Has anybody used the EPA LEED CHP Calculator on a LEED project? As the the name suggests, it was made specifically for LEED projects (though it states for early assessment only). We have a project with DES and CHP. We are not able to obtain all the information needed to do Path 2 Full Performance Accounting. But, something like EPA LEED CHP Calculator could potentially help the project bridge some of the gaps and to get some credit for energy savings from the CHP plant used for water heating and space heating.
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Tyler Thumma
7GroupLEEDuser Expert
60 thumbs up
June 29, 2022 - 10:35 am
The calculator is intended to be used at the very early stages of building design so that CHP is given consideration as an energy option and likely would not be acceptable as a replacement for the actual CHP data necessary for Path 2 since the calculator uses generic inputs. If you are not able to obtain all the necessary information, you can use the default efficiencies from the LEED Reference Guide (relevant section copied below):
The model must include CHP generator default efficiencies. Actual efficiency performance data on the CHP serving the project building is preferred, based on either ongoing operations (existing CHP) or design specifications (new CHP). If the project team cannot obtain the actual performance data, use the following default seasonal performance values. These values are conservative, intended to represent a CHP system with relatively low efficiency. A well designed, maintained, and operating CHP system will generally offer better performance than the defaults listed below.