I am new to LEED modeling and I'm trying to figure out which occupancy information is correct. The building contains retail space. According to the International Building Code, the Maximum Floor Area per Occupant is 30 SqFt per occupant. According to the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 User Manual, Table G-B, the Acceptable Occupancy Density is 300 SqFt per occupant. There's a big difference between the two. For equipment sizing, I have to assume the worst case occupancy density. But if I have to model the occupancy according to Table G-B, the proposed equipment will be grossly oversized? What is the correct approach?
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Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5907 thumbs up
August 2, 2013 - 1:56 pm
If you do not know the actual occupancy you are supposed to use the default occupancy counts in the CS Appendix 1 in the LEED BD+C Reference Guide. Also check out CS Appendix 2 for CS energy modeling guidelines.