This credit rewards projects that select mechanical equipment and refrigerants with lower ozone depletion and global warming impacts. The credit calculation takes several other variables into account—including equipment life, refrigerant leakage rate, and the ratio of coolant charge to cooling capacity—in order to determine compliance.

This credit rewards projects that select mechanical equipment and refrigerants with lower ozone depletion and global warming impacts. The credit calculation takes several other variables into account—including equipment life, refrigerant leakage rate, and the ratio of coolant charge to cooling capacity—in order to determine compliance.

This credit is heavily dependent upon decisions made during the design process for your building. This fact can make it difficult for projects to comply, and it will also make it harder for teams to collect the information necessary to even investigate compliance for existing lighting and controls.

Most buildings aren’t able to change the daylight or views available in occupied spaces–you’ve either got it or you don’t. Because there’s little opportunity for teams to impact the credit outcome, most projects tend to pursue this credit late in the performance period and only if additional LEED points are needed.

If you’re pursuing higher levels of certification and have a building automation system (BAS) in place already, consider this credit. To earn it you’ll need to implement two forms of thermal comfort monitoring, including continuous monitoring of air temperature and humidity, and periodic measurements of air speed and radiant temperature. 

This credit goes beyond the commissioning scope required for the prerequisite. Any project can pursue this credit; however, it sometimes faces slow uptake due to some misconceptions around its benefits. The fact is, a robust commissioning process will very likely offer worthwhile savings to owners over the life of a building and do with a relatively quick payback period.

This credit goes beyond the commissioning work required for the prerequisite. Any project can pursue this credit, but teams sometimes choose not to pursue it due to the increased cost and uncertainty around its benefits. 

However, with the increase in scope of fundamental commissioning in LEED v4, the cost difference between the two has narrowed. This change may make enhanced commissioning more attractive for your project.

This prerequisite focuses on the elimination of CFC- and HCFC-based refrigerants that contribute to ozone depletion and global warming in HVAC&R equipment.

Nearly all industrialized nations have signed the Montreal Protocol, which called for a complete phase out of CFC-based refrigerants by 1995, and HCFCs by 2030 in developed countries. As a result, compliant, environmentally preferable refrigerants that comply with this prerequisite are the only option available for new systems. 

This prerequisite focuses on the elimination of CFC-based refrigerants that contribute to ozone depletion in HVAC&R equipment. It’s an easy prerequisite to meet, since installing equipment without CFC-based refrigerants is now standard practice in new construction.

It’s standard practice for most new buildings to install whole-building energy metering, which satisfies this prerequisite. In addition, those projects simply need to commit to sharing energy use data and electrical demand data (if metered) with USGBC for five years.