The Technical Feasibility of Zero Net Energy Buildings in California

This report presents the findings of a forward-looking “stress test” study on the zero net energy (ZNE) new construction goals set forth by California’s energy agencies, which establish a 2020 target for all residential new construction and a 2030 target for all commercial new construction, to reach zero net energy.
The study assesses the potential performance of best-in-class building designs in 2020 for both residential and commercial structures. The analysis refined and simulated an integrated package of efficiency features and on-site renewable energy systems that could move each of twelve prototype buildings as close as is reasonably possible to ZNE. The study’s central finding is that ZNE buildings will be technically feasible for much of California’s new construction market in 2020.