Pilot-Credits EApc111: Alternative Performance Rating Method 1-18 points

Credit language

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.

Case 3 metrics of Demand Adjusted Energy and Future Average Greenhouse Gas Emissions are intended to incentivize efficient electrification paired with peak loads reduction.

Applicability

This Pilot ACP is only applicable for LEED v4 projects registered prior to the March 1, 2024 effective date for the LEED v4 2024 energy update. For projects registered after March 1, 2024:

• BD+C: Use LEED v4.1 credit substitution, Option 1. Energy Performance Compliance for ASHRAE 90.1-2016 Appendix G (or later versions of ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G).
• BD+C: Multifamily Midrise: Use the revised version of the ACP applicable only for v4 Multifamily Midrise projects applying the update.

Requirements

EA Prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance

Required
AND

EA Credit: Optimize Energy Performance

1-18 points for all adaptations, except: Schools (1-16 points), Healthcare (1-20 points), MF Mid-Rise (1-30 points).

EA Prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance

Whole-Building Energy Simulation

Demonstrate a minimum reduction of 5% for new construction, 3% for major renovations, or 2% for core and shell projects in the proposed building Performance Cost Index (PCI)¹ below the Performance Cost Index Target (PCI_t) calculated in accordance with Section 4.2.1.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2016, Appendix G, with the following exceptions:

• Table 1 below replaces Table 4.2.1.1.
• For unfinished spaces or systems, the Appendix G references to ASHRAE 90.1-2016 Section 4 through 10 prescriptive efficiencies shall be replaced with the corresponding ASHRAE 90.1-2010 Section 4 through 10 prescriptive efficiencies except in locations where documentation demonstrates that tenant improvements are subject to ASHRAE 90.1-2016 Appendix or a standard of equivalent or greater stringency.
• Document the PCI, PCIt, and percentage improvement using metrics of cost or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (excluding credit for Tier 2 Off-site renewable energy), or Demand Adjusted Energy.

For mixed use buildings, the required PCI shall be calculated by using an area weighted average of the building types.

Projects must meet the minimum PCI before taking credit for renewable energy systems.
The proposed design must meet the following criteria:

• compliance with the mandatory provisions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1–2010, with errata²
• inclusion of all energy consumption and costs within and associated with the building project; and
• comparison against a baseline building modeled in accordance with Standard 90.1–2016, Appendix G.

Document the energy modeling input assumptions for unregulated loads. Unregulated loads should be modeled accurately to reflect the actual expected energy consumption of the building. If unregulated loads are not identical for both the baseline and the proposed building performance rating, and the simulation program cannot accurately model the savings, follow the exceptional calculation method (ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1–2016, G2.5).

Table 1 – Building Performance Factors (BPFs) for Compliance with Standard 90.1-2010

Rating System Adaptation	Building Performance Factor (BPF)
New Construction (Except Multifamily Residential)	0.72
Retail (Incl. Restaurant)	0.72
School	0.68
Healthcare	0.80
Hospitality	0.83
Warehouse	0.70
Homes Mid-Rise & NC Multifamily Residential	0.89

Greenhouse gas emissions: The total greenhouse gas emissions metric, in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents, shall be calculated for the baseline building performance rating and for the proposed building performance rating, and the percentage improvement shall be determined using carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

• US and Canada:
  • Use U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regional grid mix coefficients to calculate GHG emissions by energy source;
  
  or
  • Continental US (required if documenting Optimize Energy Performance Credit greenhouse gas emissions savings for LEED v4.1 Tier 2 renewable)
    • Electricity hourly emissions: Use hourly emissions profiles from Cambium Long-run Marginal Emission Rates for Electricity with the following characteristics:
      • Emission: CO2e
      • Emission stage: Combined
      • Start year: 2022
      • Evaluation period: 30 years
      • Discount rate: 0%
      • Scenario: 95% Decarb by 2050
      • Global Warming Potentials: 100-year (AR5)
      • Location: End-Use
      SOURCE: Gagnon, Pieter; Frazier, Will; Hale, Elaine, Cole, Wesley (2022): Long-run Marginal Emission Rates for Electricity - Workbooks for 2021 Cambium Data. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO (https://data.nrel.gov/submissions/183)
  • Other Fuels: Use total emissions (direct and indirect) from most recent ASHRAE 189 Addendum.

All other locations:

• Use published national or regional average CO2 equivalent emissions factors per energy source such as those published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the EU Taxonomy, ISO 52000-1 (most recent version), or the most recently published International Energy Agency CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion report
  • Electricity future projections: Projects located in areas with mandatory electric grid Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and/or decarbonization requirements may use the average of the current electric grid emissions factor and the 2050 projected grid emissions factor (with a minimum of 5% of the current grid emissions factor).
  • For reporting methods that separate “renewable” and “non-renewable” emissions (e.g. for wood fuel classified as renewable in the project location; or for national average electric emissions that separately report renewable versus non-renewable emissions), the total renewable plus non-renewable emissions factors shall be documented.

EA Credit: Optimize Energy Performance

Case 1. LEED v4 Performance Metric: Cost
Projects using the Option 1. Whole-Building Energy Simulation path for EA Credit Optimize Energy Performance:
Comply with all credit requirements, except that the requirement to “Demonstrate a percentage improvement in proposed building performance rating compared with the baseline” shall be replaced with the following requirement:
Demonstrate a percentage reduction in the Performance Cost Index (PCI) below the Performance Cost Index Target (PCIt) calculated in the prerequisite (with Building Performance Factors from Table 1). Points are awarded according to Table 1, as shown in the LEED Rating System language for EA: Optimize Energy Performance.

