High Performance Buildings 101

What are High Performance Buildings?

High performance buildings are buildings with excellent energy efficiency, water efficiency, occupant comfort, and indoor air quality. High performance buildings are often all-electric and may include onsite energy generation and storage.

Some core principles of high performing buildings are low space heating and cooling demands due to a well-constructed building envelope, efficient appliances such as heat pumps, and superior ventilation and filtration to improve air quality.

What is Building Decarbonization?

All-electric buildings have the capability of eliminating operational greenhouse gas emissions by using only clean energy (purchased from the power grid and/or produced onsite), and preventing leakage of coolant.

Building decarbonization can also feature reduced embodied carbon, meaning using materials and construction practices that minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Examples include adaptive reuse, mass timber instead of concrete, low-carbon concrete, and electrified construction equipment.

Benefits of all-electric high performance buildings

  • Reduced utility bills

  • More resilient in a disaster

  • Happier, Healthier residents / happier, more productive employees

  • Reduced fire risk

  • Higher building value

  • Future-proofed for future climate policies

  • Cleaner indoor air and less polluting into the community

  • Reduced strain on the grid

New construction and existing buildings

The most cost-effective time to maximize the performance of a building is when it is being constructed. However, it is possible to improve the performance of existing buildings. Check out the Strategic Performance and Decarbonization Planning Guide for a structured approach to retrofit planning.

Building Performance Foundations