Outdoor air delivery monitoring ensures that the ventilation system, whether natural or mechanical, provides enough fresh air to occupants. The credit  requires carbon dioxide (CO₂) and outdoor airflow monitors that signal when fresh air is needed according to minimum set points defined by ASHRAE 62.1-2004. Typical ventilation design (without monitors) tends to encourage increased ventilation that may result in increased energy use and added cost for conditioning increased amounts of outside air.

Capturing useful energy from natural energy flows like sunshine, wind, moving water is a great concept. The technologies to capture this energy aren’t cheap, however, nor do they work equally well in all locations. Typically, it’s hard to generate a significant fraction of total electricity we use onsite.

This credit can be fairly difficult to understand at a glance. So let’s start by getting some common misconceptions out of the way.

One common misconception is that this credit specifies or prohibits a certain refrigerant type. This is true of the prerequisite, (EAp3), however for this credit, there are both HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) and HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) that may or may not meet the requirements. 

Water-use reduction is a good opportunity for all projects to earn points. For this credit you will need to reduce your project’s water consumption from indoor fixtures including: water closets, urinals, lavatory faucets, showers, and kitchen sinks. Other water using appliances and irrigation are not included.