Approach 3: Build Ultra-Low Energy Buildings

New construction built today will last several decades. Since 2010 in Miami-Dade County, an average of 10.5 million square feet of floor space was added each year, increasing to 13.9 million square feet from 2015 to 2019. Thus, incorporating energy efficiency in the design phase is essential to lock in energy savings from year one. Although retrofits are possible, it is cheaper to design structures that have energy conservation features holistically integrated into the building where all the various building systems work in synergy. Extremely efficient structures are called Ultra-Low Energy (ULE) or Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB). New construction must transition towards ULE or ZEB standards by 2030.

Metrics:

• Number and square feet of ultra-low energy buildings

Researchers, government staff and practitioners’ efforts at improving efficiency in new homes and other type of buildings has been successful. Building upon this success, advanced energy efficiency strategies need to be incorporated in the design phase which will result in long-term energy savings. Although retrofits are possible, it is cheaper to design structures that have energy conservation features holistically integrated into the building where all the various building systems work in synergy. The goal is to have new construction be Ultra-Low Energy (ULE) or Net Zero Energy. Net Zero Energy (NZE) buildings, also commonly referred to as “zero net energy,” or “zero energy” produce as much energy as it is consumed. Ultra-Low Energy (ULE) buildings, also referred to as zero-energy ready, are energy-efficient buildings that could operate as zero-energy with the addition of on-site renewables. In Florida, there are 7 buildings that are NZE verified with two located in Ft. Lauderdale.

Community-wide, new construction follows the Florida Building Code (FBC) which is updated on a 3-year cycle and dictates efficiency standards. The FBC is based on the International Energy Conservation Code, which improved efficiency for residential and commercial buildings in its latest update by 10%, compared to the previous version.

Another key pathway to ensure buildings are sustainable and resilient is Miami-Dade County’s Sustainable Buildings Program (SBP). Initially implemented in 2008, the SBP requires new construction that is owned, leased, or financed by Miami-Dade County to attain the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, and major and non-major renovations to attain LEED Certified status. The USGBC LEED certification is the leading program in the nation for green buildings and communities. Since its inception, 23 SBP-qualifying projects achieved LEED certification, and there are over 2.8 million square feet of new or renovated “green” space currently planned for the County (41 qualifying projects spanning 8 departments). This translates to an estimated energy savings of $28 million over the next 20 years and an estimated reduction of around 420 million pounds of CO₂e.

The Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience is proposing changes to the Sustainable Buildings Program that would expand the program to formally require certification for qualifying infrastructure projects under the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) Envision certification. The proposed revisions address resilient design practices for projects that qualify for the Sustainable Buildings Program but cannot meet LEED requirements, clarifies the applicability of the program to public projects that use non-traditional financing mechanisms, and establishes clearer thresholds for project types.

Miami-Dade County actions:

• Plan for the first ULE or NZE County building
• Offer monetary and/or non-monetary incentives to promote the construction of ULE or NZE buildings
• Organize a green building fair and competition to showcase technologies and innovations to facilitate new ultra-low energy construction [Community Recommendation]
• Assess embodied carbon in new construction and create policies and programs to reduce it [Community Recommendation]