Chapter 6 – Energy and Atmosphere

Overview

This section is one of the most challenging sections because it is very technical. The Energy
and Atmosphere category can earn more points than any other category; 33 points of 110
possible points, or 30% of the entire application. Once you master the concepts of designing
and building LEED energy systems with balanced atmospheric impacts, you will better
understand the relationship between mechanical ventilation and GHG impacts.

The knowing of how a building serves your productivity and comfort needs, grows your
strength of confidence in joining the movement to evolve success for all beings; humans,
their systems, and the planet (and her systems).

Therefore, Energy and Atmosphere addresses a number of areas:

▪ Energy Performance – how well your building’s energy performs in design versus
the baseline case. Predicted.
▪ Tracking Energy Performance – including feedback devices; commissioning the
building, and metering
▪ DR, Peak grid events – this is cutting edge, despite LEED’s 12+ years of market
presence
▪ Refrigerant Management – chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerants in buildings
▪ Renewable Energy – on-site or community scale-based renewables
▪ Green Power and Carbon Offsets – mitigate GHG through the use of grid-
source, renewable energy technologies, and carbon sequestration projects

Scorecard

The Energy and Atmosphere credit category has 4 prerequisites and 7 credits. Four of the
credits build upon the prerequisites.

▪ EA Prerequisite 1: Fundamental Commissioning and Verification

• EA Credit 1: Enhanced Commissioning

▪ EA Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy Performance

• EA Credit 2: Optimize Energy Performance

93
 ▪ EA Prerequisite 3: Building level energy metering
• EA Credit 3: Advance Energy Metering

▪ EA Prerequisite 4: Fundamental Refrigerant Management

• EA Credit 6: Enhanced Refrigerant Management

▪ EA Credit 4: Demand Response (DR)

▪ EA Credit 5: Renewable Energy Production

▪ EA Credit 7: Green Power and Carbon Offsets

EA Prerequisite 1 | Fundamental Commissioning and Verification

The intent is to support the design, construction, and eventual operation of a project to meet
the OPRs for energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability.

Following the trend that lots of green building techniques are now becoming minimum
building code, commissioning (Cx) is mandated in some parts of the country. In the past,
project teams would say, “We don’t want to do LEED because we don’t want to pay for an
expensive energy model or commissioning.” Whereas now, qualified and credentialed
Commissioning Authorities (CxA) are thriving around the quality assurance concept of a
third-party review of HVAC systems, domestic hot water, daylighting, and lighting controls.
In 2015, there are buildings and institutions that may not pursue LEED, but they pay
professionals for energy modeling and Cx services because they see the value in it.

Concept Process

First, the owner documents their expectations, or project requirements. The OPR is a
written document detailing the functional requirements of a project and the expectations of
the building’s use and operation as they relate to the systems to be commissioned.

Typical System List

▪ HVAC systems | Mechanical AND passive
▪ Electric systems | Lighting and daylighting controls
▪ Plumbing systems | Domestic hot water systems
▪ Onsite renewable energy systems | Wind, solar, gas if applicable
▪ Building envelope | Acknowledge in document, but implementation not required
▪ Optional | Life safety systems, communications and data systems, fire protection
systems, and process equipment.

The engineers ensure that the OPR is met in their drawings and specifications as they
develop the BOD. The BOD describes the systems to be commissioned and outlines any
94
 design assumptions that are not otherwise included in the design documents, such as
assemblies, and systems. The CxA joins here to begin drawing reviews.

The field commissioning happens after the contractors build the building. The CxA
functionally inspects all the systems in the BOD against the OPR. A report is made.

Referenced Standards

The standards used for the prerequisite is ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005 and ASHRAE
Guideline 1.1–2007 for HVAC&R Systems, as they relate to energy, water, indoor
environmental quality, and durability. This is the guide that will be followed when
commissioning the required systems.

National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Guideline 3-2012 for Exterior Enclosures
provides additional guidance on the requirements for exterior closures.

Requirements

The CxA must do the following:

▪ Review the OPR, BOD, and project design

▪ Develop and implement a commissioning plan
▪ Confirm incorporation of commissioning requirements into the construction
documents
▪ Develop construction checklists
▪ Develop a system test procedure
▪ Verify system test execution
▪ Maintain an issues and benefits log throughout the commissioning process
▪ Prepare a final commissioning process report
▪ Document all findings and recommendations and report directly to the owner
throughout the process

The review of the exterior enclosure design may be performed by a qualified member of the
design or construction team (or an employee of that firm) who is not directly responsible for
design of the building envelope.

95
Commissioning Authority

For fundamental commissioning, the commissioning authority must have experience in at

least 2 building projects. The individual must be independent of the project’s design and
construction team. The individual reports results and findings directly to the owner. If the
project is less than 20,000 square feet (1,860 square meters), the commissioning authority
may be on the design or construction team. In essence, LEED is setting these rules to avoid
conflicts of interest.

There are exceptions to these rules as you get into smaller projects, so be familiar with those
rules if you plan to document the prerequisite. The matrix in your Reference Guide describes
the conditions and qualifications for who can be a commissioning authority and their
responsibilities. The commissioning authority provides third party verification, and if they
are the ones doing the design, your project will not get objectivity.

In the same sense, if they are the person installing the products, they may not be doing the
balancing or testing required that a CxA would look for. There is some separation needed. In
general, LEED wants them to be contracted directly with the owner.

