Right now our project for an office building is en route to meeting the criteria of the updated LEED 2009 EA Credit 1 for optimising energy performance. The project is a gut-renovation of an existing building and addition of a new building to the existing. To date, we have a 15.6% minimum energy cost savings, which puts us in the 2-3 point range only. In order to get over the hump and achieve the required criteria we need an additional 2.4% to get us to the 4 point range.

One option we are exploring is to add in solar panels on the new building. However the scope of the project has not defined this.

The question I am asking is if we can reach this criteria and gain the extra 2.4% by adding to the scope of the project with a designed infrastructure to for roof solar panels with the intent of installation in the near future?

If so, is there a required time frame for the intended project meeting the criteria and the parameters, and what it is?

It is possible to propose with intent to design the infrastructure to add in elements (solar panels, photo voltaic panels, etc.) to reach the criteria goal? If so what do we need to provide and what is the specifics need to be of the time frame of the project which will achieve this certification? (Letters of intent, contract to install, purchase orders)?