U.S. energy consumption in buildings outpaces usage in transportation and by industry. Reducing energy consumption by buildings, or replacing it with non-emitting, renewably generated energy, has therefore been identified as a critical step in managing climate change. "Zero net energy buildings" are one proposed approach to the problem. The strategy entails pushing the tradeoffs between energy efficiency and renewable energy generation to the level of individual buildings, where it can be evaluated during design, construction, and operation. Since some energy use cannot be eliminated, these designs use local generation, often by photovoltaics, to bring the net energy usage to zero.

To help build consensus on how to evaluate low- and zero-energy construction, the Academy's Green Buildings Discussion Group this year presents a four-part series on zero net energy building, including case studies, review of global efforts, and a discussion of the role financial incentives and valuations.