Application Guide.

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A p p l i c a t i o n G u i d e

table of contents

General 3

Introduction 3

leadership in energy & environment 3

Purpose 3

leeD Rating system 3

energy & atmosphere 4

Prerequisites 4

optimize energy 4

Underfloor air Distribution 4

Displacement Ventilation systems 4

chilled beam systems 4

ecM Motors 5

Dynafuser auto-changeover Diffusers 5

enhanced commissioning 5

Material & Resources 5

total Material Value and MeP Products 5

Prerequisite 5

building Reuse 5

Recycled contents 6

Regional Materials 6

Indoor environmental Quality 7

Prerequisites 7

Increased Ventilation 7

controllability of systems 7

thermal comfort 8

Green building codes and Programs 9

federal Green Requirements 10

state Green Requirements 10

local Green Requirements 11

summary 12

abbreviations 12

titus, the titus spiral, the leader in air Management, and teaMs are trademarks of titus.

leeD and leeD Green building Rating system are trademarks of the U.s. Green building council. ecM is a trademark of General electric company, Usa. asHRae is a trademark of american society of Heating Refrigeration air-conditioning engineers.

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

General

this document provides application highlights covering green buildings.

Introduction

the increased interest and demand for green buildings con-tinue in building projects. this document highlights some areas where using titus products may help to achieve the goal of becoming a certified green building project.

Leadership in Energy & Environment

the United states Green building council (UsGbc) devel-oped the leadership in energy & environmental Design (leeDtM) Green building Rating system™. the leeD coun-cil is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard board for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. UsGbc members represent all segments of the building industry and update the program continuously.

Purpose

the leeD rating system was created for the following reasons:

Define “green building” by establishing a common ∴

measurement standard.

Promote integrated, whole building design practices. ∴

Recognize environmental leadership in the building ∴

industry.

stimulate green competition. ∴

Raise consumer awareness of green building benefits. ∴

transform the building market. ∴

More information about the UsGbc and leeD can be found on the UsGbc website (www.usgbc.org).

LEED Rating System

Using the leeD rating system, a project can become leeD certified by obtaining points for “green” building processes, systems, and materials. there are several different leeD standards such as leeD-nc for new construction, leeD for schools, leeD-eboM for existing buildings operations and maintenance, and several more. this guide will discuss the LEED-NC standard. The four levels of LEED certification are as follows.

General certification requires 40-49 points. ∴

Silver certification is 50-59 points. ∴

Gold certification is 60-79 points. ∴

Platinum certification is 80+ points. ∴

the Project checklist consists of several sections, each with various topics, called credits. the following list provides the section categories.

sustainable sites (ss) ∴

Water Efficiency (WE) ∴

energy & atmosphere (ea) ∴

Materials & Resources (MR) ∴

Indoor environmental Quality (IeQ) ∴

Innovation & Design Process (ID) ∴

Regional Priority (RP) ∴

Prerequisites and credits exist within each section. to achieve LEED certification, prerequisites for all sections of leeD must be met regardless of which credits are submit-ted for certification. The following table lists credits and prerequisites related to air distribution.

