This credit requires a certain percentage of renewable energy production capacity relative to annual cost. Shouldn't this be relative to Btu or kWh or some kind of energy metric? In an northern climate like where I am, you would have to put an awful lot of solar panels up to cover 5% of the annual cost of electricity and heat.
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Eliot Allen
LEED AP-ND, PrincipalCriterion Planners
LEEDuser Expert
303 thumbs up
June 6, 2019 - 12:08 pm
Jeff, cost is used to normalize the differences in non-renewable fuels, mechanical systems, and fuel rates across multiple buildings that have varying systems and mixes of electric and thermal loads. The Reference Guide provides more details and examples showing how kwh and Btu are embedded in the calculation. I haven't noticed ND projects in northern locations having difficulty achieving the 5%, but I can imagine some cases where site-specific renewable circumstances may make it challenging.
Eliot