Ongoing Operations and Maintenance Plan

The CxA, with the help of the project team, must prepare and maintain a current facilities
requirements and operations and management plan. This document facilitates transition from
construction to occupancy. It is a technical manual describing how the facilities manager can
operate the building efficiently. The plan needs to include:

▪ a sequence of operations for the building

▪ the building occupancy schedule
▪ equipment run-time schedules
▪ setpoints for all HVAC equipment
▪ set lighting levels throughout the building
▪ minimum outside air requirements
▪ any changes in schedules or setpoints for different seasons, days of the week, and
times of day
▪ a systems narrative describing the mechanical and electrical systems and
equipment
▪ a preventive maintenance plan for building equipment described in the systems
narrative, and
▪ a commissioning program that includes periodic commissioning requirements,
ongoing commissioning tasks, and continuous tasks for critical facilities

96
 The O&M staff training plan should be developed by the contractor and reviewed by the
commissioning authority to ensure that all systems to be commissioned are covered.

OPR Development and System Design

The CxA and the Project Team coordinate a scope based on the OPRs. Remember those
OPRs can start in simple, narrative style. For instance, “This room will be a warehouse,
workers’ stand, and operate forklifts. I need it to be at least 68 degrees.” The owner would
indicate certain light levels needed in the rooms and any other experiential descriptions.
These are very basic criteria and then they get pushed into fuller descriptions in the BOD.

The OPRs should be developed either by the owner or by the CxA with direct input from
the owner. If your project is going to attempt the Integrative Process credit, the OPR
would be developed alongside of this in one of the design workshops at the start of the
project.

This document should describe the requirements of the project ranging from the building
usage and area requirements, to the expected HVAC setpoints. The more information that is
identified in this document, the better understanding the design team will have when
developing the building size, layout, and systems for the project.

Some of the elements that should be included in the OPR are as follows: applicable codes
required, detailed anticipated occupancy schedule, number of expected occupants,
temperature and humidity requirements, specific thermal zoning requirements, HVAC,
lighting, plumbing fixture, and water heating system types preferred (if known), controls
system requirements for lighting and HVAC, energy savings goals, LEED certification level
desired, project schedule, budget considerations, and operations and maintenance
requirements.

BOD Development

During the schematic design or design development phase of the project (depending on
size/scope), the OPR should be consulted by the design team. This should lead to the design
team creating the BOD document. This document will indicate how the project building will
meet the OPR. The document includes assumptions about the design decisions, and may
include:

▪ Overview of system assemblies

▪ Expectations of systems and performance criteria
▪ Descriptions of systems and how they will operate
▪ Codes and standards the design was based off of

97
 ▪ Owner’s directives about how the facility will be used
▪ Concepts, calculations, decisions, and product selections; the specific design
methods, techniques, and software used in design; information regarding ambient
conditions (climatic, geologic, structural, existing construction) used during design;
and specific manufacturer makes and models used as the BOD for drawings and
specifications
▪ Revision history of the document

After the team has confirmed that the OPR can be met by the BOD, the design team begins
the design process and moves toward the construction documents. Prior to the 50%
construction document phase, the CxA should perform a thorough review of the progress
drawings against the OPR and BOD documents. This will ensure that the design is on track
to meet all OPR’s and provide a step in the process to ask questions about accessibility,
functionality, energy efficiency, and other long-term owner related issues.

Direction for the commissioning team is provided by assembling the documentation of the
OPR at the inception of a project, and the proper transfer of this information from one party
to the next throughout the building delivery process. The Commissioning Process has been
structured to coincide with the phases of a generic project with Pre-design, Design,
Construction, Occupancy, and Operations phases. Beginning the commissioning process at
project inception will maximize benefits and minimize the cost.

The entire goal of commissioning is to provide a building that is not only designed and built
with the OPR in mind, but one that is maintainable and has the lowest possible operating
costs following completion and turnover.

Commissioning Process

Document and commission all systems outlined in the prerequisite. Documenting system
design is the responsibility of the design engineer. The CxA reviews the drawings and
appropriate submittals against the ORP and BOD. Functional commissioning includes
verifying proper installation of products, testing, and training on the products.

Everybody—owners, users, architects—should be involved in this process.

The commissioning plan is a document that describes the systems to be commissioned, the
commissioning team and their roles and responsibilities, the schedule of events, equipment
start-up and functional performance test procedures, and O&M staff training requirements.

98
 Incorporating the commissioning requirements into the CDs (construction documents
equals plans and specs) includes adding commissioning specifications to the project. This
details contractor expectations to include in the project pricing, covering all the aspects of
the commissioning plan. In addition to the commissioning specifications, the construction
documents should also include in detail the components in the system necessary to allow
Test and Balance and Commissioning of the system. This includes sensors, test ports, and
control points that will make testing possible.

System verification checklists (start-up forms) and functional performance testing procedures
are created by the CxA (or design team) for use in the construction process. This can be
developed either before or after CDs, but early in the construction process. When created by
the CxA, these forms should be reviewed by the design team and contractor prior to
incorporation into the construction process to ensure it matches both the design intent and
best practices.

Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Designate CxA
2. Establish OPR and BOD
3. The commissioning authority reviews OPR and BOD
4. Develop and implement the Commissioning Plan
5. Incorporate Commissioning Requirements into the Construction Documents
6. Develop construction checklists
7. Develop a system test procedure
8. Verify system test execution
9. Maintain a log that documents issues and benefits
10. Complete a summary commissioning report

Timeline

The CxA must be engaged by the end of the design development phase. That’s a
requirement for the prerequisite. It needs to be someone that week-to-week is part of the
team to get the best possible product.

Create transparency by incorporating commissioning into construction documents. This is

formal set of plans used as the basis for construction. At the end of construction, execute the
commissioning plan by verifying installation and performance of system. The design and
construction team should remain engaged and perform any corrective actions as required in
the initial findings. Then, publish a summary commissioning report.

This is a logical progression of what the owner wants. Design to their vision, then
incorporate the vision into the documents, and execute a commissioning plan to ensure the
vision is a reality. It is very advantageous to start the commissioning process as soon as
possible in the project schedule. By having a CxA involved in the project early, that person

100
 can help ask questions of the owner’s expectations and help steer the design process to
match those expectations.

EA Credit 1 | Enhanced Commissioning

Who the CxA can be is different between the credit and prerequisite. For the credit, the
CxA may not be an employee of the design or construction firm nor a subcontractor to
the construction firm. It’s important to note the differences.

Requirements

In addition to the Fundamental Commissioning, you would implement extra steps for
increased oversight and document review.

▪ Review submittals
▪ Train operations team
▪ 10-month post-occupancy visit

The CxA must be leading, reviewing, and overseeing the commissioning process.

▪ This credit has 2 options based on scope of systems.

▪ Option 1 enhanced systems commissioning can earn 3 to 4
points.
And/or
▪ Option 2 envelope commissioning can earn 2 points.

Option 1 – Path 1

Option 1 – enhanced systems commissioning has 2 paths for achievement.

Path 1 – enhanced commissioning can earn 3 points.

The CxA must review and check submittals in accordance with the OPR and BOD. The
review must be concurrent with the review of the architect or engineer of record.

Verify the systems manual. This is something is nice for optimal performance of the
building.

While it's recommended in Fundamental Commissioning that you train people, it's
mandatory and you have to verify that personnel were trained as part of Enhanced
commissioning.

101
Occupancy Phase

The big part of Enhanced Commissioning is a 10-month follow-up after substantial

completion. The idea behind this being is that it occurs within the warranty period for all of
the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing fixtures. In this process, the CxA goes through and
determines how the system is working. This is a smart idea as far as tuning the building.

How many times have you seen buildings where you say, “Well, the designer put in these
daylight sensor lights, but they're just not working.” During this 10-month period, occupants
and facility managers have had enough time to kick around the systems and to see whether
things are working correctly or not.

Or you may see energy bills after these first 10 months and say, “I thought we would be
saving a lot more.” The CxA can help find out where some of the gaps are. This is another
check to see how the actual performance rates compared to the design performance.

Option 1 – Path 2

Or project teams can choose Path 2 Enhanced and monitoring-based commissioning.

Monitoring-based commissioning, or MBCx, is the integration of 3 components: permanent
energy monitoring systems, real-time energy analysis, and ongoing commissioning.

This path requires first achieving Path 1. Projects can get additional points by installing the
right monitoring devices and tracking points. The points must be measured and evaluated
on an ongoing basis based on those tracking points that you’ve installed. This is a good
option for projects that are energy intensive and need real time data to make adjustments,
such as a data center. Monitoring based commissioning allows users to track energy
consumption, detect faulty equipment, and see unusual energy patterns in real-time.

Continuous Monitoring

For monitoring based commissioning all of the procedures and measurement points need to
be included in the commissioning plan. The following need to be addressed:

▪ roles and responsibilities

▪ measurement requirements (meters, points, metering systems, data access)
▪ the points to be tracked, with frequency and duration for trend monitoring
▪ the limits of acceptable values for tracked points and metered values

102
 ▪ the elements used to evaluate performance, including conflict between systems, out-
of-sequence operation of systems components, and energy and water usage profiles
▪ an action plan for identifying and correcting operational errors and deficiencies
▪ training to prevent errors
▪ planning for repairs needed to maintain performance

The monitoring systems are looking at real-time energy analytics and ongoing
commissioning. Path 1 is a one-stop process while Path 2 is ongoing. Knowing the real-time
data and knowing how the building is currently performing can be helpful to clients.
Utilizing metering equipment for monitoring is the ongoing process of verification. It opens
up the opportunity for continuous improvement.

Option 2 – Envelope Cx

Option 2 Envelope commissioning can earn 2 points. Fulfill the requirements in EA

Prerequisite Fundamental Commissioning and Verification as they apply to the building’s
thermal envelope in addition to mechanical and electrical systems and assemblies.

Enhanced commissioning is generally pretty familiar to everyone. You can build on it from
the prerequisite. Envelope commissioning is new. Many project teams may have expertise in
Option 1 but not in Option 2. It’s a case where a project team may take a look hiring different
companies for the different options. The work can be completed independently.

The Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) process is utilized to validate that the
design and performance of materials, components, assemblies, and systems achieve the
objectives and requirements of the owner. The BECx process achieves this through
experience, expertise, modeling, observation, testing, documenting, and verifying materials,
components, assemblies, and systems to validate that both their use and installation meet the
owner’s requirements. The process uses performance-oriented practices and procedures to
verify that the project is achieving the OPRs throughout the delivery of the project.

