The fight against global warming and the expansion of sustainable energy practices have contributed to a number of growing trends, such as electric vehicles, smart homes and distributed generation. Add zero energy or net zero...

The recently retrofitted IBEW Local No. 332’s Union Hall in San Jose, Calif. is net-zero-energy efficient, with a 200-kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar array—spelling out “IBEW”—that can be seen from the air. Pacific Ridge Electric...

Developing buildings that generate as much energy as they use during the course of a year has become an important goal for the most environmentally minded owners and architects over the past decade or so, and a growing number...

In the quest for greater energy efficiency, the focus on buildings intensifies. This concentrated awareness is understandable as residential and nonresidential buildings account for a large portion of society’s total energy...