The Zero Energy Building Award seeks the best building in the Northeast that produces as much power as it needs to heat, cool, illuminate and provide other functions required by occupants over the course of a year. The goal of the competition is to honor a building that offers great comfort and amenities with little impact on the environment.

While many aspects of a building's environmental impact are important, such as its pollution and use of resources, this competition focuses on the energy required to operate buildings in the northeastern climate. While the embodied energy of building materials is an important consideration, it will not be used as a primary way to judge buildings for this award. "Zero energy" means that the building does not need to burn or buy more energy than it produces over a full year. Energy can be stored on site in forms such as batteries or thermal storage. The grid can be used as seasonal storage via net metering, as some buildings produce more in the summer and use more in the winter, but when the annual accounting is complete, the total net energy use must be zero or better.

JUDGES

Entries will be evaluated by a panel of distinguished judges. Judges will include Larry Sherwood of Sherwood Associates, past Executive Director of NESEA and ASES; Michael H. Nicklas, FAIA, Principal Innovative Design, Inc.; and Ron Judkof, Director of Buildings & Thermal Systems Centers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.