by Rebecca Walker — August 29, 2008—Ferreira Construction, located in Branchburg, New Jersey, has maintained its “First Net Zero Electric Commercial Site in the US” building status during its second year of occupancy, according to the company.
The 41,508-square-foot shop/office building, constructed in 2006, serves as corporate headquarters for Ferreira Construction, The Ferreira Group, and Noveda Technologies.
It has a roof mounted 223 kW grid-tied photovoltaic system, high efficiency HVAC systems, solar domestic hot water system, and a proprietary Web-based real-time building energy monitoring called SunFlow Monitor.
At the building’s first year anniversary of July 12, 2007, the PV system had generated 16,800 kWh more in electricity than the building had consumed. On its second anniversary, the PV system had generated an excess of 21,120 kWh of electricity since its inception which equates to one month’s worth of electric consumption.
All three companies; Ferreira Construction, The Ferreira Group, and Noveda Technologies, have grown in workforce during their second year of occupancy. This resulted in more computers, additional computer servers, and increased air-conditioning loads when compared to our first year of occupancy. However, the building was still able to increase its electric surplus.
For more information, see the Ferreira Construction Web site.
