Hi, I am working as an architect and noticed in the current project (design is done and construction is going on) there was an Ecology unit provided by the mechanical designer, to clean the air (inside of BOH areas) before it been released to the outdoor.
I am just wondering, I can't relate to any credit or even such a strategy is mentioned in the LEED Guide Book.
So, my question is, where did the mechanical designer refer to the Ecology unit from?
Thanks
Andrey Kuznetsov
ESG consultant, LEED AP BD+CSelf Employed
33 thumbs up
July 5, 2024 - 8:00 am
If you mean that the requirement is to clean exhaust air (i.e. that is removed from internal spaces and discharged to outside) even from the BOH (If you mean kitchens of restaurants, etc.) - there is no such requirement in LEED.
BUT I know about local practiсe that require to provide grease traps in local exhaust traps of such premises (BOH, or other that has similar contaminants). It can be part of your local "EPA" (if such exist) requirements or just standard practice for convenience (to reduce grease contamination in ducts and exhaust fan).
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5906 thumbs up
July 5, 2024 - 8:33 am
Sounds like a more appropriate question for the IEQ Prequisite for Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance.
Mu'ath Ad
Architect & LEED CoordinatorJuly 5, 2024 - 8:52 am
@Marcus Sheffer, kindly give an appropriate answer.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5906 thumbs up
July 5, 2024 - 10:30 am
Your question is not appropriate for this particular forum. From an energy perspective such an air cleaning device would be considered a process load and simply modeled identically in both models. This is not a LEED required element so if you want to know why the mechanical designer included an air cleaner you need to ask them. Also please keep in mind that these forums do not exist solely for you to extract information. They also serve as a source of information for others. So if someone else has a question about air cleaning devices they would first search in the appropriate LEED prerequisite/credit forum. Posting questions in unrelated forums makes it more difficult for others to find the answers they are seeking.
Mu'ath Ad
Architect & LEED CoordinatorJuly 5, 2024 - 10:44 am
all of the issues you mentioned it can be solved by the search bar in the home page.
I am really don't know, how you invested such a time to proof me wrong instead of giving an answer to a technical question rather than discussing sorting and documentation-wise issues.
Also, if I could contact the designer for the intent of adding the Ecology unit, I would did that from the beginning and avoid such a discussion about documentation silly issues.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5906 thumbs up
July 5, 2024 - 11:24 am
Keep in mind that the experts who monitor these forums are giving their time and expertise for free. I have been doing so for 14 years and made the suggestion I did dozens of times before without anyone giving me a hard time about it. My original response was to try and help you find an answer. As the expert who monitors this forum I am not an expert on indoor air quality issues. Another reason to post it in the appropriate forum is that the experts who monitor individual forums do not subscribe to all of them. So posting in the appropriate forum sends a notification to an expert who will be more likely to be able to answer your question. It also sends a notification to others who monitor particular forums who again may have the same question as you do or have the expertise themselves to answer your question. Searching a key word is not the only way that people with such questions find their answers. So my original response was not intended to prove you wrong but to help you find a better answer than I can provide.