table 1. Prerequisites and credits Related to titus Products

Criteria ClassifiCation

Points

energy & atmosphere

Prerequisite 1 – Fundamental Building Systems Commissioning

∴ Required

Prerequisite 2 – Minimum Energy Performance

∴ Required

Prerequisite 3 – Fundamental Refrigerant Management

∴ Required

Credit 1 - Optimize Energy Performance

∴ Up to 10

Credit 3 – Enhanced Commissioning

∴ 1

Materials & Resource

Prerequisite 1 – Storage & Collection of Recyclables

∴ Required

Credit 1 - Building Reuse

∴ 1 – 3

Credit 4 – Recycled Content

∴ 1 – 2

Credit 5 - Regional Materials

∴ 1 - 2

Indoor environmental Quality Prerequisite 1 – Minimum IAQ Performance

∴ Required

Prerequisite 2 – Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control

∴ Required

Credit 2 - Increased Ventilation

∴ 1

Credit 3 – Construction IAQ Management Plan

∴ 1-2

Credit 6 – Controllability of Systems, Thermal Comfort

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

Criteria ClassifiCation

Points

Credit 7 – Thermal Comfort

∴ 1

Innovation & Design Process Credit 1 – Innovation in Design

∴ 1

Energy & Atmosphere

Prerequisites

three prerequisites exist in the energy & atmosphere sec-tion, they are: fundamental building systems commission-ing, Minimum energy Performance, and cfc Reduction in HVac&R equipment.

Optimize Energy

credit 1 is optimize energy Performance. the intent of this credit is to achieve increasing levels of energy performance above the prerequisite standard to reduce environmental impacts associated with excessive energy use. there are three methods of achieving the optimize energy credits. The first, and currently most common, method is based on percentage of reduction from asHRae standard 90.1, energy standard for buildings except low-Rise Residential buildings, and range from 12% reduction (1 Point) to 48% reduction (19 Points) for new buildings.

the requirement for optimizing energy performance credit is to reduce the design energy cost compared to the energy cost budget for systems regulated by asHRae™/Iesna standard 90.1-2007. Per leeD, regulated energy systems include HVac, service hot water and interior lighting. the second method of achieving this credit is to com-ply with the Prescriptive compliance Path in the asHRae Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings 2004. Using this method, you can achieve 1 point.

the last method of achieving the optimize energy credit is to comply with the Prescriptive compliance Path in the ad-vanced buildings™ core Performance™ Guide developed by the new buildings Institute. You can achieve 1 to 3 points using this method.

UnderFloor Air Distribution Systems

one way to achieve energy optimization credit is with an underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system. A UFAD system may have higher HVAC equipment efficiency as access floor air systems use warmer supply air (60B to 65Bf) than

conventional systems that use 55Bf supply air. Raising the discharge temperature of many system types reduces en-ergy consumption.

UfaD systems can move a larger volume of air with overall lower pressure drops. The underfloor plenum needs 0.1 inch of water pressure or less for proper diffuser perfor-mance. this results in less fan horsepower needed for ac-cess floor systems resulting in lower energy usage. additional energy savings and higher levels of occupant comfort for UfaD projects can be obtained by using the taf-l linear system to provide VaV cooling and fin tube (hydronic or electric) heating on perimeter zones. taf-l system is passive and eliminates the need for fan powered terminals. the taf-l-V cooling units can also be located in variable occupancy areas such as conference rooms or waiting areas to maximize occupant comfort.

The energy savings of an access floor system should be considered as part of the system to receive an optimize en-ergy Performance credit.

Displacement Ventilation Systems

Displacement ventilation systems use the natural buoyancy of warm air to provide improved ventilation and comfort. cold air from a displacement diffuser moves slowly across the floor until it reaches a heat source, such as a person or a computer, then rises. Displacement ventilation systems cannot be used for heating however, so a supplementary heating system is required.

the system design of a displacement ventilation system is very similar to a UfaD system. therefore it can help achieve the optimize energy Performance credit.

Chilled Beam Systems

chilled beam systems are water based cooling systems. Because cooling with water is more efficient than cooling with air, these systems can save energy and help achieve the optimize energy Performance credit.

there are two types of chilled beams, passive and active. both types use convection of room air over a cooling or heating coil to maintain comfort. a passive chilled beam does not have a supply air inlet. fresh air must be supplied through a separate fresh air system. active chilled beams have a supply air inlet. In either system, the airside volume is much lower than in an all air systems. this reduces the

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

fan size and therefore reduces the fan energy usage.

ECM Motors

ecM motors are another option that should be considered for the optimize energy Performance credit. the ecM mo-tor has efficiencies of up to 70% across its entire operating range (300-1200 rpm) and 80% over 400 rpm. the ecM motor is available in all of the titus fan-powered terminals. see the ecM application Guide, aG-ecM, for more informa-tion.

