Operations & Maintenance

Follow specific maintenance practices for the carpet products used. Follow a green cleaning and maintenance policy that limits products with VOCs and other indoor pollutants.

Keep a list of compliant carpet systems used on the project so that O&M staff can use these products for future renovations.

If pursuing EQc7.2: Thermal Comfort—Verification, including a user survey on thermal comfort issues, the results can be discussed with the

Educate staff and occupants on daylight-related and glare-control technologies. Some daylighting controls such as shades or blinds may require occupant operation, and without instruction, may not be used properly, resulting in the building not operating as designed.

Daylighting controls can be set and tailored for each space. The facility manager or another designated person should be in charge of adjusting the settings to meet the needs of occupants.

Cleaning plans need to integrate the maintenance of interior and exterior shading and control dust so that reflectivity is not compromised.

Most of the documentation for EAc1 is shared with EAp2. Don’t forget to document the mandatory provisions of ASHRAE 90.1 2004 for EAp2 compliance, however, because that will not requested in EAc1.

Energy-efficiency measures with a higher first cost often provide large savings in energy use and operational energy bills. These credit requirements are directly tied to the benefits of efficient, low-cost operations.

Some energy efficiency features may require special training for operations and maintenance personnel. For example, cogeneration and building automation systems require commissioning and operator training.

The benefit of designing for energy efficiency is realized only during operations and maintenance. Record energy use to confirm that your project is saving energy as anticipated. If you are not pursuing EAc5: Measurement and Verification, you can implement tracking procedures such as reviewing monthly energy bills or on-the-spot metering.