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LEED® v4 BD&C: Credit Descriptions
The following is a brief summary of selected¹ USGBC LEED® v4 BD&C (Building Design and Construction) Credits.
This summary is designed for information-only purposes. For a complete listing of credits, credit descriptions, compliance requirements, etc., please consult the official USGBC LEED® v4 BD&C Reference Guide.
¹ Credits that are currently applicable to various W. R. MEADOWS products.
ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE (EA)
EA Prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance (EAp2)
This prerequisite applies to: New Construction Core and Shell Schools Retail | Data Centers Warehouses and Distribution Centers Hospitality Healthcare |
INTENT 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. |
REQUIREMENTS
NEW CONSTRUCTION, CORE AND SHELL, SCHOOLS, RETAIL, HEALTHCARE, WAREHOUSES AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS, HOSPITALITY
OPTION 1. WHOLE-BUILDING ENERGY SIMULATION
Demonstrate an improvement of 5% for new construction, 3% for major renovations, or 2% for core and shell projects in the proposed building performance rating compared with the baseline building performance rating. Calculate the baseline building performance according to ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2010, Appendix G, with errata (or a USGBC-approved equivalent standard for projects outside the U.S.), using a simulation model.
RETAIL ONLY For Option 1, Whole-Building Energy Simulation, process loads for retail may include refrigeration equipment, cooking and food preparation, clothes washing, and other major support appliances. Many of the industry standard baseline conditions for commercial kitchen equipment and refrigeration are defined in Appendix 3, Tables 1-4. No additional documentation is necessary to substantiate these predefined baseline systems as industry standard. |
OR
OPTION 2. PRESCRIPTIVE COMPLIANCE: ASHRAE 50% ADVANCED ENERGY DESIGN GUIDE
Comply with the mandatory and prescriptive provisions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IENSA Standard 90.1-2010, with errata (or a USGBC-approved equivalent standard for projects outside the U.S.).
Comply with the HVAC and service water heating requirements, including equipment efficiency, economizers, ventilation, and ducts and dampers, in Chapter4, Design Strategies and Recommendations by Climate Zone, for the appropriate ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide and climate zone:
- ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small to Medium Office Buildings, for office buildings smaller than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters);
- ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for Medium to Large Box Retail Buildings, for retail buildings with 20,000 to 100,000 square feet (1,860 to 9,290 square meters);
- ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings; or
- ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for Large Hospitals. Over 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters)
For projects outside the U.S., consult ANSI/ASHRAE/IENSA Standard 90.1-2010, Appendixes B and D, to determine the appropriate climate zone.
OR
OPTION 3. PRESCRIPTIVE COMPLIANCE: ADVANCED BUILDINGS™ CORE PERFORMANCE™ GUIDE
Comply with the mandatory and prescriptive provisions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IENSA Standard 90.1-2010, with errata (or a USGBC-approved equivalent standard for projects outside the U.S.).
Comply with Section 1: Design Process Strategies, Section 2: Core Performance Requirements, and the following three strategies from Section 3: Enhanced Performance Strategies, as applicable. Where standards conflict, follow the more stringent of the two. For projects outside the U.S., consult ANSI/ASHRAE/IENSA Standard 90.1-2010, Appendixes B and D, to determine the appropriate climate zone.
To be eligible for Option 3, the project must be less than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters)
Note: Healthcare, Warehouse or Laboratory projects are ineligible for Option 3.
DATA CENTERS
Whole-Building Energy Simulation
Demonstrate a 5% improvement in the proposed performance rating over the baseline performance rating. To determine total energy cost savings, create two models, one for building energy cost and the other for IT equipment energy cost. Calculate the baseline building performance according to ANSI/ASHRAE/IENSA Standard 90.1-2010, Appendix G, with errata (or a USGBC-approved equivalent standard for projects outside the U.S.), using a simulation model for the whole building and data center modeling guidelines.
Determine the power utilization of effectiveness (PUE) value of the proposed design.
ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE (EA)
EA Credit: Optimize Energy Performance (EAc2)
This credit applies to: New Construction (1-18 points) Core and Shell (1-18 points) Schools (1-16 points) Retail (1-18 points) | Data Centers (1-18 points) Warehouses and Distribution Centers (1-18 points) Hospitality (1-18 points) Healthcare (1-20 points) |
INTENT To achieve increasing levels of energy performance beyond the prerequisite standard to reduce environmental and economic harms associated with excessive energy use. |
REQUIREMENTS
NEW CONSTUCTION, CORE AND SELL, SCHOOLS, RETAIL, WAREHOUSES AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS, HOSPITALITY, HEALTHCARE
Establish an energy performance target no later than the schematic design phase. The target must be established as kBtu per square foot-year (kW per square meter-year) of source energy use.
Choose one of the options below.
OPTION 1. WHOLE-BUILDING ENERGY SIMULATION (1-18 POINTS EXCEPT SCHOOLS AND HEALTHCARE, 1-16 POINTS SCHOOLS, 1-20 POINTS HEALTHCARE)
Analyze efficiency measures during the design process and account for the results in design decision making. Use energy simulation of efficiency opportunities, past energy simulation analyses for similar buildings, or published data (e.g., Advanced Energy Design Guides) from analyses for similar buildings.
Analyze efficiency measures, focusing on load reduction and HVAC-related strategies (passive measures are acceptable) appropriate for the facility. Project potential energy savings and holistic project cost implications related to all affected systems.
Project teams pursuing the Integrative Process credit must complete the basic energy analysis for that credit before conducting the energy simulation.
Follow the criteria in EA Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance to demonstrate a percentage improvement in the proposed building performance rating compared with the baseline.
RETAIL ONLY For all process loads, define a clear baseline for comparison with the proposed improvements. The baselines in Appendix 3, Tables 1-4, represent industry standards and may be used without additional documentation. Calculate the baseline and design as follow:
|
OR
OPTION 2. PRESCRIPTIVE COMPLIANCE: ASHRAE ADVANCED ENERGY DESIGN GUIDE (1-6 POINTS)
To be eligible for Option 2, projects must use Option 2 in EA Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance.
Implement and document compliance with the applicable recommendations and standards in Chapter 4, Design Strategies and Recommendations by Climate Zone, for the appropriate ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide and climate zone. For projects outside the U.S., consult ANSI/ASHRAE/IENSA Standard 90.1-2010, Appendixes B and D, to determine the appropriate climate zone.
ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small to Medium Office Buildings
- Building envelope, opaque: roofs, walls, floors, slabs, doors, and continuous air barriers (1 point)
- Building envelope, glazing: vertical fenestration (1point)
- Interior lighting, including daylighting and interior finishes (1 point)
- Exterior lighting (1 point)
- Plug loads, including equipment and controls (1 point)
ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for Medium to Large Box Retail Buildings
- Building envelope, opaque: roofs, walls, floors, slabs, doors, and vestibules (1 point)
- Building envelope, glazing: vertical fenestration – all orientations (1point)
- Interior lighting, excluding lighting power density for sales floor (1 point)
- Additional interior lighting for sales floor (1 point)
- Exterior lighting (1 point)
- Plug loads, including equipment choices and controls (1 point)
ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings
- Building envelope, opaque: roofs, walls, floors, slabs, and doors (1 point)
- Building envelope, glazing: vertical fenestration (1point)
- Interior lighting, including daylighting and interior finishes (1 point)
- Exterior lighting (1 point)
- Plug loads, including equipment choices, controls, and kitchen equipment (1 point)
ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for Large Hospitals
- Building envelope, opaque: roofs, walls, floors, slabs, doors, vestibules, and continuous air barriers (1 point)
- Building envelope, glazing: vertical fenestration (1point)
- Interior lighting, including daylighting (form or nonform driven) and interior finishes (1 point)
- Exterior lighting (1 point)
- Plug loads, including equipment choices, controls, and kitchen equipment (1 point)
RETAIL ONLY Meet the requirements of Option 2 and comply with the prescriptive measures in Appendix 3, Tables 1-4, for 90% of total energy consumption for all process equipment. |
DATA CENTERS
Whole-Building Energy Simulation
Analyze efficiency measures focused on IT load reduction and HVAC-related strategies (air-side economizers, hot aisle-cold aisle, etc.). Project the potential energy savings and cost implications for all affected systems.
