3. How Building Technologies Contribute To Net-Zero Energy Design

摘要

Increased interest in and public awareness of environmentally preferable approaches to living and workinf—spurred in great part by the U.S. Green Building Council and its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating program—has, over the last decade or so, ignited a renaissance in high-performance building technology. Whereas in the past the public at large viewed the transportation sector—especially automobiles—as the chief culprit in terms of energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, in more recent times the building and construction sector has been tagged as responsible for nearly two-fifths (39%) of energy use and a commensurate amount of GHGs. As a result, the market for green building has improved dramatically, leading to greater investment in high-performance building science.