While the ideal solution is to develop a way to track items that are purchased and used within the scope of your LEED project boundary, some projects may find that this is not possible.  An alternative method for compliance you may consider attempting is to take an organization-wide approach to satisfying the credit requirements. To do this, thoroughly document the sustainability criteria met for total organizational purchases, and then extrapolate this performance to the project building.

This is a very common question, and LEEDuser expects USGBC to clarify its policy at some point. For the time being, the following is the best of our knowledge: Energy Star has developed performance-based specifications for equipment in over 60 product categories, and if the product purchased is not in any of these categories, it is currently ineligible for an Energy Star rating, and it can be excluded completely from MRc2 calculations. If you are purchasing a product that isn’t rated by Energy Star, research the available options and try to buy a more energy-efficient model.

No, but there may be some things you can do. Consider extending the performance period for this credit back to include older qualifying purchases. The performance period for any prerequisite or credit can last for a maximum of 24 months, at the discretion of the project team. Remember that all performance periods must overlap and terminate within 30 days of each other. Consult pages xix–xx of the LEED-EBOM Reference Guide for additional guidance.

The LEED-EBOM Reference Guide doesn’t explicitly offer the same default for steel recycled content that is afforded under LEED-NC. That said, the 25% default is a conservative estimate and isn’t unreasonable for products that fall under EBOM MRc3. It’s likely that the 25% default will pass the LEED review process, but it’s always ideal to provide manufacturer product data sheets that confirm the actual recycled content level.

At this time all mechanical, electrical and plumbing components should be excluded from the calculations for all purchasing credits.

Facility alterations and additions have specific definitions in the LEED-EBOM program. Alterations must involve more than one trade specialty AND make substantial changes to at least one entire room. Teams often mistakenly think the credit can be earned by having more than one trade on a job, but this alone does not meet the credit requirements. Double-check that your facility construction activities are eligible for this credit by consulting the requirements on page xxiii of the 2009 EBOM Reference Guide. The requirements are summarized below:

Consider extending the performance period for this credit back to include qualifying alterations or additions. The performance period for any prerequisite or credit can last for a maximum of 24 months, at the discretion of the project team. Remember that all performance periods must overlap and terminate within 30 days of each other. Consult pages xix – xx of the LEED-2009 EBOM Reference Guide for additional guidance.

Fire, Life and Safety are exempt from this credit.

Both options work, but you must ensure that the calibration aligns with the manufacturer’s recommended interval. For either option, your team must develop a calibration report that summarizes the calibration and system testing performed during the performance period. Be sure that whoever is performing the calibration has the appropriate instrumentation and is following the calibration schedule from the manufacturer, including testing / replacing valves, dampers and sensors.

Providing local automatic controls (occupancy sensors) for lighting is considered to be an acceptable level of automation for this credit; no BAS tie-in is required. It is also a cost-effective alternative and is more desirable in multi-tenant buildings.