DynaFuser Auto-Changeover Perimeter Diffuser

Most perimeter areas of commercial buildings require both heating and cooling. typically a split overhead system uses two slot diffusers mounted end to end or one diffuser with multiple slots. In the two diffuser system, one diffuser is set for horizontal discharge and the other for vertical. With a multiple slot diffuser, half of the slots are set to discharge horizontally and half discharge vertically.

even though these methods work, they are not the opti-mum solution. In both the heating and cooling modes, half the supply air is being discharged in the wrong direction. During heating, half the air is discharged horizontally which causes stratification along the ceiling. In cooling, half the air is discharged vertically causing unwanted drafts along the floor.

the titus Dynafuser was designed to solve the perimeter challenge. the Dynafuser automatically changes the air discharge pattern to the correct position for heating and cooling applications. this allows 100% of the supply air to be utilized in either application to achieve optimum com-fort in the occupied zone. lab tests have shown that the return temperature was 3.25Bf lower using the Dynafuser test, compared to a split flow perimeter slot diffuser. This equates to a saving of 26.5% of energy by not directing warm supply air directly to the return.

the Dynafuser not only increases the comfort level by correctly discharging supply air in both heating and cooling modes, it does so without the use of an internal or external power source which translates to energy savings for the building owner. When 100% of the supply air is utilized, the room temperature reaches the set-point faster requiring the HVac system to run for a shorter duration of time, which saves energy. In fact, preliminary lab tests indicate energy savings to be 10-40%, which can help achieve the optimize energy Performance credit.

Enhanced Commissioning

credit 3 is for beginning the commissioning process early during the design process and executing additional activi-ties after systems performance verification is completed. the independent commissioning authority should be:

Independent of the work of design and construction. ∴

Not an employee of the design firm, though they may ∴

be contracted through them.

not an employee of, or contracted through, ∴

a contractor or construction manager holding construction contracts.

May be a qualified employee or consultant of the ∴

owner.

consider air balancing the diffusers, registers,

and grilles as part of the additional commissioning tasks of the building systems.

Material & Resources

Total Material Value and MEP Products

Many of the credits in the Material & Resources section of leeD require the project to calculate the total material value of the project. Mechanical, electrical, and pluming (MeP) products as well as labor, overhead, and fees are not to be included.

the reason for excluding MeP products is that typically, MeP products are not recycled or reused, which is the focus of the Material & Resources section of leeD. Including MeP products would increase the total material value

of a project while not adding value to the total recycled or reused material content, and, therefore, make it more diffi-cult to achieve the 5%, 10%, or 20% necessary to achieve some of the Material & Resource credits.

Prerequisite

the Material & Resources section has prerequisite storage & collection of Recyclables.

Building Reuse

If the project is a renovation, credit 1.1 or 1.2 building Reuse, may be applicable.

credit 1.1 is for maintaining at least 55%, based on surface area, of existing walls, floors and roof. Credit 1.2 is for

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

maintaining 50% of existing interior non-structural ele-ments such as interior walls, doors, floor coverings and ceiling systems.

Utilizing access floors systems can update a building for meet current technology needs without demolishing the current building structure. In situations where the architect wants to leave an ornamental ceiling open, access floor air distribution may be the perfect solution.

Recycled Contents

credits 4 (1 to 2 points) Recycled contents: 10% and 20%, respectively are for using post-consumer and post-industrial recycled contents materials.

the intent for the recycled contents credit is to increase usage of building products incorporating recycled content materials. When determining the percentage of recycled contents used in the building project, all post-consumer recycled contents materials can be included and count toward the 10% or 20% total. However, the post-consumer recycled contents materials are valued at 50% of the total percentage used. for example, if 7% of the total building project is post-consumer recycled, then 7% is counted and 4% of the total building project is post-industrial, then 2% is counted.

