June 13, 2022

Net Zero Buildings: 18 Industry Recommended Ways to Start Learning

Fact-based, industry-vetted, educational resources supporting a clean energy future.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), New Buildings Institute (NBI), and Southface Institute are working in concert under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s EMPOWERED program and unite almost 20 clean energy organizations as additional collaborators. The following list of resources were curated by project partners as part of our joint participation in Net Zero Buildings Week.

Check out the links below to access fact-based, industry-vetted educational resources on a variety of topics related to clean energy, energy efficiency, building technologies and more!

  • Construction Site Fire Safety
    National Association of State Fire Marshals
    This training program considers a wide spectrum of prevention strategies that can be implemented across all construction site stakeholders to prevent catastrophic fires in buildings under construction. A reduction in construction site fires limits the impact such fires have on the environment both through the resources required to extinguish such fires and the potential harmful materials released into the environment.
  • Commercial Lighting Controls Handbook
    Southface
    The Commercial Lighting Controls Inspection Handbook is intended for use by code officials when inspecting commercial construction projects in for compliance with ASHRAE-2013 or IECC-2105.
  • Framework for Design Excellence
    American Institute of Architects
    The Framework for Design Excellence represents the defining principles of good design in the 21st century. Comprising 10 principles and accompanied by searching questions, it seeks to inform progress toward a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy built environment.
  • How Cities Can Advance Electric Vehicle Adoption
    Forth Mobility
    Learn about cities that have lowered barriers to public adoption of electric vehicles. While there are variables unique to each city in terms of demographics, geography and community priorities, their experiences offer valuable lessons to any city as it prepares for transportation electrification.
  • Green Buildings Database
    Earth Advantage
    The Green Building Registry™ is a public website containing over two million records on single-family and multifamily buildings. It provides energy efficiency and green home data across the US from a variety of data partners.
  • Climate-Smart Zoning and Permitting
    Metropolitan Area Planning Council
    The Municipal Net Zero Playbook provides guidance and tools to equip cities and towns with the resources to tackle their climate goals in an efficient and equitable manner. It’s an interdisciplinary tool for municipal planners, energy/ sustainability staff, and community members that seeks to empower cities and towns to implement net zero actions within their communities.
  • Quick Guides to Distributed Energy Codes
    Interstate Renewable Energy Council, International Code Council, Southface
    Downloadable PDF guides to model codes for solar (PV and thermal), energy storage systems, electric vehicles, high performance building systems, and building automation and controls.

This material was developed by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). It is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Award Number DE-EE0009455 (“EMPOWERED”). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.