiller units

Zero energy building versus green building

The goal of green building and sustainable architecture is to use resources more efficiently and
reduce a building's negative impact on the environment. Zero energy buildings achieve one key
green-building goal of completely or very significantly reducing energy use and greenhouse
gas emissions for the life of the building. Zero energy buildings may or may not be considered
"green" in all areas, such as reducing waste, using recycled building materials, etc. However,
zero energy, or net-zero buildings do tend to have a much lower ecological impact over the life
of the building compared with other "green" buildings that require imported energy and/or
fossil fuel to be habitable and meet the needs of occupants.

Because of the design challenges and sensitivity to a site that are required to efficiently meet
the energy needs of a building and occupants with renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal,
etc.), designers must apply holistic design principles, and take advantage of the free naturally
occurring assets available, such as passive solar orientation, natural ventilation, daylighting,
thermal mass, and night time cooling.

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International initiatives
India
India's first net zero building is Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, located in New Delhi,
inaugurated in 2014. Features include passive solar building design and other green
technologies.[60] High-efficiency solar panels are proposed. It cools air from toilet exhaust
using a heat recovery wheel in order to reduce load on its chiller system. It has many water
conservation features.

Figure(3):Indira Pariyavaran Bhavan

Australia
In Australia, researchers have recently developed a new approach to the construction of
visually-clear solar energy harvesting windows suitable for industrialization and applications in
net-zero energy buildings. Industrial production of several prototype batches of solar windows
has started in 2016.Up to the December 2017, the State of Queensland has more than 30% of
households with rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The average size of Australian
rooftop solar PV system has exceeded 3.5 kW. In Brisbane, households with 6 kW rooftop PV
system and reasonable energy rating, for example 5 or 6 stars for Australian National House
Energy Rating, can achieve net zero total energy target or even positive energy.[

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ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 2019-20

Figure(4):Astralian National House.

United States
In the US, ZEB research is currently being supported by the US Department of
Energy (DOE) Building America Program,[74] including industry-based consortia and
researcher organizations at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL),
the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory (LBNL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). From fiscal year 2008
to 2012, DOE plans to award $40 million to four Building America teams

Figure(5):Zero Emissions office Building

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Energy harvest
ZEBs harvest available energy to meet their electricity and heating or cooling needs. By
far the most common way to harvest energy is to use roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels
that turn the sun's light into electricity. Energy can also be harvested with solar thermal
collectors (which use the sun's heat to heat water for the building). Heat pumps either ground-
air or ground near the building. Technically heat pumps move heat rather than harvest it, but
the overall effect in terms of reduced energy use and reduced carbon footprint is similar. In the
case of individual houses, various microgeneration technologies may be used to provide heat
and electricity to the building, using solar cells or wind turbines for electricity,
and biofuels or solar thermal collectors linked to a seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) for
space heating. An STES can also be used for summer cooling by storing the cold of winter
underground. To cope with fluctuations in demand, zero energy buildings are frequently
connected to the electricity grid, export electricity to the grid when there is a surplus, and
drawing electricity when not enough electricity is being produced.[12] Other buildings may be
fully autonomous.

Energy harvesting is most often more effective in regards to cost and resource utilization when
done on a local but combined scale, for example a group of houses, cohousing, local district or
village rather than an individual house basis. An energy benefit of such localized energy
harvesting is the virtual elimination of electrical transmission and electricity distribution losses.
On-site energy harvesting such as with roof top mounted solar panels eliminates these
transmission losses entirely. Energy harvesting in commercial and industrial applications
should benefit from the topography of each location. However, a site that is free of shade can
generate large amounts of solar powered electricity from the building's roof and almost any site
can use geothermal or air-sourced heat pumps. The production of goods under net zero fossil
energy consumption requires locations of geothermal, microhydro, solar, and wind resources to
sustain the concept.Zero-energy neighborhoods, such as the BedZED development in
the United Kingdom, and those that are spreading rapidly in California and China, may
use distributed generation schemes. This may in some cases include district heating,
community chilled water, shared wind turbines, etc. There are current plans to use ZEB
technologies to build entire off-the-grid or net zero energy use cities.