Using 10% recycled contents qualifies for one point, using 20% or more qualifies for an additional point. Two points is the maximum credit for Recycled contents.

for recycled materials that are used as a component of another product, the value of recycled materials that are used as a component of another product is determined by weight. Divide the weight of the recycled content by the weight of the complete product and use that percentage of the dollar value of the product for the recycled content dollar value.

Regional Materials

additional points are given for utilizing local building materials. Depending on the project site, the project may qualify for Regional Material points, Credit 5. It qualifies the project for 1 point for using 10% regionally extracted, harvested, processed, and manufactured material. It also provides an additional point for 20% regionally extracted, harvested, processed, and manufactured material.

the intent of the Regional Materials credit is to increase de-mand for building materials and products that are extracted and manufactured within the region, thereby supporting the regional economy and reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation. Products and build-ing materials with final assembly within a 500-mile radius of the construction site meet the Regional Materials credit guideline.

titus manufactures product all over the country, so many of the terminals, diffusers, and grilles used in a project may help qualify for Regional Material points. Whenever

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

sible consider product manufacturing plant location when selecting products to qualify for Regional Material points. figure 1 shows locations of titus manufacturing plants with a shaded circle indicating a 500-mile radius of each plant. the Green building section of the titus website has a distance calculator that calculated the distance from all of the Titus manufacturing facilities to the specified project zip code. the distance calculator can be found at http://www. titus-hvac.com/greenbuilding/plant_distance.asp.

Indoor Environmental Quality

Prerequisites

the Indoor environmental Quality section has two pre-requisites: Minimum IaQ Performance and environmental tobacco smoke (ets) control. the Minimum IaQ Per-formance prerequisite requires the project to meet the minimum requirements of voluntary consensus standard asHRae 62.1-2007, Ventilation for acceptable Indoor air Quality, and approved addenda using the Ventilation Rate Procedure.

the Dynafuser can also help achieve the asHRae 62.1 ventilation requirement in the perimeter system. there are a couple of design issues related to perimeter heating that are discussed in the asHRae standards that leeD requires. If a design uses a typical split airflow pattern, with half the air going across the ceiling and half the air pointed down the glass, there are a couple of rules that must be followed. first, the throw at 150 fpm should reach to about 4 ft from the floor. This guaranties that fresh air gets into the occupied zone during heating. second, the temperature differential from setpoint to supply cannot exceed 15Bf. If these conditions are not met, then the air change effective-ness defined in ASHRAE 62.1 is reduced from 1.0 to 0.8. this means that 25% more fresh air needs to be brought in to meet the asHRae 62.1 requirement for IaQ. the Dyna-fuser solves this by putting 100% of the air where it needs to be during cooling and heating.

Increased Ventilation

credit 2 provides one point for Increased Ventilation. this credit’s intent is to provide additional outdoor air ventila-tion to improve indoor air quality for improved occupant comfort, well-being and productivity. the credit requires the ventilation system design to Increase breathing zone outdoor air ventilation rates to all occupied spaces by at least 30% above the minimum rates required by asHRae

standard 62.1-2007, Ventilation for acceptable Indoor air Quality.

Displacement ventilation systems can help achieve the increased ventilation credit. asHRae standard 62.1, table 6-2, Zone air Distribution effectiveness, rates the air distri-bution effectiveness of a displacement ventilation system as 1.2. the zone air distribution effectiveness is a measure of how effectively the zone air distribution uses its supply air to maintain acceptable air quality in the breathing zone. a rating of 1.2 is essentially equivalent to stating that a displacement ventilation system requires 20% less fresh air than an overhead cooling system which has a rating of 1.0, or in terms of the Increased Ventilation credit, that 20% of the 30% required is achieved by default when a displace-ment ventilation system is utilized. this means that less actual fresh air is required to achieve this credit.

