Energy efficiency and net-zero buildings are becoming household concepts. The race to reduce environmental impacts has produced a boom in research and interest in the topic of clean energy and how to implement it. However, quick implementation without previous example can become difficult. The percentage of net-zero energy buildings is slim and designers are still working toward perfecting the execution. A solid, accepted definition and targets for net-zero energy are essential to ensure to most benefits and the least damage. This thesis investigates the development of net-zero energy performance targets to maximize the efficiency of all buildings.

A base case commercial office building located in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was selected to serve as an example for the application of energy efficiency strategies. An essential point bridging the gap between high performance and net-zero energy was defined by comparing existing literature and missing topics regarding high performance. Energy modeling and cost data were used to create a feasible high performance energy target as a marker for a building becoming net-zero ready.