SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser expert
Maeve Donohue
LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, LFA, Fitwel Ambassador
Introba
Consultant
SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
For cooling towers and evaporative condensers, conduct a one-time potable water analysis, in order to optimize cooling tower cycles. Measure at least the five control parameters listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Maximum concentrations for parameters in condenser water
| Parameter | Maximum level |
|---|---|
| Ca (as CaCO3) | 1,000 ppm |
| Total alkalinity | 1,000 ppm |
| SiO2 | 100 ppm |
| Cl- | 250 ppm |
| Conductivity | 2000 µS/cm |
Table 2. Points for cooling tower cycles
| Cooling tower cycles | Points |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of cycles achieved without exceeding any filtration levels or affecting operation of condenser water system (up to maximum of 10 cycles) | 1 |
| Achieve a minimum 10 cycles by increasing the level of treatment in condenser or make-up water OR Achieve the number of cycles for 1 point and use a minimum 20% recycled nonpotable water |
2 |
Pilot Alternative Compliance Path available
A pilot alternative compliance path is available for this credit to certain project types without cooling towers. For more information, please visit the Pilot Credit Library Pilot ACPs: No Cooling Tower - alternative compliance path (BD+C) No Cooling Tower - alternative compliance path (O+M) No Cooling Tower - alternative compliance path (O+M: Data Centers)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
What if my building doesn’t use a cooling tower?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
Get the inside scoop
Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
For cooling towers and evaporative condensers, conduct a one-time potable water analysis, in order to optimize cooling tower cycles. Measure at least the five control parameters listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Maximum concentrations for parameters in condenser water
| Parameter | Maximum level |
|---|---|
| Ca (as CaCO3) | 1,000 ppm |
| Total alkalinity | 1,000 ppm |
| SiO2 | 100 ppm |
| Cl- | 250 ppm |
| Conductivity | 2000 µS/cm |
Table 2. Points for cooling tower cycles
| Cooling tower cycles | Points |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of cycles achieved without exceeding any filtration levels or affecting operation of condenser water system (up to maximum of 10 cycles) | 1 |
| Achieve a minimum 10 cycles by increasing the level of treatment in condenser or make-up water OR Achieve the number of cycles for 1 point and use a minimum 20% recycled nonpotable water |
2 |
Pilot Alternative Compliance Path available
A pilot alternative compliance path is available for this credit to certain project types without cooling towers. For more information, please visit the Pilot Credit Library Pilot ACPs: No Cooling Tower - alternative compliance path (BD+C) No Cooling Tower - alternative compliance path (O+M) No Cooling Tower - alternative compliance path (O+M: Data Centers)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 »In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
What if my building doesn’t use a cooling tower?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
LEEDuser expert
Maeve Donohue
LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, LFA, Fitwel Ambassador
Introba
Consultant
