NZEB examples to inspire

These three facilities are current examples of net-zero energy buildings (NZEB).

By Scotte Elliott, CEM, Metro CD Engineering, Powell, Ohio July 26, 2013

Bullitt Center, Seattle. Billed as “The Greenest Commercial Building in the World,” the grand opening of this six-story 50,000-sq-ft NZEB was held on Earth Day, April 22, 2013. The building is designed to have an energy use intensity (EUI) of 16 kBtu/sq ft/yr with all energy generation needs supplied by the rooftop solar array.

Melink Headquarters, Milford, Ohio. Designed as net-zero energy capable building and constructed in 2006, renewable energy systems were incrementally added until this 20,000-sq-ft building achieved net-zero energy status in 2011 with an EUI of 18.8 kBtu/sq ft/yr.

NREL Research Support Facility, Golden, Colo. This 360,000-sq-ft net-zero energy office building showcases numerous high-performance design features, many of which are a direct result of NREL research efforts. The building has an EUI of 35 kBtu/sq ft/yr, which includes a high-performance data center. 


Scotte Elliott is an electrical engineer and energy specialist at Metro CD Engineering in Powell, Ohio. He is a Certified Energy Manager, a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional, and past division chair of the American Solar Energy Society.

Learn more about net-zero energy design and how to save energy on data centers below.