#001 Life

A test facility for ZEB technologies

A demonstration facility for ZEB technologies
What is it?
It is a development and test facility creating technologies that will bring net annual energy consumption in buildings to zero.
Why is it helpful?
Zero energy consumption is achieved by generating electricity using solar power and by implementing energy savings across the board.
What makes it amazing?
It doesn’t only reduce energy consumption, but makes indoor environments more comfortable than ever before.
Research student Eco

So, can you tell us exactly what ZEB means?

Expert

ZEB stands for "net Zero Energy Building." In other words, a ZEB building consumes zero net energy over the course of a year.

Research student Eco

But buildings have lights and elevators and other things that need electricity to work. How can you have a building with zero net energy consumption?

Expert

Well, of course they use electricity, but we reduce energy consumption as much as possible. We also produce energy—in other words, we generate electricity within the building. So, we say our net energy consumption is zero if the amount of electricity we use is less than the electricity we generate.

Research student Eco

And that’s why such a building is called a ZEB.

Expert

Exactly. Our facility was built as a top-level testing platform to develop ZEB technologies. Energy saving technologies and techniques are used throughout the building, and it also produces electricity using solar panels. The facility manages to produce enough energy to cover all its needs.

Research student Eco

That’s amazing! But what about the employees? If energy savings are being implemented, they must have to work under dim lights and put up with cold rooms in the winter. I know we are trying to protect the environment, but that seems really tough.

Expert

No, no. It is a very comfortable building to work in. Everything is adjusted so that the lighting, the heating, and cooling systems are controlled to be just right for people in the building, and biophilic walls can be found in areas around the building that are both bright and cozy. Employees can also freely choose where they want to work each day depending on how they feel.

Research student Eco

So, you have reduced net energy consumption to zero, and made the building comfortable to work in? That’s amazing!

Expert

I think so, too. At the facility, we collect a variety of data through our daily operations, and regularly conduct new experiments. We are also using AI to help create more comfortable indoor environments.

Research student Eco

Wow, I’d love to visit.

Expert

The building can be found at Mitsubishi Electric’s Information Technology R&D Center in the city of Kamakura, and we also consider our workers' health. Employees can enjoy healthy food from the cafeteria, and there’s even a gym they can use. It really is the future of office buildings.

Research student Eco

I want to work there too! I can’t wait for office buildings around the world to adopt the technologies and ideas developed there!

Expert

That’s our goal. To make every building a Zero Energy Building.

Research student Eco

I’m looking forward to it.

Creating and saving energy & building comfortable work environments

ZEBs are buildings that offer comfortable indoor environments while maintaining annual primary energy consumption at or near zero through means such as thermal insulation, solar radiation shielding, natural energy usage and facility efficiency.
As a ZEB Planner*1, Mitsubishi Electric is contributing to the adoption of ZEBs by providing planning and business support to help companies develop their own ZEBs. The SUSTIE test facility will be used for wide-ranging demonstrations and verifications to accelerate the further development of ZEB technologies. Research and development will be advanced in accordance with Mitsubishi Electric's ZEB+*2 philosophy.
The concept for SUSTIE was developed in collaboration with Professor Shin-ichi Tanabe of Faculty of Science and Engineering at Waseda University in Tokyo; the SUSTIE was designed and construction supervised by Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei. The name "SUSTIE" combines the words "sustainability" and "energy" to express the idea of an office for researching and demonstrating energy conservation and comfort.

*1 System operated by Sustainable Open Innovation Initiative, a public body in Japan, to register and certify corporations that support ZEB implementation.

*2 Mitsubishi Electric's concept for enhancing building functionality, including services for maintaining value in terms of productivity, comfort, convenience and business continuity throughout a building's lifecycle.

Location 5-1-1 Ofuna, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
(premises of Information Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
Area/construction Building: approx.1,950㎡; Total floor space: approx.6,460㎡; 4-story steel-framed
Energy performance World-leading BEI*3 primary energy consumption evaluation index of -0.06 as midsized office building of at least 6,000㎡

*3 Ratio of primary energy consumption at time of design compared to standard primary energy consumption. BEI:-0.06 means 106% reduction in primary energy consumption.