Energy efficiency is central to most definitions of high-performance buildings. It is also central to BSC’s consulting, research, and education activities. At BSC, we believe in promoting energy efficiency and environmental responsibility within the constraints of marketable and affordable building technology.
The documents below discuss why energy is critical to sustainability and how to define and understand energy use (for example, through energy metrics). They also touch on key issues in energy reduction in buildings, such as thermal control and advances in window technology for commercial and residential buildings.
This report is an excerpt from the 2008 Building America Annual Report. Following the almost complete destruction of Greensburg, Kansas by a tornado in May, 2007, Building Science Corporation (BSC) was contracted to provide example house plans, support for the reconstruction of energy efficient houses and training for builders and trades. This report describes the results of BSC’s work to construct more than 20 energy efficient, affordable, durable houses in Greensburg, Kansas.
This paper was first presented at the 2011 ASHRAE Annual Conference. A startup builder in the San Francisco Bay Area has a goal of producing factory built/modular houses with net zero energy performance. Their first prototype was a two-story, two bedroom, urban infill townhouse design. It has been in operation for roughly a year, and has been extensively measured and monitored, providing information about its net zero performance.
