We have a project that may be 1 point short of the next level certification after its Construction Final Review and we have been asked to look at options to add a credit or two as an "appeal" to reach the next threshold.
The building is already occupied and we are aware that, technically, the renewable energy system is supposed to be installed and operational prior to occupancy to earn the point.
So, here is my Question:
Would the GBCI potentially accept attempting this point as an add/appeal (post-occupancy) if we provide purchase orders and other information proving that it is in the process of being installed?
Whether pre- or post-occupancy, it seems like the end goal here is to encourage owners to implement renewable energy systems. This owner may be willing to consider implementing this system, but wants to be reasonably sure of earning the point because this is a high dollar item for this facility.
If anyone has any thoughts, I would be much obliged.
Thanks!
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 2:42 pm
You can add additional renewable capacity and resubmit the applicable credits to increase your point total. You will be required to submit a formal appeal in order to do so if your final review has been submitted or is complete.
Kris Phillips
Arcadis10 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 3:17 pm
Thank you for the reply. Currently, we do not have Any renewable energy included in the project and that is why I am uncertain. According to the LEED requirements for the credit, the renewable energy system is supposed to be installed and functioning by the time of occupancy. Our building is already occupied and no system has been planned or installed to date. If we were adding to an already installed system, I can see that might work. But, I do not know about just starting down the path of renewable energy at this late stage of the game.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 3:26 pm
You can also install a new system to your project and resubmit EAc2 (and EAp2 if you wish) as an appeal.
Hernando Miranda
OwnerSoltierra LLC
344 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 3:42 pm
You can install a renewable system post-occupancy. The important things to remember are: the commissioning should be done, and the M&V, if the credit is pursued, should be done.
In the case of a large multi-LEED, multi-property, multi-renewable energy system group of projects I worked on, that were recently LEED certified, the commissioning and M&V were done by the renewable energy installer. The commissioning and M&V of renewables was a separate package from the commissioning and M&V work done for the building systems. This split approach was accepted by the LEED reviewers. The reviewers only cared that the work was done, and they were not concerned about who actually did the work.
Kris Phillips
Arcadis10 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 3:48 pm
Thanks to both of you. Do you think it makes a difference that we have already earned EAp2/EAc1 and M&V (EAc5)?
We won't want to appeal EAp2/EAc1 (once those are already earned, who would want to appeal??) and I suppose to cover EAc5, we can specifically mention in the EAc2 appeal submittal that M&V will be covered separately for the renewable energy system. Does that seem reasonable?
Thanks again!
Hernando Miranda
OwnerSoltierra LLC
344 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 4:08 pm
Kris,
No, for the group of projects I mentioned--there were nine--EAp2/EAc1 was approved without renewables as part of the design review. For the construction review, I was very careful to note that no changes were made to the approved EAp2/EAc1 documentation, that only renewable energy was added to the "revised" EAc1 documentation. Be sure to include an uploaded copy of the approved version of EAp2/EAc1 without the renewables so that the LEED reviewer can confirm that no other changes were to the approved energy analysis.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 4:11 pm
I am not certain about what must be appealed. Clearly you need to appeal EAc2 so make sure you get it right as you only get one shot. You should amend your M&V Plan for EAc5 but I am not sure this would require an appeal of EAc5. As for EAp2/EAc1, adding the renewables is easy and again I am not sure an appeal will be required.
Contact GBCI and ask them what you need to do via the Contact Us on their web site. They may just have you appeal EAc2 and make the adjustments to the other credits without requiring an additional appeal.
Kris Phillips
Arcadis10 thumbs up
February 17, 2014 - 4:44 pm
Thanks guys! I really appreciate the insight.
LEED user is a wonderful resource to not feel like we are left hanging out there by ourselves.
Susan Di Giulio
Senior Project ManagerZinner Consultants
152 thumbs up
August 28, 2014 - 7:24 pm
We are in a similar situation: when we submitted for design review, the Mech engineer was not aware that there was a significant biogas component to the Energy provided by the campus central plant. Now we are just barely hitting our point count going into the final Construction Review round, and we would like to go for the 1 point we are eligible for under EAc2. We would also be eligible for another point under EAc1, but there is no budget item to reopen that credit. So I told the engineer to to just upload the revised energy model and cals to EAc2 and leave EAp2/c1 as-is. Correct?
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
August 28, 2014 - 7:36 pm
If it was something that was added during construction you could include it without an appeal. Since it was an omission you could not add it to EAc1 without an appeal. You can pursue EAc2 in the construction review if you have not done so already. What you suggest sounds like a conservative approach so it should be fine.