for heating, the perimeter overhead heating systems must be sizes correctly to achieve a zone air distribution effec-tiveness of 1.0. If a split overhead system is being used, proper selection of the overhead perimeter slot diffuser throw is necessary to ensure that fresh air is provided to the occupied zone in both cooling and heating modes. the diffuser should be selected so that the isothermal (cataloged) data for the 150 fpm throw reaches the 4 ft level from the floor of the occupied space and the supply air does not exceed 15Bf over the zone temperature. If the diffuser is not selected in this manner, the zone air distribu-tion effectiveness becomes 0.8 and addidistribu-tional fresh air will need to be supplied to the zone.

bringing in additional outside air in the heating season will also increase energy usage due to the need to heat up the cold outside air before supplying it to the zone. the Dyna-fuser can solve this issue be putting the air where it needs to be in both cooling and heating seasons.

Controllability of Systems

credit 6, controllability of systems, has two parts: 6.1 lighting and 6.2 thermal comfort. the intent of credit 6.2 is to provide individual comfort controls for 50% of the building occupants to enable adjustments to suit individual task needs and preferences.

The credit states that, “Individual adjustments may involve individual thermostat controls, local diffusers at floor,…” as potential strategies to achieve this credit. VaV diffusers,

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

such as the titus t3sQ would also qualify for this credit as well as access floor diffusers such as the TAF-R.

Thermal Comfort

credit 7.1 (1 point), thermal comfort - Design requires that the building comply with asHRae standard 55-2004, for thermal comfort standards.

asHRae standard 55-2004, thermal environmental condi-tions for Human Occupancy specifies the combinacondi-tions of indoor space environment and personal factors that will produce thermal environmental conditions acceptable to 80% or more of the occupants within a space. the environ-mental factors addressed in the standard are temperature, thermal radiation, humidity, and air speed; the personal factors are those of activity and clothing.

It has been shown that individual comfort is maintained when the following conditions are maintained in a space:

air temperature maintained between 73-77

∴ Bf.

Relative humidity maintained between 25-60%. ∴

Maximum air motion in the occupied. ∴

50 fpm in cooling. ∴

30 fpm in heating. ∴

floor to 6-foot level, 5-6

∴ Bf maximum temperature

gradient.

the asHRae comfort standard states that no minimum air movement is necessary to maintain thermal comfort, provided the temperature is acceptable. to maximize en-ergy conservation, we should attempt to maintain proper temperatures at the lowest possible air speed. the asHRae comfort charts, figures 2 and 3 show the relationship between local air velocity and temperature difference in the ankle and neck regions.

Figure2 - Ankle Region Comfort Chart

Figure3 - Neck Region Comfort Chart

air Diffusion Performance Index (aDPI) is the best way of assuring that a space will meet the asHRae standard 55 requirement for 5-6Bf maximum temperature gradient. aDPI is a single-number means of relating temperatures and velocities in an occupied zone to occupants’ thermal comfort. to calculate the aDPI of a space, you need to measure the temperature and velocities at points throughout the occupied space. the occupied space is defined by ASHRAE as being the area from the floor to the six foot height, one foot from the walls. the effective draft temperature is then calculated for each point.

the effective draft temperature (Q) is equal to the room temperature (t_x) minus the local temperature (t_c) minus

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

0.07 times the local velocity (V_x) minus 30. Q = (t_x-t_c) – 0.07(V_x-30)

the aDPI value is the percentage of the points where Q is between -3 and +2 F inclusive, with a room velocity of 70 fpm or less. asHRae guidelines state that the aDPI of greater than or equal to 80 is considered acceptable. With the teaMs GRD selection program, you don’t need to measure points in the occupied space and calculate the effective draft temperature to calculate aDPI, the software does it for you. the example below shows two selections, the oMnI and the Pas. by using the aDPI calculator in teaMs, the software will change the line that normally displays velocity to display aDPI. selecting the Performance button, you can enter a cfM, in this case 200 cfM. the cfM shows up in the data in yellow.

this is especially important in VaV systems. In a VaV system, the VAV box only runs at full flow at full load, which is typically only on the hottest days of the year. Most of the time the VaV box will be at turn down, so to have a comfortable space, the diffuser aDPI must be 80 or greater throughout the airflow range of the VAV box.

