United States. The new definition announced by the Department of Energy was welcomed by organizations such as ASHRAE and will provide guidance to the construction industry to move toward zero emissions.
There are nearly 130 million existing buildings in the United States, which together cost more than $400 billion a year in heating, cooling, lighting and power, and 40 million new homes and 60 billion square feet of commercial space are expected to be built between now and 2050.
"The National Definition of Zero-Emission Building will support the sector as it advances innovative solutions essential to creating resilient communities and high-quality jobs," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "With today's announcement, the Department of Energy is helping to provide clarity to our public and private sector partners to support decarbonization efforts and drive investment, paving the way for the cutting-edge clean energy technologies we need to make America's buildings more comfortable and affordable."
One in four American households (and 50% of low-income households) struggle to pay their energy bills. Establishing a coherent definition of a zero-emission building will accelerate climate progress while also reducing energy bills for households and businesses. In addition, the definition of zero emissions provides certainty and clarity to the market to scale up new construction and retrofits with zero emissions.
Earlier this year, the DOE laid out a plan to reduce emissions from U.S. buildings by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. Significant technical advances in energy efficiency, heat pumps, and clean energy mean that new and existing buildings can help the nation achieve zero emissions, while ensuring domestic manufacturing of the low-carbon technologies and materials needed for these next-generation buildings.
In addition, the construction sector can connect to a grid that is rapidly becoming cleaner and help improve climate resilience. Buildings can be constructed and retrofitted to use a fraction of the energy they previously consumed.
Part 1 of the definition establishes criteria for determining that a building generates zero emissions from the use of energy in building operations. According to the definition, at a minimum, a zero-emission building must be energy efficient, free of on-site emissions from energy use, and run solely on clean energy. Future parts of this definition may address embodied carbon emissions (production, transportation, installation, and disposal of building materials) and additional considerations.
The Definition is not a regulatory standard or a certification. It is a guide that public and private entities can adopt to determine if a building has zero emissions from operational energy use. The definition is not a substitute for the sustainable building and energy efficiency standards and certifications that have been developed by public and private parties.
