ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Details Net-Zero Energy Buildings

Efficiency Gold Standard Continues to Set New Mandates
BETHESDA, Md.--(Business Wire)--
A handful of energy-efficient buildings that have achieved net-zero energy are
driving new mandates for energy efficiency, according to the latest issue of
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine. According to the examples in Jeff Gavin`s
article, "The Full Gain of Net-Zero," net-zero energy buildings actually produce
their own energy, ultimately offsetting the energy they expend. Some also
produce more energy than they use, and can sell the excess back to the utility.
The efficiency perfection of these tightly constructed buildings are also
leading communities and states to set 15- to 30-year target dates when new
construction must meet net-zero.

"Power quality and its impact on consumers is part of our growing residential
content," said John Maisel, publisher of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine by the
National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md.

* Aldo Leopold Legacy Center: a conservation center in Baraboo, Wis.: the
highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-rated building in
the United States for new construction, meeting all of its energy needs on site
and using 70 percent less energy than a National Electrical Code-compliant
building. The Center`s roof-mounted solar array is projected to meet 110 percent
of the building`s energy needs annually. H&H Group Inc., Madison, Wis., served
as the primary subcontractor, and added solar energy to the project seven years
ago. H&H`s net-zero strategies included daylighting controls, motion sensors,
compact fluorescents, a grid-tied photovoltaic system, a geothermal radiant
floor systems and an air chamber forced air system that greatly reduces HVAC
energy use.
* Austin, Tx.: will require all of its community`s new homes to be
net-zero-energy capable or able to operate completely off the grid by 2015, with
Dallas and other Texas cities setting their own green-construction standards.
California`s Energy Commission has recommended similar goals by 2020 for the
entire state.

For the full article, go to:
http://www.ecmag.com/index.cfm?fa=article&articleID=10361

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR delivers 85,300+ electrical contractors and 68,000+
electrical contracting locations, more than any other industry publication.Web
site: www.ecmag.com.

National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
Lorelei Harloe, 703-362-2774
lh@ascendcomm.com
www.ecmag.com

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