Requirements

Just like in Option 1, if you choose envelope commissioning the CxA is going to complete
the same things:

▪ Review contractor submittals

▪ Verify inclusion of systems manual requirements in construction documents

103
 ▪ Verify inclusion of operator and occupant training requirements in construction
documents
▪ Verify systems manual updates and delivery
▪ Verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness
▪ Verify seasonal testing
▪ Review building operations 10 months after substantial completion
▪ Develop an on-going commissioning plan

Envelope commissioning will be included in the OPR and BOD, as well as the
commissioning plan. The envelope is treated like another system and follows similar
documentation and testing.

Note that not every CxA is qualified to do envelope commissioning. You can have two
different commissioning authorities on the project: one for the systems and another who
specializes in envelopes. One person should serve as lead CxA to oversees all of the
commissioning activities for coordination in overall project documents and timeline.

Timeline

The Commissioning Process should not infringe upon the authority or responsibility of the
project’s designers or contractors. While the CxA can identify areas of concern—relative to
the OPRs to be discussed with the owner and their team—it is the owner who determines the
course of action by the team. It is recommended that the CxA be engaged in pre-design to
define the scope of the commissioning so that the owner’s agreements with the project team
clearly define the commissioning tasks that will be performed during the design phases of the
project. The commissioning tasks and obligations between the Owner’s Design Professionals
or Contractors contained in contract forms or project-specific contracts provide the agreement
that establishes the foundation for the commissioning process. It is intended to aid these
professionals involved in providing an owner with a facility that meets their expectations and
requirements.

The BECx process begins during the pre-design phase and continues for the life of the
facility through the occupancy and operations phase. The process includes specific tasks to
be performed during each project phase in order to verify that the design, construction,
operational maintenance, and training meet the OPR.

Remember, the verifications and late 10-month review are the standouts, as well as seasonal
testing and verifying a systems manual and training. Those are sort of extraneous things
throughout, but the verifications and late 10-month review after substantial completion are
the most notable differences.

104
Rating System Adaptations

For Core and Shell projects the systems to commission only include what’s in the design
team’s scope of work.

For data centers there are additional activities for the CxA to perform depending on the size of
the computer rooms. There is also more rigorous failure-mode testing.

Healthcare projects have additional testing of life safety equipment.

Case Study

One of Sustainable Investment Groups (SIG) CxAs discovered that a 3-way valve for a
condenser water system serving a chiller and cooling tower was stuck at 80% closed. The
solution to this inappropriate situation was costing the building owner over $8,700 per year in
additional pumping energy. After the valve ($800) was replaced, the payback was just over
one month, and this building’s Energy Star score went up because of one discovery.

The Case for Commissioning

The 2011 Associated Air Balance Council (AABC) Commissioning Group industry event
highlighted a handful of projects with major issues that could have been avoided with
commissioning. The buildings were tested and balanced during construction without finding
(or correcting) any problems.

▪ a Caribbean beach resort project with 2,112 rooms that had $5.5 million in
HVAC and Envelope Problems before opening day
▪ a hotel in Charleston, SC project had $10 million in HVAC and Envelope
Problems immediately after opening
▪ a Florida courthouse project that had $15 million in repairs and the building was
evacuated
▪ a hotel project in Kansas City that had $2 million in HVAC repairs during its first
summer in operation

These problems could have been predicted during the design stage. The changes needed to
prevent these failures would not have cost more money or added to the schedule.
Commissioning would have prevented these problems.

105
EA Prerequisite 2 | Minimum Energy Performance
The intent of this prerequisite is to reduce the environmental and economic harms of
excessive energy use by achieving a minimum level of energy efficiency for the building
and its systems. There are 3 options for this prerequisite.

▪ Option 1 Whole building energy simulation

▪ Option 2 Prescriptive compliance – ASHRAE 50% advanced energy design guide
▪ Option 3 Prescriptive compliance – Advanced Buildings Core Performance guide

Option 1 – Whole Building Energy Simulation

The first option is a whole building energy simulation which most people do. Projects need
to achieve a 5% improvement for new buildings, 3% improvement for renovations, and 2%
for core and shell projects based on energy costs.

Five, 3, or 2% of what, you ask? A percentage improvement comes over a baseline building
performance rating. The baseline building performance rating is calculated using the
updated ASHRAE 90.1-2010 standard. As the LEED rating system is updated, it includes
the newest standards available and incorporates them into the LEED requirements. For this
requirement, a computer simulation model is used for the entire building.

Your project must comply with the mandatory provisions of ASHRAE 90.1-2010 and
include all energy costs with the building project. The percent savings is calculated before
factoring any savings from renewable energy systems.

An important note is that these calculations are based on energy costs, not on the quantity of
energy saved.

Like the water prerequisites, the reduction for the prerequisite must be achieved without
accounting for any cost offset by onsite renewables. Projects need to be efficient, first in the
building design, and then in the next step for the credit to look at supplementing energy use
with renewables. In the past, for earlier rating system versions, projects could ignore
efficiency and just dump a solar array on the roof to show a reduction. The prerequisite
projects can’t do that anymore.

Prescriptive Options

Options 2 and 3 are based on different standards. They do not require computer modeling,
and project teams simply follow design guidelines. These prescriptive approaches are
limited in the size of the building and the number of points available. What can happen with
this prescriptive path for design, is that it encourages project teams into an integrative
approach.

