First net zero energy commercial green building in the Northeast
Hudson Valley Clean Energy, based in Rhinebeck, New York, up the Hudson River from New York City, claims it ran a surplus in its first year of operations, from July 2007 through July 2008. The trick is a super-insulated building with ENERGY STAR appliances, along with a 160-meter deep geothermal loop heat pump system for year-round heating and air conditioning, plus 850 square feet of solar PV and solar thermal panels. This ain’t rocket science, folks, it’s just a good application of building science. The real key is to cut electricity use with the geothermal heat pump system, so that the solar system can be much smaller than it otherwise would be to handle the A/C load. When the net zero claim is verified, the building will claim a $10,000 prize from the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, as the first net zero commercial building under continuous occupancy (no weekend homes) with a practical power source that is easily replicable. Reportedly, the solar and geothermal system added about $100,000 ($18 per sq.ft.) to the overall project costs.
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