DOE Pursues Zero-Net Energy Commercial Buildings

DOE launched the Zero-Net Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI) on Tuesday, with the goals of developing new commercial buildings that produce as much energy as they use and making these buildings marketable by 2025. Such zero-net energy commercial buildings will minimize their energy use through cutting-edge energy efficiency technologies and will meet their remaining energy needs through on-site renewable energy generation.

To help with the CBI, DOE has also formed the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies (NLCBT), which will allow DOE and five of its national laboratories to work closely on the research, validation, and commercialization priorities that are critical to the success of zero-net energy buildings. Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will be working together under the NLCBT.See the DOE press release and the DOE Buildings Technologies Program.

DOE Unveils Initiative to Promote Energy Efficiency in Hospitals

DOE launched the EnergySmart Hospitals initiative on July 23, with the aim to increase the use of energy efficient technologies in hospitals across the U.S. The EnergySmart Hospital initiative will provide hospitals with design strategies, advanced energy design guides, technology assessments, case studies, training sessions, and an interactive Web site to help hospitals increase their energy efficiency.

The initiative intends to improve energy efficiency in existing hospitals by 20% and to help develop new hospitals that are 30% more efficient than the current building standards. It will also support hospitals in meeting the challenge of lowering costs while delivering quality patient care and maintaining healthy healing and work environments.

The nation's 8,000 hospitals are among the most energy intensive commercial buildings in the US, with more than 2.5 times the energy intensity and carbon dioxide emissions of commercial office buildings. Last year, hospitals spent more than $5 billion on energy. Unlike many other commercial buildings, hospitals must remain fully operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide services during power outages, natural disasters, and other events that would force other facilities to close. See the DOE press release and the EnergySmart Hospitals Web site.

Housing Act Aims to Encourage Energy Efficient Mortgages

President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 into law on July 30, and while the act is focused primarily on addressing the mortgage crisis in the U.S., it also includes measures to encourage the greater use of energy efficient mortgages (EEMs).

Such mortgages allow people to purchase or refinance their principal residence and incorporate the cost of energy efficiency improvements into the mortgage. But while the idea is laudable, the implementation of it is difficult, as the borrower must first receive a home energy rating report, usually from an energy consultant, and the report must demonstrate that the energy efficiency improvements are cost effective. After the loan closes, the money for the improvements is placed in an escrow account and is not released until an inspector verifies that the improvements are installed and will achieve the desired energy savings. Due to both the complicated nature of EEMs and a lack of awareness of them, the Federal Housing Authority has typically issued only about 30,000 EEMs per year.

To address that issue, Section 2902 of the new act requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop recommendations to eliminate the barriers to the use of EEMs and report to Congress within the next six months. The act also calls for HUD to carry out an education and outreach campaign for consumers, home builders, residential lenders, and other real estate professionals on EEMs and on the benefits of energy efficiency in housing.

In addition, Section 2123 of the act increases the limits for cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. For most homebuyers, the cost of improvements can now be nearly 5% of the property value, while it was previously limited to $8,000. But the act also limits the number of energy efficient mortgages to 5% of the number of mortgages for 1- to 4-family residences insured by HUD during the preceding fiscal year. See President Bush's signing announcement, the full text of the act (PDF 629 KB), and the HUD Web page on the Energy Efficient Mortgage Program.