Our project is currently pursuing LEED CI 2009 EA Credit 4 - Green Power. Would we also be eligible for an ID credit for carbon offsets based on a CIR for another rating system?
The documentation for the credit would calculate the projects energy use and offset at least 15% of the usage with the purchase of offsets. However the CIR refers to a project that offset the "use of natural gas, guel oil or on site coal burning systems". Our project is located in a building using electricity, would that still be eligible for offsets?
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11474 thumbs up
October 3, 2011 - 10:02 pm
Michele, do you only use electricity, or are there other energy sources being consumed?
Michele Vernon
6 thumbs up
October 4, 2011 - 6:27 pm
The building is electric, there are no other energy sources.
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11474 thumbs up
November 19, 2011 - 11:09 pm
Since RECs are not equivalent to carbon offsets, I would say that these approaches are not redundant and the ID credit would be approved, if you have found a CIR that supports this approach.
Michele Vernon
6 thumbs up
June 15, 2012 - 2:09 pm
For future reference we were denied the ID credit for Carbon offsets. The comment was: " calculations provided appear to only address the carbon emissions as a result of anticipated electrictiy consumption ( as opposed to on-site fossil fuel combusiton) which is already addressed by EAc6 Green Power".
The review comment cited LEED Interpretation 2248 "However it does not appear that the on-site fuel consumption in the case of the project building would be of the required significance to demonstrate compliance with LEED Interpretation 2248.
We will move on. Thanks for the help, this site is great.