Page 16 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 1

ZERO NET ENERGY CASE STUDY BUILDINGS, VOL. 1 INTRODUCTION
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Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 1
As indicated in the ZNE case studies in this monograph, early adopters in the building design community have used the Site ZNE metric to set performance targets for their ZNE building proj- ects. These are typically given as a single number, the EUI, or Energy Use Intensity, represent- ing an engineering unit of thousands of Btu (British Thermal Units) per square foot of building area per year, or “kBtu/sf-year”. The Site EUI energy budget established for each of the ZNE case study buildings in this monograph is given in the building description along with the actual Site EUI measured during the first few years of operation.
With this detailed introduction to the basic concepts of zero-net-energy buildings completed, the ZNE building case studies follow.
—Edward Dean, FAIA, Bernheim + Dean, Inc., with Peter Turnbull, Principal, Commer- cial Buildings, Pacific Gas and Electric Company