Follow the criteria is EA Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance to demonstrate a percentage improvement in the proposed performance rating compared with the baseline.
Use energy cost savings from both the building and IT to determine the total percentage reduction.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES (MR)
MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Sourcing of Raw Materials (MRc3)
This credit applies to: New Construction (1-2 points) Core and Shell (1-2 points) Schools (1-2 points) Retail (1-2 points) | Data Centers (1-2 points) Warehouses and Distribution Centers (1-2 points) Hospitality (1-2 points) Healthcare (1-2 points) |
INTENT To encourage the use of products and materials for which life cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life cycle impacts. To reward project teams for selecting products verified to have been extracted or sourced in a responsible manner. |
REQUIREMENTS:
OPTION 1. RAW MATERIAL SOURCE AND EXTRACTION REPORTING (1 POINT)
Not Applicable to W. R. MEADOWS Products at this time.
OPTION 2. LEADERSHIP EXTRACTION PRACTICES (1 POINT)
Use products that meet at least one of the responsible extraction criteria below for at least 25%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed building products in the project.
- Extended producer responsibility. Products purchased from a manufacturer (producer) that participates in an extended producer responsibility program or is directly responsible for extended producer responsibility. Products meeting extended producer responsibility criteria are valued at 50% of their cost for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
- Bio-based materials. Bio-based products must meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard. Bio-based raw materials must be tested using ASTM Test Method D6866 and be legally harvested, as defined by the exporting and receiving country. Exclude hide products, such as leather and other animal skin material. Products meeting bio-based materials criteria are valued at 100% of their cost for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
- Wood products. Wood products must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or USGBC-approved equivalent. Products meeting wood products criteria are valued at 100% of their cost for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
- Materials reuse. Reuse includes salvaged, refurbished, or reused products. Products meeting materials reuse criteria are valued at 100% of their cost for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
- Recycled content. Recycled content is the sum of postconsumer recycled content plus one-half the preconsumer recycled content, based on cost. Products meeting recycled content criteria are valued at 100% of their cost for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
- USGBC approved program. Other USGBC approved programs meeting leadership extraction criteria.
For credit achievement calculation, products sourced (extracted, manufactured, purchased) within 100 miles (160 km) of the project site are valued at 200% of their base contributing cost. For credit achievement calculation, the base contributing cost of individual products compliant with multiple responsible extraction criteria is not permitted to exceed 100% its total actual cost (before regional multipliers) and double counting of single product components compliant with multiple responsible extraction criteria is not permitted and in no case is a product permitted to contribute more than 200% of its total actual cost.
Structure and enclosure materials may not constitute more than 30% of the value of compliant building products.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES (MR)
MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Material Ingredients (MRc4)
This credit applies to: New Construction (1-2 points) Core and Shell (1-2 points) Schools (1-2 points) Retail (1-2 points) | Data Centers (1-2 points) Warehouses and Distribution Centers (1-2 points) Hospitality (1-2 points) Healthcare (1-2 points) |
INTENT To encourage the use of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts. To reward project teams for selecting products for which the chemical ingredients in the product are inventoried using an accepted methodology and for selecting products verified to minimize the use and generation of harmful substances. To reward raw material manufacturers who produce products verified to have improved life-cycle impacts. |
REQUIREMENTS
OPTION 1. MATERIAL INGREDIENT REPORTING (1 POINT)
Use at least 20 different permanently installed products from at least five different manufacturers that use any of the following programs to demonstrate the chemical inventory of the product to at least 0.1% (1000 ppm).
- Manufacturer Inventory. The manufacturer has published complete content inventory for the product following these guidelines:
- A publicly available inventory of all ingredients identified by the name and Chemical Abstract Service Registration Number (CASRN)
- Materials defined as trade secret or intellectual property may withhold the name and/or CASRN but must disclose role, amount and GreenScreen benchmark, as defined in GreenScreen v1.2.
- Health Product Declaration. The end use product has a published, complete Health Product Declaration with full disclosure of known hazards in compliance with the Health Product Declaration open Standard.
- Cradle to Cradle. The end use product has been certified at the Cradle to Cradle v2 Basic level or Cradle to Cradle v3 Bronze level.
- USGBC approved program. Other USGBC approved programs meeting the material ingredient reporting criteria.
