Net-Zero Buildings: Cost-Effective and Sustainable for New Construction

This training is rescheduled from its original date of June 4, 2024.

July 24, 2024, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET

FEMP IACET: 0.2 CEUs

Level: Intermediate

This course will cover federal sustainable and net-zero emissions buildings goals and requirements, the path to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions, and net-zero buildings life cycle costs.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

  • Identify the federal mandates and drivers behind net-zero buildings.
  • Recognize how to utilize best practices for planning and designing net-zero buildings.
  • Identify case studies from the national labs on achieving net-zero efforts.

Instructors

  • Otto Van Geet is a principal engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He has been involved in the design, construction, and operation of energy-efficient research facilities such as laboratories and data centers, office and general use facilities, and low-energy-use campus and communities. 

    Van Geet was one of the founding members of the Labs21 (Smart Labs) program and his experience also includes renewables screening and assessment, photovoltaic system design for on- and off-grid applications, energy audits, and minimizing energy use. 

    Van Geet has authored many technical reports and conference papers and been recognized with many awards from professional associations, including the 2007 Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management and the 2011 GreenGov Green Innovation Presidential Award for the NREL Research Support Facility data center.

  • Rick Mears, P.E., is program manager support for the data center program in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). He also serves as the FEMP lead for the technology validation and sustainable buildings programs. 

    He has over 12 years of experience in the energy and sustainability fields and has provided energy resilience, energy and sustainability management, carbon accounting, and energy policy support across federal agencies. 

    Rick is a Certified Energy Manager and has a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University and an engineering degree from Cornell University.

  • Shanti is a senior commercial building energy researcher at NREL. His research focuses on the broad adoption of net-zero energy/carbon design and operational practices through applied research, innovative demonstrations, Cleantech Group startup technical guidance, academic engagements, high-impact publications, and informed industry outreach. 

    His active research projects include integrating net-zero carbon strategies into the emerging off-site and affordable housing construction industry. He also focuses on supporting innovative development approaches to zero energy, including district-scale energy planning and how-to resources for emerging developers. 

    He is active in the green building design and construction industry and is a frequent speaker at industry events. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Colorado, teaching classes on sustainable construction and real estate.

About FEMP Training

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) provides live and on-demand training to foster and maintain a high-performance workforce that constructs, operates, and maintains energy-efficient and cost-effective federal facilities. Choose from over 120 free courses spanning topics like project financing, facility and fleet optimization, fleet management, resilience, sustainable product procurement, and more.

FEMP is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and awards IACET continuing education units (CEUs) upon the successful completion of select courses. FEMP training is provided through the National Institute of Building Sciences' Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) learning management system.