Challenges of achieving zero energy education buildings

[摘要] Buildings have significant impacts on the environment, economy, and society. Buildings account for 40% of the total energy consumption in the U.S. To improve the energy efficiency of buildings, the use of zero energy buildings (ZEB) has increased in recent years. The main objective of this research study is to investigate the challenges of attaining a zero energy education building by analyzing a case study of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) building at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The ECE building was envisioned and planned to be the largest zero energy education building in the country and the world. Although the building has been in operation since 2015, it is still attempting to attain its zero energy goals and performance.The objectives of this study are to (1) conduct a comprehensive literature review of the current practices and the latest research conducted on zero energy buildings; (2) evaluate the performance of a large education building, that was planned to be the largest ZEB in the U.S., as a case study, to analyze the challenges confronting its design and construction; (3) investigate the causes that prevented the analyzed case study from accomplishing its zero-energy goal and develop recommendations to enhance its current performance; and identify lessons learned that can be used to improve the design and construction of future similar ZEB.

[关键词] Zero Energy Building, Sustainability, Education Building