Goodmorning,
I’m working on the project that has different heat pumps water to water.
I know that the heat pumps are not considered renewable energy for LEED Certification because an electrically driven pump is needed to drive the compressor and circulate the working fluid.
The claim for a heat pump being truly renewable is therefore only valid when the electricity used to drive the pump comes from a non-fossil fuel source.
In this project 100% of the energy comes from renewable energy (REC), engaging in a contract for qualified resources, for a minimum of five years.
So, I would ask you if, in this case, it’s possible to consider the energy provide from heat pumps as renewable energy.
Thank you
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5907 thumbs up
March 23, 2021 - 1:22 pm
No. An energy use is not considered renewable. It must be the energy source. Buying RECs does not qualify as a renewable energy source for LEED. The renewable energy source must be on-site or within very specific parameters if it is off-site that RECs do not meet.