Requirements
Projects that register on or after
April 8, 2016 and are subject to the four point mandatory minimum, demonstrate a 14% improvement for new buildings, or a 10% improvement for major renovations to existing buildings.
Option 1. Whole building energy simulation
Demonstrate a 10% improvement in the proposed building performance rating for new buildings, or a 5% improvement in the proposed building performance rating for major renovations to existing buildings, compared with the baseline building performance rating.
Calculate the baseline building performance rating according to the building performance rating method in Appendix G of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 (with errata but without addenda
1) using a computer simulation model for the whole building project. Projects outside the U.S. may use a USGBC approved equivalent standard
2.
Appendix G of Standard 90.1-2007 requires that the energy analysis done for the building performance rating method include all energy costs associated with the building project. To achieve points using this credit, the proposed design must meet the following criteria:
- Comply with the mandatory provisions (Sections 5.4, 6.4, 7.4, 8.4, 9.4 and 10.4) in Standard 90.1-2007 (with errata but without addenda1) or USGBC approved equivalent.
- Inclusion of all the energy costs within and associated with the building project.
- Compare against a baseline building that complies with Appendix G of Standard 90.1-2007 (with errata but without addenda1) or USGBC approved equivalent. The default process energy cost is 25% of the total energy cost for the baseline building. If the building’s process energy cost is less than 25% of the baseline building energy cost, the LEED submittal must include documentation substantiating that process energy inputs are appropriate.
For the purpose of this analysis,
process energy is considered to include, but is not limited to, office and general miscellaneous equipment, computers, elevators and escalators,kitchen cooking and refrigeration, laundry washing and drying, lighting exempt from the lighting power allowance (e.g., lighting integral to medical equipment) and other (e.g., waterfall pumps).
Regulated (non-process) energy includes lighting (for the interior, parking garage, surface parking, façade, or building grounds, etc. except as noted above), heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) (for space heating, space cooling, fans, pumps, toilet exhaust, parking garage ventilation, kitchen hood exhaust, etc.), and service water heating for domestic or space heating purposes.
Process loads must be identical for both the baseline building performance rating and the proposed building performance rating. However, project teams may follow the exceptional calculation method (ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 G2.5) or USGBC approved equivalent to document measures that reduce process loads. Documentation of process load energy savings must include a list of the assumptions made for both the base and the proposed design, and theoretical or empirical information supporting these assumptions.
Projects in California may use Title 24-2005, Part 6 in place of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 for Option 1.
OR
Option 2 is not an eligible compliance option for projects that registered on or after
April 8, 2016.
Option 2. Prescriptive compliance path: ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide
Comply with the prescriptive measures of the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide appropriate to the project scope, outlined below. Project teams must comply with all applicable criteria as established in the Advanced Energy Design Guide for the climate zone in which the building is located. Projects outside the U.S. may use ASHRAE/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 Appendices B and D to determine the appropriate climate zone.
Path 1. ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings 2004
The building must meet the following requirements:
- Less than 20,000 square feet (1,800 square meters).
- Office occupancy.
Path 2. ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings 2006
The building must meet the following requirements:
- Less than 20,000 square feet (1,800 square meters).
- Retail occupancy.
Path 3. ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses and Self Storage Buildings 2008
The building must meet the following requirements:
- Less than 50,000 square feet (4,600 square meters).
- Warehouse or self-storage occupancy.
OR
Option 3 is not an eligible compliance option for projects that registered on or after
April 8, 2016.
Option 3. Prescriptive compliance path: Advanced Buildings™ Core Performance™ Guide
Comply with the prescriptive measures identified in the Advanced Buildings™ Core Performance™ Guide developed by the New Buildings Institute. The building must meet the following requirements:
- Less than 100,000 square feet (9,300 square meters).
- Comply with Section 1: Design Process Strategies, and Section 2: Core Performance Requirements.
- Health care, warehouse and laboratory projects are ineligible for this path.
Projects outside the U.S. may use ASHRAE/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 Appendices B and D to determine the appropriate climate zone.
OR
Option 4. Brazil compliance path: PBE Edifica
Projects in Brazil that are certified at the “A” level under the Regulation for Energy Efficiency Labeling (PBE Edifica) program for all attributes (Envelope, Lighting, HVAC) achieve this prerequisite. The following building types cannot achieve this prerequisite using this option: Healthcare, Data Centers, Manufacturing Facilities, Warehouses, and Laboratories.