106
 Option 2 is a prescriptive approach, using the ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design
Guide. There are different guides based on different types of buildings. Consider if you had
an office. If the office is less than 100,000 square feet, then use the ASHRAE Advanced
Energy Guide for Small to Medium Office Buildings. There are other guides for medium to
large big box retail, K-12 schools, and large hospitals.

Projects must comply with the applicable criteria based on the building’s specific climate
zone.

Option 3 is a Prescriptive Compliance Path using the Advanced Buildings Core Performance
Guide. This is for buildings less than 100,000 square feet (9,290 meters). Healthcare,
warehouses, and lab projects are ineligible for this option.

Referenced Standards

New in LEED v4 is the use of ASHRAE standard 90.1-2010. With LEED v4, there are up to
20 points for an energy model but only 6 points for the prescriptive path using ASHRAE
50% Guide. That is a 14-point difference if you don’t do an energy model.

The difference is comparing the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline from 2003 to 2010. The ‘50%’ in
the standard for the prescription path refers to 50% better than the 2003 standard. So
basically, the 2010 baseline performance is more than 50% improved from 2003.

Energy model practitioners will notice that a significant update is the regulation of plug
loads. Previously, most buildings used a default value that process loads were 25%. Now, the
regulation of plug loads—the computers and things that get plugged into walls—must reflect
predicted usage based on program requirements.

Daylight harvesting was not a baseline in LEED 2009, and now it is in LEED v4, so projects
don’t easily win benefit for doing daylight harvesting; they must design optimized daylight
harvesting.

Mandatory Requirements

The first step you will do is determining the building’s climate zone, because different zones
have different requirements.

There are a lot of new mandatory requirements introduced by following ASHRAE 90.1-
2010. For example, some just for lighting include:
▪ All spaces must now have automatic shut-off control
▪ The lighting power density has to be reduced an average of 17% in different
space types

107
 ▪ Every space has to have vacancy or occupancy sensors to 50% or less of the
lighting power
▪ Exterior lighting must be turned off or operated at a reduced level during daylight
hours
▪ When a stairway is vacant, the lights have to be reduced by at least 50%
▪ Automatic daylight control is a requirement, so for daylight zones the lights have to
be under automatic control
▪ All installed controls must be tested, like making sure the occupancy sensors and
timers work

Another new requirement is half of outlets or receptacles in open office, private offices, or
computer classrooms must be under automatic control, so they can be switched off
automatically when not in use. The control has to be hardwired—it can’t be a device that’s
plugged into a receptacle.

For implementation, the mandatory requirements address the following:

▪ Building Envelope Requirements

▪ HVAC&R Requirements
▪ Service Water Heating Requirements
▪ Power Requirements
▪ Lighting Requirements
▪ Specialty Equipment Requirements

Your project has to show you met all of those requirements and you beat the ASHRAE
90.1-2010 standard by at least 5% for BD+C projects. How are you going to get that 5%?

It’s now harder just to meet the standard. Lighting controls must be optimized. For example,
what is required by code is that occupant sensors have a 30-minute timeout. However, if you
have occupancy sensors timeout at 20 minutes, or even 10 or 5 minutes, that can save you
some energy.

You need to go beyond what is already required by the new codes. If you do high-end
tuning, you set the maximum light level space-by-space to go beyond the standard.
Reflective window shades can save 10% to 20% in cooling costs. Use automated shades to
further save on your lighting, because when there are manual shades, what usually happens
is that people close the shades or close the blinds and then never open them again. An
automatic shading system will automatically open to let in sunlight and take

108
 advantage of the natural light. Automated shading tied in with occupancy and daylight
sensors have been shown to save 10% to 15% in lighting costs.

When to Use Option 2

For the prescriptive requirements of Option 2, check out the ASHRAE 50% Advanced
Energy Design Guide. The specific prescriptive requirements are based on the building type:
office, retail, school, or hospital. If the building doesn’t meet the size and building type, the
project must pursue Option 1 or Option 3.

The architect and engineer will work together to determine what requirements must be met.
Note the prescriptive requirements in ASHRAE 90.1-2010 are not the same as in the
advanced energy design guide. For Option 2 and Option 3, the project must meet the
prescriptive requirements of ASHRAE 90.1-2010 for the building envelope, HVAC, service
water, heating, and lighting. Then meet the prescriptive requirements for the HVAC and
service water heating equipment from the Advanced Energy Design Guide.

When to use Option 3

Option 3 is similar to Option 2, where the project team will first meet the prescriptive
requirements of ASHRAE 90.1-2010 for the building envelope, HVAC, service water,
heating, and lighting. Then review the prescriptive requirements of the Core Performance
Guide. Projects choosing this option can’t earn any points under the credit.

This option requires achieving all of the prescriptive requirements of sections 1 and 2 of the
core performance guide, and 3 strategies from section 3.

For this option, analyze at least 3 alternative building configurations to maximize passive
reduction of building energy loads.

Timeline

It can’t be stressed enough to start your energy planning from day one. It’s one of the reasons
the Integrative Process Credit requires performing a preliminary ‘simple box’ energy
modeling analysis before the completion of schematic design. In addition, set goals early.
Project teams can use Energy Star’s target finder to help pick an energy use target for the
building. This will be helpful for teams pursuing points under the credit. The energy use
target helps prioritize strategies.

