Pace of Zero Net Energy Building Construction Could Exceed Expectations

Predicted estimates have the zero energy building construction market growing to $1.4 trillion in 2035, but the Turner Group is seeing rapid acceleration that could exceed those predictions

The H L Turner Group Inc.

William A. Turner, PE, LEED AP, Sr. VP of The H L Turner Group Inc. (Turner Group) and President/CEO of Turner Building Science & Design, LLC predicts that the pace of growth in Zero Energy Building (ZEB) construction will grow even faster than recent estimates done by Navigant Research, which indicates the market growing to $1.4 trillion in 2035. 

"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," Turner says. "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."

"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," says Harold Turner, PE, President  & CEO of The H L Turner Group Inc. "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."

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