Cost Analysis of Annual and Monthly Net Zero Energy Performance for Multifamily Buildings in the United States

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Architectural Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)ae.1943-5568.0000453· OSTI ID:1768322

McKittrick, Adam R. ^[1]; Henze, Gregor P. ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
2. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

As the United States continues its progress toward sustainable construction, net zero building design is becoming an increasingly important and popular topic. Two definitions of net zero energy performance, monthly and annual, provide different levels of energy autonomy and efficiency within a building. This article analyzes the viability and incremental cost for two-, three-, and four-story multifamily apartment buildings to reach both annual and monthly net zero energy performance throughout four climate zones in the United States using baseline reference buildings that represent current construction practices. Building size plays a large role in determining the capability for a building model to reach annual or monthly net zero. Two-story buildings are capable of reaching annual net zero with an increase in construction cost of about 4.4–5.6%. Three-story buildings in warmer climates can achieve annual net zero with an increase of about 5.1%, but models in colder climates cannot reach annual net zero performance. Four-story buildings cannot achieve net zero, owing to insufficient building area for solar arrays to produce electricity. Monthly net zero energy performance was significantly harder to achieve, with the only case reaching this goal being the two-story Houston based model, at an added cost of 8.2%. Generally speaking, only small buildings in warm climates will be able to achieve monthly net zero without vastly oversizing photovoltaic systems and increasing costs without adequate payback.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1768322
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA--5500-79217; MainId:33443; UUID:a1d48d38-6f85-4498-b852-2e0323709e08; MainAdminID:19755
• Journal Information: Journal of Architectural Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Architectural Engineering Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 27; ISSN 1076-0431
• Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
building design
construction costs
construction management
low-rise buildings
solar power
sustainable development