Designing or transitioning to a zero energy building can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to deciding where to start in the process. That’s why it’s important to get the best resources to help build a better future.
Zero Energy Building Design Tools | Department of Energy Skip to main content Enter the terms you wish to search for. Search National Labs Energy.gov Offices Leadership Newsroom History Organization Chart Work with Us Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Main navigation Buildings Home About EERE About EERE EERE Blog EERE News Leadership EERE Offices EERE Operations Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary's Office Contact EERE EERE FAQs Clean Energy Jobs Initiatives & Projects Success Stories Initiatives Energy.gov Home Resources Resources Careers and Education Energy Analysis Funding Publications Small Business Program States & Local Communities Technical Assistance Energy Efficiency Energy Efficiency Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Building Technologies Office Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Renewable Energy Renewable Energy Geothermal Solar Water Wind Sustainable Transportation Sustainable Transportation Bioenergy Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Vehicles button button Buildings About the Building Technologies Office About the Building Technologies Office Key Activities Peer Review Contact Us Emerging Technologies Emerging Technologies Building Controls Building Electric Appliances, Devices, and Systems Building Energy Modeling Building Equipment Solid-State Lighting Opaque Envelope Thermal Energy Storage Windows Residential Buildings Residential Buildings Building America Building America Research Tools & Resources News & Events Publications Building Science Education Home Energy Score Home Energy Score Partners Software Providers Research & Background FAQs Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Home Improvement Catalyst Zero Energy Design Designation Race to Zero Student Design Competition STEP Campaign STEP Campaign Partners and Organizers Resources Submit for Recognition Frequently Asked Questions About STEP Join the STEP Campaign SWIP Campaign SWIP Campaign Partners Resources Submit for Recognition Frequently Asked Questions About SWIP Join the SWIP Campaign Zero Energy Ready Home Program Zero Energy Ready Home Program ZERH Program Requirements ZERH Partner Central 45L Tax Credits and ZERH DOE Tour of Zero ZERH Partner Locator DOE-Recognized ZERH Certification Organizations ZERH Program Resources Housing Innovation Awards ZERH FAQs Commercial Buildings Commercial Buildings Wireless Metering Challenge Analysis Tools Analysis Tools Standard Energy Efficiency Data Platform Building Performance Database Energy Asset Score OpenStudio Technology Performance Exchange BuildingSync Building Energy Data Exchange Specification Design & Decision Support Guides Design & Decision Support Guides Advanced Energy Design Guides Advanced Energy Retrofit Guides Building Energy Modeling Guides Workforce Development & Training Zero Energy Buildings Zero Energy Buildings About Zero Energy Buildings Zero Energy Design Tools Zero Energy Technologies & Approaches Zero Energy Project Types Zero Energy Project Profiles Zero Energy Programs Appliance & Equipment Standards Appliance & Equipment Standards About About History & Impacts Statutory Authorities & Rules Regulatory Processes Plans & Schedules Reports & Publications Standards & Test Procedures Implementation, Certification, & Enforcement Implementation, Certification, & Enforcement Standardized Templates for Reporting Test Results Rulemakings & Notices Rulemakings & Notices Test Procedure Waivers How to Participate or Comment Public Meetings & Comment Deadlines Regulatory Processes Appliance Standards & Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee Further Guidance ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR Testing & Verification Building Energy Codes Success Stories Funding Opportunities Events & Webinars Zero Energy Building Design Tools Buildings Buildings Commercial Buildings Zero Energy Buildings Zero Energy Building Design Tools Designing or transitioning to a zero energy building can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to deciding where to start in the process. That’s why it’s important to get the best resources to help build a better future. The following design tools can help. Advanced Energy Design Guides OpenStudio Energy Modeling Platform URBANopt Advanced Energy Design Guides The Advanced Energy Design Guide—Achieving Zero Energy series(link is external) provides cost-effective approaches to achieve advanced levels of energy savings. The guides offer contractors and designers tools and recommendations for practical products and off-the-shelf technologies needed to achieve zero energy. These guides have been developed through the collaboration of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers(link is external) (ASHRAE), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with support from the Department of Energy (DOE), to help meet all of an owner’s energy performance requirements. Zero Energy Advanced Energy Design Guides are available for K-12 schools, office buildings, and multifamily buildings. Free downloads can be accessed through the ASHRAE(link is external) website. The guides include energy use intensity (EUI) targets for achieving zero energy, project profiles, cost-effective approaches to achieve energy savings, recommendations for practical products and off-the-shelf technologies, and tools to help contractors and designers. K-12 Schools(link is external) Offices(link is external) Multifamily buildings.