The engineer on my project is asking what exactly needs to be submetered and I'm having difficulty answering just because I'm not as familiar with the credit details. They plan to monitor vertical conveyance, HVAC, receptacle loads, and lighting loads. Does emergency power need to be monitored? I'm thinking no just because it is rarely in use. Any other clear items I am missing? We don't want to over-meter anything either for obvious cost reasons. Thanks for your help.
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Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5868 thumbs up
September 20, 2016 - 9:06 am
That is the wrong question.
The IPMVP, and therefore LEED, does not require specific submeters. What is required is that you gather sufficient information post-occupancy to enable you to calibrate the energy model to a particular level of accuracy. This can be accomplished many differnt ways and will vary depending on the nature of the project. So the question should be what information do I need to calibrate my energy model? Then how can I do that in the most cost-effective manner?
I can't tell if you are gathering enough information or not as I would need to be familiar with the project and its energy model. Emergency power does not need to be metered.
What is most important with this credit is that you demonstrate that you understand the concepts and ideas embedded within the IPMVP.
Brightworks Sustainability
Brightworks Sustainability LLC46 thumbs up
September 21, 2016 - 12:44 pm
Thank you, this helps - why does the LEED language above say all electricity-using systems need to be metered? That's confusing. Did some more research though and will focus on the efficiencies claimed in the energy model and monitoring those.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5868 thumbs up
September 21, 2016 - 4:45 pm
I don't see where it says that.
Brightworks Sustainability
Brightworks Sustainability LLC46 thumbs up
September 21, 2016 - 4:48 pm
In the checklist tab above under pre-design it says "Discuss the potential scope of your M&V plan. Will you meter natural gas, water consumption, or other variables? You will be required to meter all electricity-using systems, but should also consider expanding the scope to include natural gas too. Some projects find it helpful to incorporate water meters in an effort to verify water-reduction goals." and a couple other places within the Checklist tab.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5868 thumbs up
September 23, 2016 - 10:28 am
That statement is certainly unclear. It says meter, not sub-meter, but then refers to the systems which implies sub-meters.
To be clear you are not required to meter or sub-meter anything for EAc5.1. However, most projects will find that some level of metering and sub-metering will be easier and less expensive than gathering the data needed to calibrate the model through other means.