Case 2. LEED v4.1 Performance Metrics: Cost and GHG Emissions

Projects using the Option 1. Whole-Building Energy Simulation path for EA Credit Optimize Energy Performance: Comply with all credit requirements, except that the requirement to “Demonstrate a percentage improvement in proposed building performance rating compared with the baseline” shall be replaced with the following requirement: Demonstrate a percentage reduction in the Performance Cost Index (PCI) below the Performance Cost Index Target (PCIt) calculated in the prerequisite (with Building Performance Factors from Table 1). Document the PCI, PCIt, and percentage improvement using metrics of cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Points are awarded according to Table 2 and Table 3, below.

For project percent improvement for both metrics, on-site renewable energy may be subtracted from the proposed results prior to calculating proposed building performance per ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2016 Section G 2.4.1.

Case 3. LEED v4.1 Performance Metrics: Demand Adjusted Energy and Future Average GHG Emissions (These metrics are intended to incentivize efficient electrification paired with peak loads reduction)

Projects using the Option 1. Whole-Building Energy Simulation path for EA Credit Optimize Energy Performance: Comply with all credit requirements, except that the requirement to “Demonstrate a percentage improvement in proposed building performance rating compared with the baseline” shall be replaced with the following requirement:

Demonstrate a percentage reduction in the Performance Cost Index (PCI) below the Performance Cost Index Target (PCIt) calculated in the prerequisite (with Building Performance Factors from Table 1). Document the PCI, PCIt, and percentage improvement using metrics of Demand Adjusted Energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Points are awarded according to Table 2 and Table 3, below.

For project percent improvement for both metrics, on-site renewable energy may be subtracted from the proposed results prior to calculating proposed building performance per ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2016 Section G 2.4.1.

Table 2. Points for percentage improvement in energy performance (1-9 points NC and CS, 1-8 points Schools, 1-10 points Healthcare)

Case 2: % Cost PCI below PCIt

OR

Case 3: % Demand Adjusted Energy below PCIt

BD+C except Healthcare, CS	Major Renovation	Healthcare	CS	MF Midrise	Points BD+C	Points Healthcare	Points MF Midrise
8%	6%	6%	5%	7%	1	1	1
12%	10%	8%	9%	9%	2	2	2
16%	14%	12%	13%	11%	3	3	3
20%	18%	16%	17%	13%	4	4	4
24%	22%	20%	21%	15%	5	5	5
29%	27%	24%	26%	17%	6	6	6
35%	33%	29%	32%	19%	7	7	7
42%	40%	35%	39%	22%	8	8	8
50%	48%	42%	47%	26%	9	9	9
54%	54%	50%	54%	30%	EP	10	10
		54%		36%		EP	11
				42%			12
				48%			13
				54%			14
				60%			15
				65%			EP

Table 3. Points for percentage improvement in energy performance – % GHG Emissions PCI below PCIt (1-9 points NC and CS, 1-8 points Schools, 1-10 points Healthcare)

BD+C except Healthcare, CS	Major Renovation	Healthcare	CS	MF Midrise	Points BD+C	Points Healthcare	Points MF Midrise
8%	6%	6%	5%	7%	1	1	1
12%	10%	8%	9%	9%	2	2	2
17%	15%	12%	13%	11%	3	3	3
22%	20%	17%	18%	13%	4	4	4
28%	25%	22%	22%	16%	5	5	5
34%	32%	28%	28%	19%	6	6	6
40%	36%	34%	34%	21%	7	7	7
50%	46%	40%	40%	25%	8	8	8
65%	60%	50%	50%	30%	9	9	9
80%	75%	65%	65%	35%	EP	10	10
		80%		40%		EP	11
				45%			12
				50%			13
				65%			14
				80%			15
				100%			EP

Notes:

1. NC, WDC, Hospitality, and Retail projects with process costs exceeding 50% of the proposed energy cost (excluding renewable savings) may use the CS thresholds per LI 10493.
   *Colocation data centers projects using the BD+C: Data center rating system may use CS thresholds in lieu of NC thresholds per LI 10494.
2. All references within ASHRAE 90.1-2016 Section G1.2.1 shall be considered to be referring to ASHRAE 90.1-2010 for the purposes of this Alternative compliance Path. Compliance with ASHRAE 90.1-2016 Mandatory Provisions are not required; instead, ASHRAE 90.1-2010 mandatory provisions apply.

• 90.1-2019 Appendix G may be used in lieu of 90.1-2016 Appendix G, with the additional Building Performance Factor adjustments referenced in Table 1 above.
• For Table 3 EAc Optimize Energy Performance (for projects applying Pilot ACP 110 Case 2 or Case 3), credit may be documented in EAc Optimize Energy Performance for Greenhouse Gas emissions reductions associated with LEED v4.1 Tier 2 New Off-Site renewable energy.
• Projects in the continental United States and other locations where hourly electric emissions factors are available must model baseline and proposed building electric GHG emissions using the hourly GHG emissions factors for the building’s grid region, and model avoided GHG emissions from Tier 2 off-site renewable electricity using the hourly generation profile associated with the renewable asset and the hourly GHG emissions factors for the renewable asset’s grid region. Optimize Energy Performance credit is not available for Tier 2 renewable assets in the continental U.S. where the hourly generation profile and/or grid region is not specified in the documentation

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