AND/OR
OPTION 2. MATERIAL INGREDIENT OPTIMIZATION (1 POINT)
Not Applicable to W. R. MEADOWS Products at this time.
AND/OR
OPTION 3. PRODUCT MANUFACTURER SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMIZATION (1 POINT)
Not Applicable to W. R. MEADOWS Products at this time.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES (MR)
MR Credit: Construction and Demolition Waste Management (MRc9)
This credit applies to: New Construction (1-2 points) Core and Shell (1-2 points) Schools (1-2 points) Retail (1-2 points) | Data Centers (1-2 points) Warehouses and Distribution Centers (1-2 points) Hospitality (1-2 points) Healthcare (1-2 points) |
INTENT To reduce construction and demolition waste disposed of in landfills and incineration facilities by recovering, reusing, and recycling materials. |
REQUIREMENTS:
Recycle and/or salvage nonhazardous construction and demolition materials. Calculations can be by weight or volume but must be consistent throughout.
Exclude excavated soil, land-clearing debris, and alternative daily cover (ADC). Include wood waste converted to fuel (biofuel) in the calculations; other types of waste-to energy are not considered diversion for this credit.
However, for projects that cannot meet credit requirements using reuse and recycling methods, waste-to-energy systems may be considered waste diversion if the European Commission Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC and Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC are followed and Waste to Energy facilities meet applicable European Committee for Standardization (CEN) EN 303 Standards.
OPTION 1. DIVERSION (1-2 POINTS)
Path 1. Divert 50% and Three Materials Streams (1 point)
Divert at least 50% of the total construction and demolition material; diverted materials must include at least three material streams.
OR
Path 2. Divert 75% and Four Material Streams (2 points)
Divert at least 75% of the total construction and demolition material; diverted materials must include at least four material streams.
OR
OPTION 2. REDUCTION OF TOTAL WASTE MATERIAL (2 POINTS)
Do not generate more than 2.5 pounds of construction waste per square foot (12.2 kilograms of waste per square meter) of the building’s floor area.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (EQ)
EQ Credit: Thermal Comfort (EQc5)
This credit applies to: New Construction (1 point) Schools (1 point) Retail (1 point) Data Centers (1 point) | Warehouses and Distribution Centers (1 point) Hospitality (1 point) Healthcare (1 point) |
INTENT To promote occupants’ productivity, comfort, and well-being by providing quality thermal comfort. |
REQUIREMENTS:
Meet the requirements for both thermal and comfort design and thermal comfort control.
Thermal Comfort Design
NEW CONSTRUCTION, SCHOOLS, RETAIL, DATA CENTERS, HOSPITALITY, HEALTHCARE
OPTION 1. ASHRAE STANDARD 55-2010
Design heating, ventilating, air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and the building envelope to meet the requirements of ASHRAE Standard 55-2010, Thermal Comfort Conditions for Human Occupancy, with errata or a local equivalent.
For natatoriums, demonstrate compliance with ASHRAE HVAC Applications Handbook, 2011 edition, Chapter 5, Places of Assembly, Typical Natatorium Design Conditions, with errata.
OR
OPTION 2. ISO AND CEN STANDARDS
Design HVAC systems and the building envelope to meet the requirements of the applicable standard:
- ISO 7730:2005, Ergonomics of the Thermal Environment, analytical determination and interpretation of thermal comfort, using calculation of the PMV and PPD indices and local thermal comfort criteria; and
- CEN Standard EN 15251:2007, Indoor Environmental Input Parameters for Design and Assessment of Energy Performance of Buildings, addressing indoor air quality, thermal environment, lighting, and acoustics, Section A2.
DATA CENTERS ONLY Meet the above requirements for regularly occupied spaces. |
WAREHOUSES AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS
Meet the above requirements for office portions of the building.
In regularly occupied areas of the building’s bulk storage, sorting, and distribution areas, include one or more of the following design alternatives:
- radiant flooring;
- circulating fans;
- passive systems, such as nighttime air, heat venting, or wind flow;
- localized active cooling (refrigerant or evaporative-based systems) or heating systems; and
- localized, hard-wired fans that provide air movement for occupants’ comfort.
- other equivalent thermal comfort strategy.