I'm wondering whether the VOC limits table posted is accurate to the LEED D&C 2009 requirements. It does reflect the CS 2.0 requirements, but the 2009 table in the Reference Guide indicates lowering the VOC limits over time. This does not seem to be reflected in the LEEDuser Table.
For example, the nonflats number of 150g/l seems to have been dropped to 50 g/l on 7/1/06, and the nonflat high gloss limit seems to have been dropped to 50 on 7/1/07.
Am I reading this correctly? If so, the Table 1 in the Reference Guide is confusing and a summary table on LEEDuser would be very useful.
Mara Baum
Partner, Architecture & SustainabilityDIALOG
674 thumbs up
February 8, 2010 - 4:43 pm
This question is about Table 1 in the Reference Guide (p. 483 of the 2009 edition). The language on Table 1 is truly perplexing. I have a few comments, although mostly they are mostly creative interpretation. I think the big problem is that the USGBC just blindly copy/pasted the SCAQMD chart without thinking through what it means for LEED 2009.
1. LEED references GS-11 for paints applied to interior walls and ceilings. It references SCAQMD for other coatings, not paints;. However, SCAQMD as a whole also addresses paints -- and since the USGBC just blindly copied the SCAQMD table, it includes paint standards that theoretically shouldn't be relevant at all. Oops.
2. Similarly, this chart includes exterior paints and coatings that are not covered under LEED, such as "roof coatings". We can ignore these for LEED, but from an environmental perspective it is of course always better to do what we can.
3. The "effective date" section of the chart clearly makes no sense for LEED 2009, because all of the dates listed had passed when the ref guide was published. Again, the USGBC just copied the table straight from the SCAQMD document without any analysis or discussion. Interestingly, the '*' note for "ceiling limit" in the original SCAQMD document (link posted at the top of p.483) is longer: "The specified limits remain in effect unless revised limits are listed in subsequent columns in the Table of Standards." This is much more clear about the fact that we should be following anything listed under the "effective date" columns.
4. The "current limit" column is specific to a certain time when this version of the SCAQMD was posted, so can presumably be ignored for LEED 2009.
Given this, I think we should 1) ignore Table 1 for paints and exterior items, and 2) follow the most current numbers listed under "effective date", where applicable.
FYI, there are several errata for this credit, but as of 2/8/10 none address this issue.
If anyone has additional guidance on this topic, please let us know!
Reid Middlebrooks
Sustainability DirectorApollo BBC
39 thumbs up
December 15, 2011 - 11:20 am
Mara -
The entire Table 1 was replaced by an Addenda and can be found at this site: https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=8608 The addenda simplifies the number of products and eliminates all of the effective dates.