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CHAPTER 04
DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS

Wide acceptance of zero-energy building technology may require more government

incentives or building code regulations, the development of recognized standards, or significant
increases in the cost of conventional energy.

The Google photovoltaic campus and the Microsoft 480-kilowatt photovoltaic campus relied
on US Federal, and especially California, subsidies and financial incentives. California is now
providing US$3.2 billion in subsidies for residential-and-commercial near-zero-energy
buildings. The details of other American states' renewable energy subsidies (up to US$5.00 per
watt) can be found in the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. The
Florida Solar Energy Center has a slide presentation on recent progress in this area. The World
Business Council for Sustainable Development has launched a major initiative to support the
development of ZEB. Led by the CEO of United Technologies and the Chairman of Lafarge,
the organization has both the support of large global companies and the expertise to mobilize
the corporate world and governmental support to make ZEB a reality. Their first report, a
survey of key players in real estate and construction, indicates that the costs of building green
are overestimated by 300 percent. Survey respondents estimated that greenhouse gas emissions
by buildings are 19 percent of the worldwide total, in contrast to the actual value of roughly 40
percent.

Influential zero-energy and low-energy buildings

Those who commissioned construction of passive houses and zero-energy homes (over
the last three decades were essential to iterative, incremental, cutting-edge, technology
innovations. Much has been learned from many significant successes, and a few expensive
failures. The zero-energy building concept has been a progressive evolution from other low-
energy building designs. Among these, the Canadian R-2000 and the German passive
house standards have been internationally influential. Collaborative government demonstration
projects, such as the superinsulated Saskatchewan House, and the International Energy
Agency's Task 13, have also played their part.

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Net zero carbon conversion

Many well known universities have professed to want to completely convert their energy

systems off of fossil fuels. Capitalizing on the continuing developments in

both photovoltaics and geothermal heat pump technologies, and in the advancing electric
battery field, complete conversion to a carbon free energy solution is becoming easier. Large
scale hydroelectric has been around since before 1900. An example of such a project is in the
Net Zero Foundation's proposal at MIT to take that campus completely off fossil fuel
use.[38] This proposal shows the coming application of Net Zero Energy Buildings technologies
at the District Energy scale.

Net zero energy building definition

The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published a report called Net-Zero
Energy Buildings: A Classification System Based on Renewable Energy Supply
Options.[3] This is the first report to lay out a full spectrum classification system for Net
Zero/Renewable Energy buildings that includes the full spectrum of Clean Energy sources,
both on site and off site. This classification system identifies the following four main
categories of Net Zero Energy Buildings/Sites/Campuses:

• NZEB:A — A footprint renewables Net Zero Energy Building

• NZEB:B — A site renewables Net Zero Energy Building
• NZEB:C — An imported renewables Net Zero Energy Building
• NZEB:D — An off-site purchased renewables Net Zero Energy Building

Applying this US Government Net Zero classification system means that every building can
become net nero with the right combination of the key net zero technologies - PV (solar), GHP
(geothermal heating and cooling, thermal batteries), EE (energy efficiency), sometimes wind,
and electric batteries. A graphical exposé of the scale of impact of applying these NREL
guidelines for net zero can be seen in the graphic at Net Zero Foundation titled "Net Zero
Effect on U.S. Total Energy Use showing a possible 39% US total fossil fuel use reduction by
changing US residential and commercial buildings to net zero, 37% savings if we still use
natural gas for cooking at the same level.

