We did one commuter survey in winter and one in summer. Since the reference guide suggests surveying in fall or spring, is it ok if we submit our winter results? I am assuming this will only give us worse results than we would get in shoulder seasons and LEED reviewers will not dock us for using a more difficult season. Is that a safe assumption? Thanks!
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Trista Brown
Project DirectorWSP USA
449 thumbs up
November 29, 2016 - 7:31 pm
Hi Kelly, if your project is located in a mild climate it may be fine to submit the results of just one survey and include a narrative stating that commuting habits are not affected by season. Or if weather does impact commuting, you might consider averaging the results of the two surveys. See the last FAQ above for more info.
Kelly Henderson
November 30, 2016 - 9:08 am
Hi Trista, thanks for your response. I had read the FAQ about averaging before our initial submission and the reviewer came back with the below comment, which leads me to the conclusion that the averaging strategy is not allowed. Any thoughts? We are about to submit for our final review and will lose some points if we can't average and have to submit our winter results. We couldn't redo the survey this fall because the election season impacted our normal occupancy. Thanks!
Reviewer note: "The survey timing does not appear to have occurred according to the methodology described in the Calculations section of SSc4 in the LEED-EB O+M v2009 Reference Guide. The final reduction was calculated through an average of two different surveys taken several months apart. Per the Calculations section of SSc4 in the LEED-EB O+M v2009 Reference Guide, project teams should conduct the survey during a typical workweek and at a time of year that accurately reflects seasonal variation in commute behavior. Spring and fall are recommended, rather than seasons with extreme weather. Provide revised results from a single survey that is conducted each day over five consecutive work days or at the conclusion of five consecutive work days. If necessary, a new survey can be conducted."
Trista Brown
Project DirectorWSP USA
449 thumbs up
November 30, 2016 - 1:24 pm
Hmm I see, this does put you in a tricky spot. Based on the review comment it looks like submitting the survey with the lower alternative commuting rate is the only option, given that your project timeline can't accommodate another survey in the spring. Interesting that they're not accepting the averaging method...I hope others who have tried submitting an average will chime in.