Project teams should begin energy modeling early in the design phase. Energy performance
is a prerequisite, so you want to get this right by starting early and assembling the
documentation to show compliance. For projects pursuing the credit, an energy performance
target must be selected no later than the schematic design phase.

109
 If saving money on energy is important, ask yourself how you go about doing that. Talk with
the team and discuss what the overall goals of the project are. Discuss what numbers the team
wants to hit and stick to them. Follow up with a computer model to make sure the project is
going to hit the desired number.

Calculations

The calculations are something the specialized energy modeler would do with software.
There are area calculations, lighting, power, and energy model simulation calculations.
Minimum Energy Performance is consistently one of the most difficult credits and
prerequisites to document. For other LEED credits, project teams can submit the
documentation and it passes review about 50% of the time. For energy performance, that
drops to about 5%.

The credit calculations are in an Excel spreadsheet. The sheets assist energy modelers in
developing the ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G building energy models. The inputs include
specific information about the baseline and proposed ASHRAE modeling requirements and
provide the energy modeler with quality control checks for the energy modeling inputs and
outputs. Prior to LEED submission, the energy modeler should confirm that the energy
model inputs listed are consistent with those modeled and provide quality control to confirm
that the outputs are reasonable based on the energy inputs listed.

The sheets also highlight all of the things the project team should be paying attention to as
they build the energy model, as well as including quality assurance checks for things that
frequently get overlooked or submitted incorrectly. When one part of the spreadsheet gets
updated, the information is reflected elsewhere to update these checks.

Don’t make a mistake about filling out the spreadsheet until near the completion of the
building, or you might find some of the ASHRAE mandatory requirements were overlooked
or the modeling requirements weren’t addressed.

Sample Question

A whole building energy simulation resulted in a baseline building performance of

$112,488 for a new school. What minimum improvement in building performance is needed
for LEED certification?

For EA Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance and EA Credit Optimize Energy

Performance the modeled energy savings are reported based on the energy cost, using the
states’ average energy prices.

There’s some important information here that helps you. For this credit you’re comparing a
baseline to a design case. The baseline for the building has a performance of $112,488 for a
new school. Ask yourself, “New buildings require a 5% improvement as opposed to 3% for

110
 a renovation, so what is the minimum performance?” Multiply 5% times the overall number
here.

Sample Question

What criteria are not used to determine what prescriptive measures must be followed when
using the ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide to calculate minimum energy
performance?

A. Climate zone in which the building is located

B. Square footage of the building
C. Type of building
D. Building orientation

Read this a second time to say, “What criteria are not used?” All of these are criteria that are
used except for one.

Option 2 is for the prescriptive compliance path using ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy
Design Guide requires the building type, the square footage, and the climate zone determine
what applicable criteria the project must meet.

The ASHRAE whole building energy performance includes the building orientation in the
modeling. What modeling does beyond written guidelines, is to look at your building from 4
different sides relative to the sun’s path of travel. The prescriptive measures do not take into
account the sun’s position. D is the correct answer.

EA Credit 2 | Optimize Energy Performance

▪ Option 1 is a whole building energy simulation and can earn 1 to 18 points, except
Healthcare which can earn 1 to 20 points and Schools which can earn 1 to 16
points.
▪ Option 2 is Prescriptive compliance using the ASHRAE Advanced Energy
Design Guide. Projects can earn 1 to 6 points.

Point Thresholds

Remember in the prerequisite new construction projects start at a 5% improvement, major

renovations a 3% improvement, and core and shell a 2% improvement. The reference
guide or rating system has the complete table with the percentages and points for each
increment of improvement. It’s a big table so check it out. You’ll notice the increments
change from 2% to 3% as the improvements increase. For example, new

111
 construction starts with 6%, 8%, 10%, on up to 26%, 29%, 32%, up to a maximum of
50%.

Option 2 – Prescriptive Path

Option 2 is the prescriptive path. Projects earn points by following the appropriate ASHRAE
design guide based on the project type and climate zone. To choose this option a project must
have done Option 2 in the Minimum Energy Performance Prerequisite.

Note here in the Option 2 prescriptive path there are only 1 to 6 points available. As you
study this credit think about that as a big differentiator between these options. The whole
building energy simulation is the optimal choice for achieving the most points.

Here is an example for a K through 12 school building.

▪ Building envelope, opaque: roofs, walls, floors, slabs, and doors (1 point)
▪ Building envelope, glazing: vertical fenestration (1 point)
▪ Interior lighting, including daylighting and interior finishes (1 point)
▪ Exterior lighting (1 point)
▪ Plug loads, including equipment choices, controls, and kitchen equipment (1
point)

If you review all the building types, you will notice they are all very similar with minor
variations between each type. It’s important to note the differences between each type.

How to Design Energy Efficiency

First, reduce demand. Think about the building orientation and reducing the size of the
building footprint. Installing better insulation and having a tighter envelope are cheaper
ways to reduce demand.

Next, harvest free energy. Day lighting is sustainable practice and generally reduces the
amount of lighting installed. However, daylighting is a passive solar strategy, as opposed to
an active strategy like solar power. Natural ventilation is like day lighting, it passively allows
reduces energy demands on mechanical systems, but isn’t awarded points directly for its own
value. The energy model compares these benefits in the design case to conventional design in
the baseline case.