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CHAPTER 05

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages:

• Isolation for building owners from future energy price increases

• Increased comfort due to more-uniform interior temperatures (this can be demonstrated with
comparative isotherm maps)
• Reduced requirement for energy austerity
• Reduced total cost of ownership due to improved energy efficiency
• Reduced total net monthly cost of living
• Reduced risk of loss from grid blackouts
• Improved reliability – photovoltaic systems have 25-year warranties and seldom fail during
weather problems – the 1982 photovoltaic systems on the Walt Disney World EPCOT
(Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) Energy Pavilion are still working fine
today after going through three recent hurricanes
• Extra cost is minimized for new construction compared to an afterthought retrofit
• Higher resale value as potential owners demand more ZEBs than available supply
• The value of a ZEB building relative to similar conventional building should increase every
time energy costs increase
• Future legislative restrictions, and carbon emission taxes/penalties may force expensive
retrofits to inefficient buildings
• Contribute to the greater benefits of the society, e.g. providing sustainable renewable energy
to the grid, reducing the need of grid expansion
• A zero energy home has very well insulated walls, triple-pane windows and is built to be
airtight. As a result your home is nice and quiet, free from outside noises and sounds.

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Disadvantages:
• Initial costs can be higher – effort required to understand, apply, and qualify for ZEB
subsidies, if they exist.
• Possible declines in future utility company renewable energy costs may lessen the value of
capital invested in energy efficiency
• New photovoltaic solar cells equipment technology price has been falling at roughly 17% per
year – It will lessen the value of capital invested in a solar electric generating system – Current
subsidies may be phased out as photovoltaic mass production lowers future price
• Without an optimised thermal envelope the embodied energy, heating and cooling energy
and resource usage is higher than needed. ZEB by definition do not mandate a minimum
heating and cooling performance level thus allowing oversized renewable energy systems to
fill the energy gap.
• Solar energy capture using the house envelope only works in locations unobstructed from the
sun. The solar energy capture cannot be optimized in north (for northern hemisphere, or south
for southern Hemisphere) facing shade, or wooded surroundings.

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CONCLUSION
The zero energy concept will reduce global warming and helps to retain the nature. The
specialty of the zero energy building, Prana project, is that the whole building is made keeping
sustainability and green building in mind. The every aspect of the building was planned with
‘green’ approach, showcasing the latest in HVAC technology alongside recycled materials.
Also it is necessary to optimize the usage of water, chilled water and hot water and STP and
solar energy conversion using suitable energy conversion devices. The building automation
system will help in optimizing the above said parameters. The prana building is developed to
demonstrate the feasibility of constructing zero energy building and demonstrate the
functionality of zero energy building in energy saving.

Assuming that photovoltaic panels are only advantageous in sunny places might not be correct.
In Finland where the summer is so short, have longer sunny days which can produce enough
energy. Keeping wind turbines also as a source of energy can produce energy in the night time
when there is no sunlight and the energy is used less during the night. The nights are usually
windy so the turbines can produce enough energy for night time.

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REFERENCES

1. "Zero Energy Buildings: A Critical Look at the Definition Paul Torcellini, Shanti Pless,
Michael Deru National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Drury Crawley, U.S. Department of
Energy. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report: NREL/CP-550-39833 June, 2006"

2. "A Common Definition for Zero Energy Buildings" (PDF). US Department of Energy.
September 2015.

3. Jump up to:a b ""Net-Zero Energy Buildings: A Classification System Based on Renewable

Energy Supply Options." Shanti Pless and Paul Torcellini. National Renewable Energy
Laboratory report: NREL/TP-5500-44586, June 2010"

4. "Nearly Z "Zero Energy Buildings: A Critical Look at the Definition Paul Torcellini, Shanti
Pless, Michael Deru National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Drury Crawley, U.S. Department
of Energy. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report: NREL/CP-550-39833 June,
2006"ero Energy Buildings". European Union. 2014-07-31.

5. Baden, S., et al., "Hurdling Financial Barriers to Lower Energy Buildings: Experiences from
the USA and Europe on Financial Incentives and Monetizing Building Energy Savings in
Private Investment Decisions." Proceedings of 2006 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy
Efficiency in Buildings, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Washington DC,
August 2006.

6. US Department of Energy. Annual Energy Review 2006 27 June 2007. Accessed 27 April
2008.

7. Alter, Lloyd (September 21, 2018). "Architecture 2030 goes after embodied carbon and this
is a very big deal". TreeHugger. Retrieved 2019-12-08.

8. Alter, Lloyd (April 29, 2019). "British architects are talking about embodied
carbon". TreeHugger. Retrieved 2019-12-08.

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