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SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIAL REPORT
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Explore this LEED credit
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce mercury-containing products and devices and mercury release through product substitution, capture, and recycling.
Requirements
As part of the project’s recycling collection system, identify the following:
- types of mercury-containing products and devices to be collected;
- criteria governing how they are to be handled by a recycling program; and
- disposal methods for captured mercury.
- 4.2.1.1. New construction: healthcare facilities may not use mercury-containing equipment, including thermostats, switching devices, and other building system sources. Lamps are excluded.
- 4.2.1.2. Renovation: healthcare facilities must develop a plan to phase out mercury-containing products and upgrade current mercury-containing lamps to high-efficiency, low-mercury, or mercury-free lamp technology.
Table 1. Maximum mercury content of lamps
| Lamp | Maximum content |
|---|---|
| T-8 fluorescent, eight-foot | 10 mg mercury |
| T-8 fluorescent, four-foot | 3.5 mg mercury |
| T-8 fluorescent, U-bent | 6 mg mercury |
| T-5 fluorescent, linear | 2.5 mg mercury |
| T-5 fluorescent, circular | 9 mg mercury |
| Compact fluorescent, nonintegral ballast | 3.5 mg mercury |
| Compact fluorescent, integral ballast | 3.5 mg mercury, ENERGY STAR qualified |
| High-pressure sodium, up to 400 watts | 10 mg mercury |
| High-pressure sodium, above 400 watts | 32 mg mercury |
What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce mercury-containing products and devices and mercury release through product substitution, capture, and recycling.
Requirements
As part of the project’s recycling collection system, identify the following:
- types of mercury-containing products and devices to be collected;
- criteria governing how they are to be handled by a recycling program; and
- disposal methods for captured mercury.
- 4.2.1.1. New construction: healthcare facilities may not use mercury-containing equipment, including thermostats, switching devices, and other building system sources. Lamps are excluded.
- 4.2.1.2. Renovation: healthcare facilities must develop a plan to phase out mercury-containing products and upgrade current mercury-containing lamps to high-efficiency, low-mercury, or mercury-free lamp technology.
Table 1. Maximum mercury content of lamps
| Lamp | Maximum content |
|---|---|
| T-8 fluorescent, eight-foot | 10 mg mercury |
| T-8 fluorescent, four-foot | 3.5 mg mercury |
| T-8 fluorescent, U-bent | 6 mg mercury |
| T-5 fluorescent, linear | 2.5 mg mercury |
| T-5 fluorescent, circular | 9 mg mercury |
| Compact fluorescent, nonintegral ballast | 3.5 mg mercury |
| Compact fluorescent, integral ballast | 3.5 mg mercury, ENERGY STAR qualified |
| High-pressure sodium, up to 400 watts | 10 mg mercury |
| High-pressure sodium, above 400 watts | 32 mg mercury |
