Towards net zero energy buildings

The current developments in energy efficient buildings start to integrate the electricity grid and partly also the district heating or cooling net into their annual energy balance. The aim is to have a energy or emission neutral or even positive balance over the year. The International Energy Agency has started a joint project on those buildings within the Solar Heating and Cooling and the Energy Conservation and Buildings and Communities programmes with the name "Net zero energy buildings". The proposed recast of the European Directive for the energy performance of buildings highlights zero energy buildings as final goal for new buildings. Member States shall be requested to develop roadmaps to reach this goal. The paper will present exemplary approaches for net zero energy buildings in the middle-European climate including the design, used technologies and monitoring results.