The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently launched the Zero-Net Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI) with the objective of developing new commercial buildings that produce as much energy as they use by 2025. Energy-efficiency technologies and on-site renewable energy generation systems, including solar power and geothermal energy, will help make this possible. DOE also has formed the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies, which will allow the department and five of its national laboratories to work together on the research, validation, and commercialization priorities that are important to achieving zero-net energy buildings.

"DOE's Commercial Building Initiative and the Collaborative are urgently needed to accelerate innovation and market adoption in the field of high performance buildings," says DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency David Rodgers. "Now we are bringing to bear the unprecedented collaboration in scientific resources of five national laboratories to bring about the needed transformation of the built environment, lower our carbon footprint in buildings and accelerate commercial deployment of clean, efficient building technologies."

To learn more about DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs in buildings, visit http://buildings.energy.gov.