Did you know that buildings are one of the largest energy consumers of any sector? According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), residential and commercial buildings account for 40 percent of energy use in the United States and 74 percent of the electricity use.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 is driving design parameters for new U.S. federal government buildings to be net zero energy (NZE) by 2030, and all federal buildings to be net zero energy by 2050. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) also set a national goal in 2010 to achieve NZE in 50 percent of all commercial buildings by 2050.