(link is external) OpenStudio Energy Modeling Platform The OpenStudio energy modeling platform uses EnergyPlus as the engine to simulate the thermodynamic heat transfer and fluid dynamics that drive building performance. This open-source software is available to the public and private sector and provides a range of functions for experienced energy modelers that are interested in replicating the analysis used for the AEDG in their own building projects. The OpenStudio platform provides options for energy modelers to access and apply efficiency measures to their project’s particular building geometry, location, and operational schedules. This can be done by accessing the Building Component Library(link is external) (BCL) through a tool or service that supports the OpenStudio platform, such as the Parametric Analysis Tool (PAT). The BCL includes “Measures,” which are scripts that have been created to apply energy-saving measures to an energy model. For example, one Measure adds overhangs to all south-facing windows in a model, while another measure easily changes the efficiency of HVAC equipment. More complex Measures can even strip out and replace entire mechanical systems in a model. The BCL also includes “Components,” which describe detailed inputs of specific building elements such as a construction assemblies or the performance of a fan. Applications and services that support the OpenStudio platform can apply Measures and Components from the BCL to OpenStudio models. This enables building designers and modelers to easily add efficiency measures and packages of efficiency measures to project energy models for faster and more accurate evaluation. PAT enables energy modelers to create and run customized parametric analyses (analysis of multiple energy-efficiency measures) on local or cloud-based servers. PAT applies Measures to baseline building models to quickly compare the energy impacts of different energy-efficiency measures, helping designers understand the energy impacts of alternative design options. It also enables users to create and view various output reports and output visualizations to present results in clear, understandable formats. With PAT, modelers can perform detailed and powerful parametric studies in a reasonable amount of time for relatively low cost, facilitating a more comprehensive approach to achieving higher performing buildings. The OpenStudio platform uses a developer-friendly, open-source license and contains a lightweight command line interface that makes it easy for third-party organizations to incorporate the OpenStudio platform and BCL into their own tools and services. Furthermore, more sophisticated energy modelers can contribute to Component and Measure development within the OpenStudio modeling framework, while maintaining the license of content posted to the BCL. The user community may make contributions that add to or enhance existing components and measures to improve accuracy and help spread adoption of cutting-edge energy-efficiency measures. Learn more about using OpenStudio: http://nrel.github.io/OpenStudio-user-documentation/(link is external) Learn more about the Building Component Library: https://bcl.nrel.gov/(link is external) Learn more about Measures: http://nrel.github.io/OpenStudio-user-documentation/getting_started/about_measures/(link is external) Learn more about the Parametric Analysis Tool: http://nrel.github.io/OpenStudio-user-documentation/reference/parametric_analysis_tool_2/(link is external) URBANopt Urban Renewable Building and Neighborhood optimization (URBANopt(link is external)) is an advanced analytics platform for high-performance buildings and energy systems within one geographically cohesive area, such as a city block or district within a city. This tool offers open-source underlying workflows and measures that can be leveraged by the broader urban energy modeling community. URBANopt investigates: Building energy-efficiency features Energy storage strategies and technologies for buildings and districts Aggregated grid services Energy tradeoffs between building locations and geometry Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Forrestal Building1000 Independence Avenue, SWWashington, DC 20585 Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin An office of About Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy EERE Home Publications Library Contact EERE Energy.gov Resources Budget & Performance Directives, Delegations & Requirements FOIA Inspector General Privacy Program Small Business Federal Government The White House USA.gov Vote.gov Web Policies Privacy No Fear Act Whistleblower Protection Notice of EEO Findings of Discrimination Information Quality Open Gov Accessibility Vulnerability Disclosure Program