Our school is being rated under LEED for schools v2009. For SSc4.3 Option 2 for New Construction, it is possible to earn credit by providing alternative-fuel fueling stations for 3% of the parking spaces. We have 3 electric charging stations serving 6 spaces (out of 100) at the school but there is no option for getting credit this way with through the school rating system.
I was informed that while this option is under the New Construction LEED rating system rather than LEED for Schools, there is precedent for GBCI allowing schools projects to use New Construction credits (Low-Emitting Materials). We would fill out the form as an alternative compliance path but I wanted to ask around if there were any CIR's to shore-up our documentation. I searched the database but nothing came up.
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11478 thumbs up
November 22, 2012 - 6:48 pm
James, you would need to submit a CIR with GBCI to see if this would work. The case with IEQc4 is quite different, in that the Schools requirements were intentionally relaxed because they were found to be too stringent, back when LEED 2009 was launched. In the case of this credit, the Schools requirements are intentionally a bit differently focused—not more stringent.
S. Sachs
(old inactive account)13 thumbs up
May 23, 2013 - 3:09 pm
Hi James, I have exactly the same question, and would be interested in hearing if you successfully submitted under Option 2 for your Schools project. Could you provide an update?
Helen Kessler
PresidentHJKessler Associates
51 thumbs up
March 13, 2017 - 5:46 pm
Does anyone know the answer to the question posed above? I'm working on a school project that will have electric vehicle charging for 3% of the parking spaces. Do we also need LEV/FEV spaces for 5% of the spaces and an LEV/FEV carpool drop-off space to meet the credit requirements? Also, if there is EV charging for a school, can one do a weighted average with EV spaces and LEV/FEV spaces?
Helen Kessler
PresidentHJKessler Associates
51 thumbs up
March 13, 2017 - 6:01 pm
I may have answered my own question; however see note at the bottom.
ID# 10410
Rating System
LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: Core and Shell, LEED BD+C: Schools
Rating System Version
v3 - LEED 2009
Inquiry
The applicant is requesting a ruling on whether a combination of Options 1 and 2 of SSc4.3 Low-Emitting and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles is sufficient to meet the credit requirements. The applicant proposes that the credit requirements are met if the number of preferred parking spaces divided by .05 plus the number of charging stations divided by .03 is equal to or greater than the total parking capacity. This approach meets the credit intent and may be used to document credit achievement.
Ruling
Yes, projects may achieve this credit using a combination of Option 1 and Option 2. Preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles must be provided for 5% of the total parking capacity, as required in Option 1. Fueling stations may be substituted for preferred parking spaces to meet this threshold, such that one fueling station is equivalent to 1.67 preferred parking spaces. All other credit requirements (such as the location of preferred parking spaces and the capacity of fueling stations) apply. The special circumstances section should be used for additional documentation.
I guess this still doesn't say whether the EV spaces must be for fleet vehicles or whether they can be for regular passenger EVs.