Energy & Atmosphere Credit 1: Do You Know the Savings – by David Cantrill CxGBS®
Jul 28, 2011 CxGBS Articles, Editorials, Sustainability News
A LEED project can achieve up to 19 points through the energy efficiency credit of EAc1. With this in mind, designers are typically instructed by the owner to design a building that will meet an agreed upon energy savings level. After the energy model is completed and the LEED online template is completed, the results show an energy savings enough to reach the point level requested by the owner. But the template shows that the project will earn fewer points than what they were expecting. Why might this be? The answer is simple, the savings referenced by LEED are for energy cost savings and not actual energy savings. You may design a building that saves 30% more energy than the baseline model but your cost savings could be substantially less. This can happen if using an energy source that has a high cost to unit of energy ratio. When all of your energy savings is in the lower cost energy source and not in your high cost energy source, you can run into this issue. It is important, when designing a project to meet a specified EAc1 point amount that everyone on the LEED project team is clear that the savings for this credit is based upon cost savings and not energy savings. Understanding this early in the process will save a lot of potential headaches and surprises when these credits are reviewed.
Tags: David Cantrill, EAc1, Energy & Atmostphere, energy model, LEED
Do it Right or Do it Twice – by Danna Lopez CxGBS®
Jul 21, 2011 CxGBS Articles, Editorials
My father told me once, “There are two ways of doing things… Right, and Again.” I have found that statement to be true in so many aspects of life. As I work with LEED project teams to complete construction credits, I have found that the same way of thinking goes with contractor training. Either offer thorough training to the entire team in the beginning of construction, or you’ll most likely encounter hiccups along a very tedious construction documentation path, and be forced to repeat the training.
Contractor materials and construction waste training involves training the general contractor, and all subcontractors, to meet the requirements for several construction credits. Training is especially important for those who have never been involved with a LEED project – as much of the documentation they will be required to record and submit is unfamiliar.
This training should involve an overview of the requirements for the following credits:
• MRc2 – Construction Waste Management
• MRc3 – Materials Reuse
• MRc4 – Recycled Content
• MRc5 – Regional Materials
• MRc6 – Rapidly Renewable Materials
• MRc7 – Certified Wood
• IEQc4 – Low Emitting Materials
The Construction Waste Management Credit (MRc2) will require that the general contractor implement a construction waste plan (we’ll skip the details on creation of the plan), and collect waste pull tickets and hauler delivery tickets. It is important to inform the team that they must collect these tickets regularly, and ensure that required information is indicated on the tickets. As a LEED Consultant, it is important to review and verify that tickets with necessary information are being collected regularly, and keep the project team informed about the percentage of waste diverted as well as how far away they are from goal.
The Materials Credits (MRc3-7, IEQc4) will require that the general contractor, and all subcontractors, purchase materials and products that will help contribute to achievement of these credits whenever possible. Educating the team about how to look for and ask for local materials, materials with recycled content, rapidly renewable materials, and materials with certified wood, should be part of this training.
Correctly documenting the materials used on the project is one of the most important aspects of the training. To make it easier for everyone, providing the contractors with a Required LEED Material Data Sheet (RLMDS) will help make the documentation process smoother. Showing the contractor how to find this information on product information sheets (PIS) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) will help them to find it for other materials. Indicating that this information can be written in a manufacturer letter (on manufacturer letterhead) if it cannot be found on the MSDS or PIS should be explained as well.
As a LEED consultant, regularly reviewing material submittals and RLMDSs throughout the project is in important part of the training as well. This will help to identify any mistakes or misunderstandings and if needed, repeat the training. Hopefully, if the training is implemented well and it the contractors understand what is required, this should be a painless process. It’s much easier to do it right the first time, than to have to repeat it again.
Tags: certified wood, Construction Waste Management, Danna Lopez, IEQc4, LEED, linkedin, low emitting materials, materials, materials reuse, MRc2, MRc3, MRc4, MRc5, MRc6, mrc7, rapidly renewable materials, recycled content, regional materials, RLMD, RLMDS, training, USGBC
ASHRAE Awards H. Jay Enck Certification for Building Energy Assessment Professional – March 21, 2011
Jul 7, 2011 CxGBS in the News, Press Release
H. Jay Enck has earned the Building Energy Assessment Professional certification from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
This ASHRAE certification program certifies individuals’ ability to audit and analyze residential, commercial, and industrial buildings including determining project scope, collecting data, analyzing building performance, interpreting results, evaluating alternatives, submitting recommendations for energy conservation measures, and assisting with the implementation of these recommendations.
“An ASHRAE certification benefits building owners, employers and individuals,” ASHRAE President Lynn G. Bellenger said. “Firms who employ ASHRAE-certified professionals are better able to promote their services, and individuals who are certified approach their responsibilities with greater confidence. ASHRAE certification helps professionals demonstrate that they have mastered a certain body of knowledge and can provide outstanding services in their area of expertise.”
The computer-based exam is offered at testing facilities across the United States and in 19 other nations. Persons interested in earning the certification must meet certain eligibility requirements and submit a completed application. A list of available resources from ASHRAE and other sources is available. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/BEAP.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.
Tags: ASHRAE, BEAP, Building Energy Assessment Professional, certification, Commissioning, H. Jay Enck