Then, look at your required systems and find ways to increase efficiency. Increase
efficiency in HVAC, lighting, water heating. Think about, “Is the boiler the right size? Do
we have too many lights? Are we using daylight sensors?” Or if it was the mechanical
system, “Are we using the most efficient fans, motors and such?”

112
 Finally, where available, recover waste energy. Exhaust air energy recovery has synergies
with increasing ventilation.

Variable Factors

Project teams using energy simulation software should consider the following criteria:
▪ Schedule of operation
▪ Building orientation
▪ Building envelope
▪ Lighting systems
▪ HVAC&R systems
▪ Process energy
▪ Energy rates
▪ Hot water systems

Making improvements in each variable add up to large savings. Projects that go above and
beyond the point threshold earn an innovation point. In this case, new buildings would need
a 54% improvement from the baseline and existing buildings need 52% improvement.
People might ask, “What if I have a 70% improvement?” Projects would only achieve one
innovation point for that, but ideally, your best savings are decreased energy bills and
increased performance to your building.

The last step is refining your energy performance to meet the project goals. Often people
calculate the results, throw up their hands and say, “Oh, well, here’s where we are as far as
energy savings.” On a project you may find a certain level of energy savings and say, “That
doesn’t meet our goal.” The mechanical engineer and the electrical engineer might meet with
the energy modeler and ask them, “What can we change? How can we alter this in order to
get better performance?”

You see a lot of the same information here in Option 1 because it’s really the same process.
The same person doing the minimum energy performance measurement would complete the
documentation for this credit because they are exactly the same.

Case Study

From a visible, tangible aspect, the most energy efficient feature of the HKS headquarters in
Dallas, Texas is the LED lighting system that’s fully integrated with a window shade system.
It is a complete daylight autonomy system. There are daylight sensors and occupancy sensors.

113
 One of HKS’ most impressive energy achievements is reducing the lighting power density
down to 0.6 watts per square foot. The hard work to get this number came from smart
lighting design and using 95% LED through the entire project.

However, the lighting only runs at about 75% of the time because the employees said they
could work with less light. Each desk has task lighting with built in sensors. When the light
doesn’t sense any motion it turns itself off, further saving energy.

Conference rooms are equipped with vacancy sensors instead of occupancy sensors.
Occupancy sensors automatically turn on the lights as someone walks in the room, but
because the rooms have natural light HKS has found employees will walk into a room and
never turn on the lights. When the employees do use the lights, the vacancy sensors will turn
them off when the occupants leave the room.

EA Prerequisite 3 | Building-level Energy Metering

This prerequisite is new in LEED v4 and it mirrors the water metering prerequisite
requirements.

In addition to making buildings accountable for comprehensive energy, whole building

energy metering is required to measure and track on-going energy efficiency. In the past,
LEED points used to be based on predicted usage, and now LEED is requiring projects to
measure their actual performance. That’s working toward raising the bar for building design.

This is a two-part prerequisite: meter and report energy data. Some project teams may ask,
“Why does the USGBC want this information? If the building scores worse than predicted, will
my plaque be taken away?” No, nothing to worry about there. For years, LEED has been
certifying projects and not knowing what happens after the plaque is put up. Sharing metering
data helps everyone learn what strategies produce measurable results and which have inflated
value.

We look a lot at energy consumption of systems, but one of the biggest oversights in
predictive models has been underestimating or overestimating the amount of energy that
people use in their buildings. Consequently, metering is a valuable tool to enable facility
managers to better understand energy usage based on human factors.

Metering also helps connect LEED BD+C and LEED O+M. For years, USGBC required
metering for existing building projects, but since new construction projects didn’t always install
whole-building meters as a common practice, it became more of a challenge. Now the facility
managers are having discussions with the design team in the new construction projects, and
there is a greater synergy between the rating systems.

114
 Requirements

Install new or use existing building-level energy meters, or submeters that can be aggregated
to provide building-level data representing total building energy consumption (electricity,
natural gas, chilled water, steam, fuel oil, propane, biomass, etc.). Utility-owned meters
capable of aggregating building-level resource use are acceptable. The project building must
be separately metered from other buildings or structures, even if they are owned by the same
party.

Projects must commit to sharing the data with the USGBC for a 5-year period beginning on
the date the project accepts LEED certification or typical occupancy, whichever comes first.
At a minimum, energy consumption must be tracked at one-month intervals, which is pretty
easy since most electric bills occur in monthly cycles anyway.

The challenge is reporting the data. Project teams can either send their data to the USGBC
when requested or be proactive and report online through the EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio
Manager program. The portfolio manager tool is not only a path for prerequisite compliance,
but also a great resource for facility managers to trend energy use patterns.

This commitment must carry forward for 5 years. These are your key dates: 5 years
commitment for data, at one-month intervals, beginning on the date the project accepts
LEED certification or typical occupancy, whichever comes first.

EA Credit 3 | Advanced Energy Metering

For even more accuracy and clarity on actual energy use demands, projects can earn points
for installing additional submeters. First, projects must install advanced energy metering for
all whole building energy sources used by the building. Whole building systems include:

▪ Electricity
▪ Natural Gas
▪ Propane
▪ Steam
▪ Chilled water
▪ On-site Renewable
▪ Geothermal

115
Major End Uses

Secondly, projects must also have advanced energy metering for any individual energy end
uses that represent 10% or more of the total annual consumption of the building. These
systems include:

▪ Primary HVAC systems

▪ Secondary HVAC systems
▪ Lighting
▪ Plug loads
▪ Elevators
▪ Processes

Only those systems with individual energy end uses that represent 10% or more of the total
annual consumption of the building need to be monitored: fans, chillers, pumps, etc. The
path to analyze the data is a bit more flexible than having to go back and do a calibrated
simulation. The data has to be gathered at least hourly and be able to communicate that data
remotely. All of the data must be stored for at least 36 months.