You can see that the oMnI maintains an acceptable aDPI at a lower cfM than the Pas. In this example, at 100 cfM the oMnI still has an acceptable aDPI of 80 while the Pas at the same 100 cfM has dropped below 80. You can also use the TEAMS selection to determine the best airflow range for given diffuser. the Pas in our example would have better performance above 140 cfM.

to achieve the leeD IeQ credit 7.1 for thermal comfort Design, an engineer must show that they designed the building to meet asHRae standard 55-2004. Including the teaMs aDPI screens in the supporting documentation for the credit can help the engineer show that they designed to asHRae standard 55-2004.

although the occupied zone’s velocity and temperature is important in all HVac systems, UfaD systems require careful consideration as the air is introduced directly into the occupied zone. the ability of the UfaD diffuser to rapidly mix room air into the supply air at low velocities is the key to success. slowing the supply air down 50 fpm and warming it up to 75Bf as close to the diffuser face as possible provides the most occupant comfort. a typical UfaD diffuser should reach the 50 fpm and 75Bf point within a 1 to 2 foot radius from the center of the diffuser. as the radius increases to reach the 50 fpm and 75Bf point, the usable floor space decreases.

Green Building Codes and Programs

With energy considerations growing, there is an increased interest in “green” buildings, sustainable design, and energy savings. although the U.s. Green building council is not a government agency, many local governing bodies are requesting, and in some cases requiring, green design features into their new construction requirements. some states and cities offer tax incentives for buildings that meet green building codes or become LEED certified and others will most likely offer incentives in the future.

the energy Policy act of 2005 (ePact 2005), which goes into effect December 31, 2005 provides new tax incentives

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

for energy efficiency measures.

for commercial buildings, the ePact 2005 offers business taxpayers a deduction of $1.80 per square foot for commercial buildings that achieve a 50% reduction in annual energy cost to the user, compared to a base building defined by the industry standard ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-2001. energy costs refer only to heating, cooling, lighting and water heating, since only these uses are within the scope of the asHRae standard and within the control of the building designer.

each of the three energy-using systems of the building — the envelope, the heating, cooling and water heating system, and lighting system — is eligible for one third of the incentive if it meets its share of the whole-building savings goal. explicit interim compliance procedures are provided for lighting.

eligible buildings include commercial buildings such as: offices, retail buildings, warehouses, etc., rental housing of four stories or more, and publicly-owned buildings. for publicly-owned buildings, there is a provision allowing the credit to pass through to the “person primarily responsible for designing the building.”

new construction in an existing building is also eligible for the tax deduction, with one third of the deduction amount for new construction that affects the new energy-using system (such as lighting or heating, cooling and water heating).

Federal Green Requirements

all new Gsa building projects must meet criteria for basic LEED certification. The Department of State has committed to using leeD on the construction of new embassies worldwide over the next 10 years. All of EPA’s significant new facility construction and new building acquisition projects are required to meet the U.s. Green building council’s leeD silver standard.

the air force has developed a leeD application Guide for lodging projects and has conducted leeD training seminars for its design and construction personnel. the air force encourages the use of leeD for new or major renovations for military construction projects and has created an online design guide for sustainable development structured after leeD. the army has adopted leeD into its sustainable Project Rating tool.

the navy encourages sustainable development in its facilities requiring all applicable projects to meet the LEED Certified level, unless justifiable conditions exist that limit accomplishment of the leeD credits necessary for achieving the Certified level. Submission to the USGBC for LEED certification is not a requirement, but is recommended for high visibility and showcase projects.

State Green Requirements

several states have adopted green building standards for publicly funded projects. Many of the states not listed below are currently considering green buildings requirements.

