March 2018 - Net Zero Building Lessons

Post date: Mar 09, 2018 1:46:50 PM

Benjamin Skelton, PE

President, Cyclone Energy Group

Lessons Learned from Designing a Net Zero Energy Building

Walgreens opened the first-ever Net Zero Energy retail store in Evanston, Illinois in 2013. The design was unique and incorporated technology never before used, as well as many other cutting-edge technologies. The highlight is the all-natural CO2-based refrigeration system which consists of a never before designed transcritical heat pump technology that uses a vertical geo-exchange wells. Net-zero was achieved using micro-inverter solar panels and vertical wind turbines for energy generation. The project was designed and built to share the lessons learned, and there is a lot to share from this project. In 2016 it was awarded the prestigious ASHRAE International Technology Award in 2016.

Benjamin Skelton is the founder and president of Cyclone Energy Group, a Chicago-based building performance consulting firm. As a consulting engineer, Skelton specializes in energy efficient and sustainable buildings, and is recognized as an expert in building energy simulation, building commissioning, and retro-commissioning. He has worked on a wide variety of buildings and projects that include ENERGY STAR certification, U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification, and net-zero energy buildings. Benjamin has earned prestigious awards for engineering design including an ASHRAE International Design Competition 1st Place Design Award. He currently sits on the board for the International engineering society ASHRAE.