LEED CIR for Offsetting Fossil Fuel Use On-site combustion of fossil fuel energy sources (oil, coal, natural gas) creates climate-changing carbon dioxide (CO2), and while energy conservation measures may reduce the impact of this energy use, Energy and Atmosphere Credit 6 (Green Power) only addresses electric power consumption, not on-site thermal fossil fuel use. Therefore we propose an Innovation Credit for offsetting the carbon impacts of natural gas use as follows: Intent: Encourage the development and use of energy technologies on a net zero pollution basis. Requirement: Engage in a two-year contract to purchase carbon offsets for natural gas use, fuel oil, or on-site coal burning systems. Submittals: Provide a copy of the two-year offset purchase contract. Design Approach: Purchase Green Tags, a Green-e certified energy-offset product, from The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF). The structure of the BEF Green Tags program offers a unique opportunity for fossil fuel users to offset the carbon impact of their fossil fuel use. By investing revenue from the sale of Green Tags directly into the development of new clean energy infrastructure BEF\'s Green Tags provide a tangible means of offsetting the carbon impacts of fossil fuel use. The carbon dioxide offsets associated with BEF\'s Green Tags has been calculated by the Northwest Power Planning Council and has been endorsed by the Climate Neutral Network. Additionally, unlike purchasing Green Power from existing (and sometimes 20-year old) renewable sources such as geothermal, BEF Green Tag offsets are invested in 100 percent "new renewables," construction of new wind and other renewable power systems.
Carbon Offset is a reasonable goal, but you must demonstrate the significance of this strategy relative to overall building environmental impact to achieve a credit. As written, there is no way to tell if you have achieved a significant level of greenhouse gas reduction. (For example, compared to that achieved by following EA credit 6; green power.) LEED has targeted electrical generation with the green power credit (EA credit 6) in part because the overall greenhouse impact of electrical generation is much more significant per delivered Btu than with on-site combustion. In order to demonstrate the significance of your off-set strategy, you need to show that you have achieved a similar level of greenhouse gas offset to that achieved by the LEED green power credit when combustion-based electrical generation is replaced by green power. To do this, calculate the amount of greenhouse offset that would be achieved by your project if you followed the green power credit requirements, and demonstrate that your green-tag strategy achieves the same result with respect to greenhouse impacts. The Bonneville Environmental Foundation\'s Green Tag Program (or other similar programs) is considered to partially meet the intent of the EA Credit for Green Power and therefore an equivalency for EA Credit 6 credit should be considered before an ID credit is attempted. You could conceivably make a case for green tags based on the carbon offset under EA credit 6, demonstrating that off-setting on-site fossil fuel use carbon generation has a comparable impact to off-setting power generation elsewhere using accepted conversions in carbon impact between these uses of fossil fuel. You might also be able to make a case for exceptional performance above the green power requirements of EA Credit 6 if you achieve a much higher level of carbon offset than currently required under that credit.