The credit requirements ask tenants to scale their carbon offsets / REC purchases based on CBECS data, if a tenant energy model is not available. Many jurisdictions have benchmarking laws for larger commercial buildings that make the building's actual consumption data a matter of public record.
One strategy to get the consumption data needed to purchase carbon offsets / RECs would be to use the base building's own consumption data, prorated based on the proportion of rentable square feet dedicated to the tenant project.
Has anyone seen this strategy before?
It may require an Interpretation to formalize it - does anyone see any obstacles to this strategy?
Seems like it could be more accurate than generic CBECS data, provided the tenant type for the LEED project was comparable to the past tenancy, and provided the building was not substantially unoccupied during the benchmarking period.
However,
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Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5858 thumbs up
January 18, 2017 - 11:29 am
Hey Aaron - I have seen the use of actual data and that is acceptable. Using extrapolated data from the building I would think should be a valid approach, especially if you can demonstrate significant equivalency regarding the major variables which influence energy use. I have not seen this done however. I agree it is potentially more accurate but I would still compare it to the CBECS data and be prepared to explain any significant differences.