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Dyer 1

Megan Dyer

Professor Padgett

English 102

3/14/17

Humans Reach for Net-Zero to Save the Earth Commented [PA1]: I like this title!

An Annotated Bibliography

Inquiry: How practical is it to achieve net-zero?

Proposed Thesis: Despite controversies over global warming and reaching net-zero, advances are

already being made throughout the construction and engineering industries to attain net-zero

through various strategies, but there are still some setbacks. Commented [PA2]: Can you be more specific at
identifying these setbacks? So in other words, are they
largely political?
Intro

A current hot topic of debate is Global Warming. Although many people believe it is happening

and is creating harmful effects on the world, few are actually taking action to combat it, but

luckily advances to reach net-zero energy emissions are growing. Despite controversies over

global warming and reaching net-zero, advances are already being made throughout the

construction and engineering industries to attain net-zero through various strategies but there are

still some setbacks. Various advances are being made in homes and small building but high-rise,
Commented [PA3]: I like that I have a strong sense of
multi-unit residential building face harder complications. where you are coming from. In terms of stasis claims, Im
wonder, on what level, you are engaging with your
audience. So in other words, are you assuming that your
Cianfrone, Christian, et al. "Holistic Approach to Achieving Low-Energy, High-Rise Residential audience has already accepted that global warming is
happening? And are thus excluding those who arent on
Buildings." Journal of Building Physics, vol. 39, no. 6, May 2016, pp. 522-541. board? Totally fine if you are, but if this is the case, just
jump on it. So, one of those setbacks could be climate
deniers and part of your paper could (directly or indirectly)
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1744259115623262. be about how find solutions despite these people.
Dyer 2

The three authors of this piece work to explain the hardships of reaching net-zero in

construction, particularly in the case of high-rise, multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs). For

every energy efficient requirement is a constraint caused by current building practices. The

article continues to outline the many common constraints faced and how they combine to cause

poor energy performance. Through modules and cost-benefit analysis, options to decrease energy

waste are discussed. In considering future steps, the article mentions that many advances made in Commented [PA4]: Okay, so could you offer some
specifics?
building codes over the past two decades have been slightly impractical and leave room for loose

interpretations. This allows for builders to take short cuts and avoid following the regulations. In

the future, more detailed regulations need to be made in order to achieve lower net energy in

MURBs. This article is biased towards improving energy efficiency, but it uses many facts and

modules to prove energy efficiency is feasible. This article is peer-reviewed and published by a

well-respected and credible journal. This article is new and therefore relates well to current

struggles. It is relevant because my paper is focusing towards energy efficiency in construction

and this article addresses just that in terms of building practices and codes. It will be effective in

my article to describe the feasibility of construction to be energy efficient. Commented [PA5]: Okay, so you have a bit more analysis
here, but these seems to be nuts-and-bolts kind of analysis
rather than engagement. So what role, specifically, will this
John H. Cushman Jr., InsideClimate News, Phil McKenna, Sabrina Shankman, Nicholas article play, do you think, in your paper? In what way does
this article address your problem space?

Kusnetz, Zahra Hirji, and John H. Cushman Jr. "Is 'Net-Zero' Carbon Goal to Rescue the

Climate Plausible?" Inside Climate News. N.p., 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.

This article refers to, then current, UN climate negotiations. It brought up the varying

levels of climate change that scientists consider acceptable and the fact that to ensure these levels

are not surpassed, the world needs to act very quickly. Specifically, in terms of how quickly,

Climate hawks say it should be met as early as 2050. Others see a few more decades of wiggle

room, but they too emphasize the need for rapid action. After that, the effects of global warming
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may be catastrophic and unfixable. This article references various agencies that have supporting

evidence such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the treaty talks in Lima,

Peru and Geneva. Ultimately most talks conclude that we need to reach net zero by 2050 and that

this goal is not too unreasonable. It references advisors for Shell and how even they agree the

Paris treaty should aim for net zero but that it may not actually be possible, and certainly not by