Is it worthwhile?

Submeters are important, because without detailed feedback, problems are going to cost extra
money and extra time to detect and fix. A whole building energy meter is a good start, but it
can only tell you yes, or no that your building is operating as designed. If your building is
consistently exceeding predicted usage, how will you know what system to adjust?
Submeters will tell you exactly where the excess occurring.

Architects, engineers, and managers will want to use this data to do things differently in the
next building. How can you improve the design or setpoints? Without the right data, you
don’t know. It’s why the energy model, the advanced metering, and the monitoring are an
important combination.

For example, if you find a load in the building is only 15% of the total, the potential ROI for
reducing that in the new building is pretty limited. But if you find the lighting load is 40%
of your total, you now know where you can focus on for improvement and where you can
find a significant reduction in your electric bill in your next project.

It may be that you find an issue with what was done in the simulation, and what actually
occurred during one specific month because of the weather. That’s why the requirement is
to report data hourly, daily, monthly, and annually. The comparison of the simulation and
actual data can help identify patterns or discrepancies.

116
 In one case a university started metering and found that one of the compressors had been
bad. It was a multiple compressor unit and the one compressor had been bad for over a year.
It was causing more energy use because the system couldn’t keep up. The building was still
comfortable, so nobody noticed but it was just using more energy.

Case Study

An audit conducted at Southern Connecticut State University revealed that computers, lights,
and air conditioners left on overnight and on weekends were costing the University more
than $100,000 a year. Simply turning off these devices when not in use would actually have a
meaningful effect on the University’s $2.5 million annual electric bill.

Realized dollar savings from such simple energy-saving actions could easily be applied in
support of additional energy saving projects or directly to bolster academic programs.
Sub-metering equipment, applicable in a variety of situations, has allowed SCSU to obtain
savings of tens of thousands of dollars a month depending on the type of facility being
metered. Savings like these are possible because advanced metering equipment, energy
management, and control are directly in the hands of facility operators. By comparing
historical energy usage with current kWh values, facility managers can identify energy
savings opportunities that will guarantee the largest and quickest paybacks. New sub-
metering systems can pinpoint which computers, lights, and air conditioners are on or off,
and whether there might be a need to adjust operating schedules for larger system elements
or equipment. Meter-derived data can reveal locations and situations that call for change-
outs of equipment to more high-efficient designs.

The sub-metering connected to SCSU’s central energy management system is capable of

recording 8 electrical parameters on a daily basis (broken down into 4 time periods with 15-
minute demand and kWh for read-outs for each period). Peak demand times are also
recorded.

Sub-meters are installed on the secondary side of the switchgear in a building or facility.
Besides having a lower cost, secondary sub-meters are much easier to install. Electricians can
install them in about 3 hours while performing cleaning and maintenance of load centers or
as a separate job. Additionally, the meters facilitate electricity monitoring without
necessitating major interior changes in the building. Installation is simply a matter of hooking
3 current sensors around the electrical feeds and adding the 3 potential taps. The meter can be
mounted anywhere. Average cost to purchase and install a sub-meter connected to the DDC
system is approximately $3,000.

117
EA Prerequisite 4 | Fundamental Refrigerant Management
The intent of this prerequisite is to reduce stratospheric ozone depletion. Refrigerants are an
ozone depleting material. This prerequisite requires zero use of CFC-based refrigerants in
HVAC&R systems. If your project is an existing building renovation that has a CFC-based
system already in it, the project must have a comprehensive phase out conversion to remove
the CFC-based refrigerants.

Scope

All full-sized refrigerant containing equipment is required in the scope of this prerequisite.
However, small HVAC&R units, standard refrigerators, and any other equipment that
contains less than 0.5 pound (225 grams) of refrigerant, are exempt from the calculations.

CFCs

New construction projects cannot install new CFC-based refrigeration due to the Montreal
Protocol, which phased out CFCs for industrialized nations in 1995. However, CFCs may
still be used in existing HVAC equipment prior to either 1995 in developed countries or
2010 in developing countries.

The EPA set regulations on using and recycling ozone-depleting compounds as part of the
Clean Air Act. Project teams must adhere to this standard to minimize refrigerant leakage
for systems with existing CFC-containing equipment.

Two Paths

There are two different paths. One is the new building in which you’re just not going to
install CFC based refrigerants. For new buildings, select refrigerants that have short
environmental lifetimes, minimize any leakage, and establish safe removal and disposal of
refrigerants.

The fact of the matter is many of us are dealing with existing buildings which have existing
CFC-based refrigerant systems. Insure proper maintenance on systems to minimize leakage.
Replace or retrofit existing CFC-based equipment before the project’s completion. A post-
occupancy phaseout can occur in special circumstances.

EA Credit 6 | Enhanced Refrigerant Management

The intent of this credit is to reduce ozone depletion and support early compliance with the
Montreal Protocol while minimizing direct contributions to climate change.

118