California requires LEED Silver for all new state-funded buildings. ∴

The State of Illinois Capital Development Board is considering requiring LEED ∴

certification of public projects.

Maine requires all new or expanding state buildings to incorporate LEED guidelines ∴

provided that standards can be met on a cost-effective basis.

Maryland requires all capital projects greater than 5,000 square feet to earn LEED ∴

certification. The state also approved a green building tax credit for commercial developers. Maryland’s Green Building Council has created a green building program based on the LEED standard.

Massachusetts is considering LEED adoption for all state projects as well as a green ∴

building tax credit program.

The state of Michigan requires that all state-funded capital projects over $1,000,000, ∴

including state agencies, universities, and community colleges, be constructed to a LEED Certified level.

Missouri is currently using LEED on public projects and intends to seek certification. ∴

New Jersey requires all new school designs to incorporate LEED guidelines. The New ∴

Jersey Economic Schools Construction Corporation is encouraging the use of LEED, but not requiring certification of new projects built under its $12 billion public school construction program.

New York encourages, but does not require, state projects to seek LEED Certification. ∴

New York was the first state to implement a green building tax program. The credit allows builders who meet energy goals and use environmentally preferable materials to claim up to $3.75 per square foot for interior work and $7.50 per square foot for exterior work toward their state tax bill. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers an incentive for design teams of any New York State building that achieves a LEED rating. NYSERDA’s New Construction Program offers a 10% increase on incentives for energy efficiency measures that reduce the use of electricity. NYSERDA provides low interest loans (4% below market rate) for energy efficiency measures and building materials that meet LEED or other generally accepted green building standards.

Oregon’s 35% Business Energy Tax Credit for sustainable buildings is tied to the LEED ∴

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

tax credit for sustainable buildings.

In Pennsylvania, buildings for the Department of Environmental Protection and the ∴

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are encouraged to achieve LEED Silver certification.

Washington State is the first state to require LEED Silver Certification for all publicly ∴

funded new construction projects and major remodels over 25,000 square feet. Wisconsin is using LEED on public projects and intends to seek certification. ∴

Local Green Requirements

some counties and cities have adopted green building requirements. the list below shows many of the local green building requirements for north america.

Alameda County, CA projects must be LEED Silver certified. Materials procured for ∴

construction as well as furniture, fixtures, and other interiors will be recyclable, durable, and have a low-environmental impact.

Arlington County, VA allows commercial projects and private developments earning ∴

LEED Silver certification to develop sites at a higher density than conventional projects. All site plan applications for commercial projects are required to include a LEED Scorecard and have a LEED Accredited Professional on the project team regardless of whether or not the project intends to seek LEED certification. All projects must contribute to a green building fund for county-wide education and outreach activities. The contribution is refunded if projects earn LEED certification.

Cook County, IL requires LEED certification of all county building projects. The ordinance ∴

also calls for projects to earn a minimum of 8 credits in the Energy & Atmosphere category to ensure best life-cycle returns.

Dane County, WI developed a Green Building Policy, which is primarily guided by the ∴

LEED rating system.

King County, WA requires all new public construction projects to seek LEED certification ∴

and encourages the application of LEED criteria to building retrofits and tenant improvements.

San Mateo County CA adopted a Sustainable Building Policy that requires new projects ∴

and additions that are built by the County that are greater than 5000 square feet to achieve certification at the highest practicable LEED rating level.

Arlington, MA requires all new buildings and major renovation projects to achieve a ∴

LEED Silver rating at a minimum.

Atlanta GA requires all city-funded projects over 5,000 square feet or costing $2 million ∴

to meet a LEED Silver rating level. Projects exempt from this policy are required to complete a LEED checklist to assess any sustainable design techniques. Austin TX requires LEED certification of all public projects over 5,000 square feet. ∴

Berkeley, CA requires municipal buildings over 5,000 square feet to achieve the LEED ∴

Certified rating in 2005 and a LEED Silver rating in 2006 and beyond.

