We are working on a warehouse building with attached offices in climate zone 5A, with gas-fired rooftop equipment for heating. Per Table G3.1.1, the baseline system should be system type 5, but a significant portion of the warehouse space is "high hazard," which requires constant temperature & make-up & exhaust air. Page 272 of the 2009 reference guide says to use Table G3.1.1, except areas where occupancy, process loads or schedules differ significantly from the rest of the building, so can I use the proposed system type for the baseline? If not, what system type should be used?
You rely on LEEDuser. Can we rely on you?
LEEDuser is supported by our premium members, not by advertisers.
Go premium for
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5909 thumbs up
August 14, 2012 - 4:06 pm
You will need to apply one of the exceptions under G3.1.1 and that exception will tell you what baseline system to use. You could also look at applying a system #9 or #10 from 90.1-2010 if that works for your situation.
Michael Trzcinski
Project EngineerHesnor Engineering Associates, PLLC
7 thumbs up
August 14, 2012 - 4:53 pm
The high hazard area is heated and cooled, so system types 9 & 10 cannot be used. It is 1-story and over 25,000 sf, so the baseline would still have to be type 5. The real system must be constant volume due to the type of materials being stored in this area and their associated ventilation load. Can an exception be justified through a narrative for a case such as this?
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5909 thumbs up
August 14, 2012 - 5:52 pm
If G3.1.1 exception b or c is applied then it is a system 3, not a 5.
The only other exception I can think of is that this is a process load and is therefore modeled identically. If the space conditioning is related to the equipment and not the occupants then perhaps it can be justified.