Turner Group Predicts Pace of Zero Net-Energy Building Construction Will Exceed Expectations

CONCORD, N.H. — William A. (Bill) Turner, PE, LEED AP, senior vice president of The H L Turner Group Inc. and president/CEO of Turner Building Science & Design, LLC predicts the pace of growth in zero-energy building construction will grow even faster than recent estimates done by Navigant Research, who indicates the market growing to $1.4 trillion in 2035.

Turner says, “What we are experiencing on the ground level is rapid acceleration in the number of owners and builders going towards a zero net-energy platform. We are now able to demonstrate cost-effective strategies on a wide variety of building types that allow green buildings to also be high-performing buildings. The introduction of the LEED rating system clearly helped the green building marketplace to flourish. However, now that the enthusiasm over Gold and Platinum plaques has waned, building owners are more keenly focused on building long-term value into their green buildings. Zero net-energy buildings are now the new holy grail within the green building construction marketplace.”

Turner explains further: “By now all of us have come to understand that, despite the short-term fluctuations that occur in the cost of energy due to a number of factors, long-term energy prices continue to rise as a worldwide commodity. Building owners and developers are learning that there is real ROI value created in constructing high-performance buildings that shows up in sales levels, annual operating costs and resale pricing. Pocketbook issues have always been associated with building green. However, going further than just green by adding high-performance features changes the dynamics. People don’t have to waste time debating climate change, they can do ZEB construction now, based purely upon the economic fundamentals if they want…which only gets better over time as energy costs increase. It really is a win-win situation for everyone, unless you are in the fuel business.”

Greenenergy Communities is an example of one residential building developer who offers homes in California and Florida that are exclusively zero net-energy hoes.   They are certainly not alone, with ZNE buildings and builders popping up in every part of the country…along with clear initiatives in that direction coming from manufacturers, designers and building codes. In 2010, the Turner Group initiated the development of The ROSE Cottage Project, which was completed in 2012 and is located in a rural neighborhood in the capital city of Concord, New Hampshire. In addition to being a ZNE home, this green building project features multi-generational use and aging-in-place features as part of a sustainable design that incorporates long lifecycle values. The ROSE Cottage Project was the basis for Turner Group designers winning the 2013 Marvin Architect’s Challenge Showdown, as well as a 2013 Bosch Green Living Award. The ROSE Cottage Project was the first single-family home built as part of a privately funded RCMZeroEnergy.com educational website used to promote the use of the zero-net construction through web-based contact with consumers, builders and developers, together with its free e-newsletter, The Zero Net.

Photo courtesy of The H L Turner Group Inc.