Boulder, CO requires that all new or significantly renovated city facilities are built to a ∴

LEED Silver standard and are considering requiring certification of commercial projects or developing a LEED-based incentive program.

Bowie, MD requires all municipal projects to follow green building criteria and to use ∴

LEED guidelines on a project-by-project basis.

Dallas, TX requires all city buildings larger than 10,000 square feet to have at least LEED ∴

Silver certification.

Eugene, OR uses LEED as a guideline for all new city-funded construction. ∴

Houston, TX requires that all city owned buildings and facilities over 10,000 square feet ∴

shall use LEED to the greatest extent practical and reasonable with a target of LEED Silver certification.

Kansas City, MO requires that all new city buildings be designed to meet LEED Silver at ∴

a minimum.

Los Angeles CA requires LEED certification of all public works construction projects ∴

7,500 square feet or larger and all building projects funded by the city of LA are required to be LEED certified.

Omaha, NE requires all new Metropolitan Community College construction projects and ∴

sites must meet the minimum level of LEED certification.

Phoenix, AZ is emphasizing green building design and pursuit of LEED certification at ∴

various levels for new buildings.

Pleasanton, CA requires all commercial construction projects over 20,000 square feet ∴

to follow guidelines to meet a LEED Certified rating. Formal certification with USGBC is encouraged but not required.

Portland, OR requires LEED certification of all public projects (new and major retrofits) ∴

and has developed Portland LEED supplement.

A new LEED Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) is being administered by the state Office ∴

of Energy.

San Diego, CA requires LEED Silver certification of all public projects. The city has also ∴

developed a sustainable building expedite program that uses LEED criteria and provides significant plan review and construction incentives.

San Francisco, CA requires all municipal new construction, additions, and major ∴

renovation projects over 5000 square feet to achieve a LEED Silver certification by the USGBC. It also requires that a LEED Accredited Professional be a member of each design team and achievement of the LEED Additional Commissioning Credit for all projects. San José, CA requires LEED certification of all municipal projects over 10,000 square feet. ∴

Santa Monica, CA requires that all new city projects must achieve LEED Silver ∴

certification.

Seattle WA requires that all facilities and buildings over 5,000 square feet of occupied ∴

space shall meet a minimum LEED Silver rating.

Vancouver, BC has adopted a green building standards – LEED for British Columbia ∴

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

buildings must achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The City also mandated specific energy points in the LEED Rating System to ensure a 30% energy reduction in all new civic buildings.

Summary

the green building concept has become more popular over the past couple of years. owners are interested in saving money on energy costs while providing a comfortable work-ing environment. state and local governments are imple-menting tax credits for energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings.

More information about green buildings can be found on the energy solutions section of the titus website at (http://www.titus-energysolutions.com) and on individual state websites and green building organizations’ websites, such as the U.s. Green building council (www.usgbc.org), Worldbuild (www.worldbuild.com), the american council for and Energy-Efficient Economy (www.aceee.org), and many others. the ePa also has information on green build-ings on its website http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/).

Abbreviations

the following table lists abbreviations used within this document.

abbreviation term

ADPI Air Diffusion Performance Index

ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning _Engineers CFC Chlorofluorocarbons

EA Energy & Atmosphere ECM Electronically Commutated Motor

EPA Environmental Protection Agency EQ Indoor Environmental Quality ETS Environmental Tobacco Smoke

F Fahrenheit FPM Feet per Minute

GSA General Services Administration HP Horsepower

HVAC Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning

HVAC&R Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration IAQ Indoor Air Quality

ID Innovation & Design Process

LEED Leadership Energy and Environmental Design MR Materials & Resources

NYSERDA New York State Energy Research and Development Authority RPM Revolutions per Minute

SS Sustainable Site

USGBC United States Green Building Council VAV Variable Air Volume

2009 LEED and Green Building Application Guide

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