Transforming and benchmarking a LEED certified university building into a net-zero-energy building in the subtropics

The 2010 Florida State University System Energy Conservation Report, published in December 2010, reported that Florida International University (FIU) topped all state universities in energy conservation for three consecutive years with a score of 61.9590 kBTU per square foot. (The Environmental Protection Agency established kBTU per square foot as the key performance indicator for energy efficiency in its Energy Star rating program.) However, the energy score is not benchmarked against the American Institute of Architecture and Department of Education 2030 Challenge to make buildings carbon-neutral or Net-Zero-Energy buildings until 2030. (1)nThe topic of Net-Zero-Energy-Buildings (Net-ZEBs) has received increasing attention in recent years, until becoming part of both E.U. 2020 Regulation and U.S. DOE policies on energy efficiency in buildings. The term Net-ZEBs refers to the very low amount of energy required to operate a building and should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby.