To help drive the building industry toward market-viable net-zero-energy buildings, ASHRAE is hosting a specialty conference on the topic in March in San Francisco.

“We have a reached a time when the building industry is being called to shift to a new level of performance that will reduce our energy and carbon footprint,” Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president, said. “It is time to advance net-zero-energy building knowledge.”

"ASHRAE’s Countdown to a Sustainable Energy Future...Net-Zero and Beyond" conference takes place March 29-31 at Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. The conference will provide a forum to discuss the role of policy and regulatory involvement in addition to providing application knowledge for the various aspects of net-zero-energy buildings for both residential and non-residential buildings. It will include building science, energy efficiency in HVAC, lighting and appliances, and renewable energy sources applied to buildings.

To register or for more information, visit www.ashrae.org/netzeroconference.

ASHRAE defines net-zero-energy buildings as those which, on an annual basis, use no more energy from the utility grid than is provided by on-site renewable energy sources. These buildings use 50 to 70 percent less energy than comparable traditional buildings, and the remaining energy use comes from renewable sources, like solar panels or wind turbines incorporated into the facility itself, according to Harrison. He noted that the state of California recently announced its goal of new residential developments being net-zero-energy by 2020 and new commercial developments being net-zero by 2030.

“As the industry seeks solutions to these challenges, ASHRAE must be there to help disseminate the knowledge,” he said.