Net Zero Energy Buildings

This chapter reviews the net zero energy buildings (nZEB) definition, design, modeling, controlling, and optimization. Occupancies energy conservation behavior and their awareness and engagement are essentials for achieving the nZEC. The chapter presents the net zero energy community (nZEC) as an extension for applying the nZEB concept. Four usually known definitions for the ZEB are as follows: net zero site energy, net zero source energy, net zero energy costs, and net zero energy emissions. Several procedures have been proposed to create energy consumption models that imitates a building for load forecasting or price saving approximations. Considering the advancement of nZEBs and the complications of community-level energy problems, the formation of nZECs is a developing goal for local energy efficiency and sustainability. The nZEC has been presented as a solution for the mismatch between on-site renewable energy generation and nZEB demand.