2050. Other similar studies are referenced throughout the rest of the article supporting that it can

be achieved and is necessary for the future of our world. The article is biased towards the need to

achieve net-zero energy efficiency but it is still relevant for my paper because it describes the

need for better practices in energy efficiency. The rest of my paper will describe the solutions for

this need. The timeliness is not ideal as it was written in reference to climate and treaty talks Commented [PA6]: Cool. Again, can you be more
specific?
from several years ago, but the information is still useful in describing the urgency to reach net-

zero. Inside Climate News is a highly-rewarded journal, even winning a Pulitzer prize, making

the source very credible. This article will serve as a building block for the rest of my paper as it

describes the problem and then I intend to describe possible solutions found in the rest of my

sources.

LENTZ, MARK S. "Achieving Net Zero Requires Innovative Thinking." Heating/Piping/Air

Conditioning Engineering, vol. 83, no. 9, Sept. 2011, pp. 10-13. EBSCOhost,

login.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db

=a9h&AN=66893138&site=ehost-live.

The author of this article discusses the effects of HVAC heating and air systems on energy

efficiency. HVAC systems account for eighty-five to ninety-five percent of the energy expended

in building and therefore is crucial in changing if net-zero is ever hoped to be reached. Lentz

mentions that all the technology is out there that is needed to make energy efficient progress, and
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instead the real barriers imposed on technological progress are those we impose on ourselves.

It is important to keep that in mind when thinking of solutions to achieve net-zero in structures

such as HVAC units. With new processes, Lentz believes most of that wasted energy can either

be eliminated or recycled. Studies involving West High School show a solution that can cut

energy usage by seventy percent. In order to achieve HVAC systems that are efficient like the

one at West High School, a whole new design process is needed. HVAC engineers currently

model and rate their system while comparing the results to the worst possible outcome, meaning

even poor performance can receive a good score. In the future, models need to be tested against

the best possible outcome so that as energy efficient practices better themselves, engineers are

always being challenged against a new and better best case scenario. Technology including Commented [PA7]: This is really interesting. But it seems
that we know that the technology already exists. What are
the challenges in implementing this widely? Does the article
evaporation/condensation/freezing/thawing, air-to-air heat-exchange, and thermal and electric
address this?

storage will all have to be considered in order to make advances. This is a credible, peer-

reviewed source and is published by a well-known publication. It is relevant to my paper because

HVAC systems account for so much of the wasted energy in a building and therefore in order to

ever reach energy efficiency, these systems must be confronted. The article is slightly old but

HVAC systems are not something that change quickly and they can stay in place for decades

before being updated so the article is still relevant. It will serve my paper well as a solution to the

energy crises because it describes what we need to be doing from now on in order to help these

systems become more efficient.

Norton, Paul, et al. "Evaluation of Model Results and Measured Performance of Net-Zero Commented [PA8]: Try to include everyones name in the
citation as oppose to writing the rest off as et al. Et al. is
okay for in-text citation.
Energy Homes in Hawaii." ASHRAE Transactions, vol. 119, no. 2, May 2013, pp. 1-8.

EBSCOhost,login.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dir

ect=true&db=a9h&AN=96045853&site=ehost-live.
Dyer 5

Nineteen affordable net-zero energy homes were built in Hawaii in 2011. The project was

created to combat high energy prices in Hawaii. These homes were used building hourly energy

modeling software by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The homes are either one or

two stories and around fifteen hundred square feet. They are built in a hot area with low winds.

The exact equipment of the homes is discussed in the article. Each house has been monitored

since their construction to show how they perform. Within the first year the homes performed

within one percent of net-zero. Most of the homes exceeded net-zero and a few fell below. The

feedback of this experiment is crucial in future planning of energy efficient homes as it is a

model for future construction and gives results on what needs to be changed if not performing

well enough. The article is a peer-reviewed and credible source. It comes from a journal that has

been around a long time and has published many volumes. It is relevant to my paper because it

proves that net-zero construction is possible, not just in theory but in reality. These are not just

parts of a home that can be energy efficient and it is not just a model that says it is possible, these

homes are real, solid proof. There is bias in the article because it indicates that all homes can

reach net-zero but that may not always be the case since it largely depends on climate and the

occupant. This is a relatively new article so most likely not much has changed in terms of net-

zero housing communities. In my paper, it would be good to use this piece at the end to tie

together all the other sources as proof that all the small parts in the other sources can come

together to produce full construction that achieves net-zero.

