We are working on a LEED for Schools 2007 version project. (Yes, I know I"m posting this under the LEED v2009 Schools, but there isn't a section of LEED USER which allows you to search on older versions. This is the only thing I know to do.)
Having said that, here's my question. I understand that LEED S 2007 calculates FTEs according to faculty, visitors, and students- but only students above the 3rd grade should be counted in the SS4.2 Bikes and Showers.
However, other FTE dependent credits, such as Water Use Reduction, use all building FTEs including younger students below the 3rd grade. That seems to be fairly clear, but yet it also says FTEs should be consistent across all credits. This seems like a contradiction to me.
Has anyone else run across this particular issue?
Thanks.
Joanna
Mara Baum
Partner, Architecture & SustainabilityDIALOG
674 thumbs up
May 20, 2010 - 12:26 pm
You should always be consistent with numbers like building occupancy -- but LEED can still allow for using a tweaked FTE count for specific circumstances. In the credit narrative, be clear about how you derived the FTE count, why it's different from the full project FTE count, and if you're still concerned, cite the Reference Guide page number. I'm not very familiar with LEED for Schools, but other LEED systems allow occupancy count tweaks for this credit in certain circumstances. For example, inpatients in hospitals aren't considered to be biking.
Rick Gehrke
ConsultantA.C.E. AmBiental
37 thumbs up
June 26, 2010 - 1:58 pm
The methods for calculating occupancy, including FTE, vary by credit. So the reference guide instructions that FTE occupants are to be consistent across all credits aren't necessarily correct in all cases. For example, SSc4.2 is based on peak, while WEc3 uses annual average. Add in multiple shifts, and that changes it even more.