Net-Zero Energy Building Enhancement for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum Educational Facility

In the United States, university buildings use 17% of total non-residential building energy per year. According to the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), the average lifecycle of a building in a university is 42 years with an EUI (energy use intensity) of 23 kWh/m/y. Current building and energy codes limit the EUI to 16 kWh/m/y for new school buildings; this benchmark can vary depending on climate, occupancy, and other contextual factors. Although the LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) system provides a set of guidelines to rate sustainable buildings, studies have shown that 28%-35% of the educational LEED-rated buildings use more energy than their conventional counterparts. This paper examines the issues specific to a LEED-rated design addition to an existing university building. The forum, a lecture hall expansion of to an existing building at the University of Kansas, has been proposed as environmentally friendly and energy-efficient building addition. Comfort and health aspects have been considered in the design in order to obtain LEED platinum certificate. The forum’s energy performance strategies include a double-skin facade to reduce energy consumption and PV (photovoltaic) panels to generate onsite energy. This study considers various scenarios to meet NZEB (net-zero energy building) criteria and maximize energy savings. The feasibility of NZE criteria is evaluated for: (a) seasonal comparison; (b) facility occupancy; (c) PV panels’ addition in relation to double skin facade. The results of NZEB approach are compared to LEED platinum requirements, based on RoI (return on investment) and PV panel’s efficiency for this specific educational building.