Most buildings today use a lot of energy, to keep the lights on, cool the

air, heat water, and power personal devices, even installing solar
systems will not significantly counter the heavy energy load, there are
however some buildings that strike a balance, or even tip the scales
the other way, these are called zero energy buildings. they manage
this feed by being extremely energy efficient, saving 50 to 70 percent
more energy than typical buildings. in these ultra-high performance
buildings the amount of energy use can be completely offset by
renewable energy produced on or around the building, when
conditions are not suitable for energy generation, the building will
draw energy from the electrical grid to meet its needs, when
conditions improve the on-site renewable energy systems will cover
the building's energy need and send excess energy back into the grid
to make up the balance , over the course of a year the building gives
back as much energy as it takes , when zero energy concepts are
applied to groups of buildings the benefits are shared and multiplied
within that 0 energy community , these buildings are also more
comfortable , more reliable , affordable to build and operate , and
better for the environment , while these might seem like buildings of
the future , new technologies are constantly emerging that make zero
energy easier and easier to achieve today , in fact there are already
hundreds of zero-energy buildings across the u.s. and many different
climates, by becoming ultra-efficient and giving back as much energy
as they consume, zero energy buildings will play an important part in
creating a more competitive energy secure future

Advantages of zero energy buildings are:

Isolation for building owners from future energy price
increases.
Increased comfort due to more uniform interior
temperatures.
Reduced requirement for energy austerity.
Reduced total cost of ownership due to improved energy
efficiency.
 Extra cost is minimized for new construction compared to an
afterthought retrofit.
Higher resale value as potential owners demand more zero
energy buildings s than available supply.
Disadvantages of zero energy buildings are:
Initial costs can be higher – effort required to understand,
apply and qualify for zero energy buildings subsidies.
Very few designers or builders have the necessary skills or
experience to build zero energy buildings
Possible declines in future utility company renewable energy
costs may lessen the value of capital invested
in energy efficiency.
Challenge to recover higher initial costs on resale of building,
but new energy rating systems are being introduced gradually.
While the individual house may use an average of net zero
energy over a year, it may demand energy at the time when
peak demand for the grid occurs. In such a case, the capacity
of the grid must still provide electricity to all loads. Therefore,
a zero energy buildings may not reduce the required power plant
capacity.
Without an optimized thermal envelope the embodied
energy, heating and cooling energy and resource
usage is higher than needed. zero energy buildings by definition
do not mandate a minimum heating and cooling performance
level thus allowing oversized renewable energy systems to fill
the energy gap.

Steps to zero energy building

https://zeroenergyproject.org/build/twelve-steps-affordable-zero-energy-
home-construction-design/
CONCLUSION
Wide acceptance of zero energy building technology may require more
government incentives or building code
regulations, the development of recognized standards, or significant
increases in the cost of conventional energy. The zero energy building
concept has been a progressive evaluation from other low energy
building designs. Among these,the Canadian R-2000 and the German
passive house standards have been internationally influential. India’s
first net zero building is Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, located in New
Delhi. Using standard building techniques and energy cost modelling,
zero energy homes can be very affordable to build.
.