Shen, Pengyuan and Noam Lior. "Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts of Present

Renewable Energy Systems Designed for Achieving Net-Zero Energy

Buildings." Energy, vol. 114, Nov. 2016, pp. 1288-1305. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2016.07.078.
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A topic often forgotten is how all the renewable energy practices that the world is

currently striving to implement will hold up in future climates. Studies were done on how current

solar and wind energy systems will do in 10 different possible climate zones. These zones are

based on Global Climate Models predictions of future climate zones that will be caused by

ongoing environmental impacts. Results show that the renewable energy sources will lose their

capability to achieve net-zero in half of the climate zones. In order to avoid this, Photovoltaic

systems need to be used. These systems account for hourly building energy loads and therefore

are better predictors for future climates. Systems built with this show results of stability in future

climate zones. Otherwise, renewable energy systems will just have to be continuously updated.

This article is a peer-reviewed source and published by a credible and scholarly journal. This

article is newly published and therefore is an accurate demonstration of modern technological

advances in the field of alternative energy practices. It is bias because it indicates that solar and

wind energy systems are the only alternative energy sources that will be used, ignoring any

notion that other forms of alternative energy may become more prominent. It only mentions

wind and solar systems, but there could be a bigger focus on nuclear energy or other alternative

energy sources that would do just find in changing climates. This is relevant to my paper because

reaching net-zero is all about making the earth better for future generations and to do that we

need to know what is going to work in the future, which is what this article discusses. This will

benefit my paper because it recognizes a fault of energy efficiency but also acknowledges that

there are ways to combat it so that the systems we put in place to reach net-zero last a long time.

Thomas, Samantha. ""World's Greenest Office Building" Makes Net-Zero Look Easy." YES!

Magazine. N.p., 19 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.


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<http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/world-s-greenest-office-building-makes-net-zero-

look-easy>.

An office building in Seattle Washington is described in this article. This building is

constructed in compliance with the Living Building Challenge, the toughest set of standards

regarding eco-friendly buildings. The founder of the Living Building Challenge even said on

behalf of the building, Washington is the least sunny state in the United States, and this building

is still able to obtain 100 percent solar which is very impressive. Its walls are made entirely of

glass in order to light even the center of the building so that no artificial lighting is needed, there

is no parking lot so tenants walk or ride bikes, there are showers fed by rain water on every floor,

and there is no hookup to the citys sewer thanks to composting toilets which compost waste to

produce agricultural grade compost. All of this only cost the developers one-fifth above average

costs of an office building of its class. This building wants to serve as a model for other future

buildings, but it is not always feasible. For instance, this type of construction is not possible for

really large building where the sun could not reach the middle or in rural areas where people

have to drive and need a parking lot. Despite this, the author writes praising this building and Commented [PA9]: Good. I like this level of specificity.

indicating all buildings should be like this and for that reason it is biased. It is a relatively new

article and is still a building at the top of its class, so there are lessons to be learned from it. The

article offers many details about the building that are also verified through other research and so

it is credible. In my paper, it would work well along with the neighborhood in Hawaii to show

that net-zero building is possible in both residential and commercial use.


Dyer 8

Megan,

This annotation is working well for the what the assignment is meant to accomplish, which is to

outline a general trajectory of a project-in-progress. You do a good job, summarizing these

sources and analyzing how these articles are functioning. Im still not seeing enough of how

these sources are intersecting with your specific thesis. Like I said before, think about your

problem space and how you and these sources are addressing that problem space.

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