Best Practices

Focus on “big ticket” items when seeking materials to meet regional purchasing requirements. Regional materials like furniture and flooring may represent enough value to earn the credit. This approach allows you to Iimit the overall number of items you need to track and document, reducing contractor headaches. If big-ticket items do not get you to the threshold you’re trying to meet, target medium-priced items next until you reach your goal.

Focus on “big ticket” items when seeking materials to meet regional purchasing requirements. If you can find regional materials like structural steel and concrete, these more expensive materials will go a long way toward meeting the required percentage of your materials budget. This approach allows you to Iimit the overall number of items you need to track and document, reducing contractor headaches. If these big-ticket items do not get you to the threshold you’re trying to meet, target medium-priced items next until you reach your goal.

For specific guidance on which Master Spec Divisions constitute construction material, the LEED Reference Guide for Commercial Interiors is not helpful. Instead, check the LEED Reference Guide for Design and Construction (for NC, CS and Schools) for definitions of construction items per CSI Master Spec Format Divisions 3-10, 31.60 Foundations, 32.10 Paving, 32.30 Site Improvements, 32.90 Planting. (See Resources for Master Spec information.)

Corrective actions may include working with building occupants on how to manage their space, such as closing shading devices when appropriate. Operations staff might also have to make adjustments to building systems and cleaning practices.

The 30% response requirement applies to regular building occupants. In a commercial building, these are defined as workers who have a permanent office or workstation, or who typically spend at least 10 hours per week in the building. For residential buildings, regular occupants also include everyone who lives in the building.

Develop an easy system to collect comfort comments from building occupants any time. Set up the system to communicate comments to the proper building personnel. Log corrective actions and report them back to the occupants who registered the complaint or are in the affected area.

Use annual surveys to track occupant comfort issues over time. Map out an administrative timeline for distributing the initial survey as well as annual follow-up surveys. 

Survey responses must be collected anonymously, but it’s also important to match responses to particular building locations or zones so that you can take the right corrective action. 

Make sure your survey is set up to capture a wide range of responses for each question. For example, present answers on a 7-point scale ranging from “very satisified” (+3) to “very dissatisfied” (-3) with a neutral (0) midpoint. You can adjust the scale increments to fit your needs; using a 7-point scale is not a credit requirement.

This credit references ASHRAE Standard 55-2004, Thermal Comfort Conditions for Human Occupancy. This standard specifies the combination of indoor environment (temperature, thermal radiation, humidity and airspeed) and personal factors (occupant activity and clothing) that typically make at least 80% of building occupants comfortable.