Credit achievement rate
XX%
Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »
LEEDuser expert
Marcus Sheffer
7group / Energy Opportunities
LEED Fellow
LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Use on-site renewable energy systems to offset building energy costs. Calculate project performance by expressing the energy produced by the renewable systems as a percentage of the building’s annual energy cost and use the table below to determine the number of points achieved. Use the building annual energy cost calculated in EA Credit 1: Optimize Energy Performance or the U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey database to determine the estimated electricity use.The minimum renewable energy percentage for each point threshold is as follows:
|
Percentage Renewable Energy |
Points |
|
1% |
1 |
|
3% |
2 |
|
5% |
3 |
|
7% |
4 |
|
9% |
5 |
|
11% |
6 |
|
13% |
7 |
Pilot ACPs Available
The following pilot alternative compliance path is available for this credit. See the pilot credit library for more information. EApc95: Alternative Energy Performance Metric ACPWhat does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
Our PV system is being installed after the building is occupied. Is that okay?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our project will have a PV system onsite, but it will be installed, operated, and owned by a separate entity that is paying for the system through a premium price per kWh paid by the utility, per state regulations. Is there any way to count this toward the project, in EAc2 or EAc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
A biofuel-based cogenerator is being used to produce both electricity and heat (CHP). Can I consider all the energy produced, or just the electricity?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Can a backup generator qualify, if it runs on biofuels?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We have a PV array installed on our campus, under the same ownership, but not on the building or within the LEED project boundary. Can we count that toward EAc2?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Because of how our onsite PV system was financed through the utility, the project is selling the RECs associated with its solar energy production, even though we own the PV array and its power. Is there any way we can earn EAc2?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Can I pursue this credit if I am using one of the prescriptive compliance paths for EAp2/EAc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Can I really double-count onsite renewable energy in both EAc2 and EAc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Checklists
Step by step to LEED certification
LEEDuser’s checklists walk you through the key action steps you need to earn a credit, including how to avoid common pitfalls and save money.
Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
Get the inside scoop
Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Use on-site renewable energy systems to offset building energy costs. Calculate project performance by expressing the energy produced by the renewable systems as a percentage of the building’s annual energy cost and use the table below to determine the number of points achieved. Use the building annual energy cost calculated in EA Credit 1: Optimize Energy Performance or the U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey database to determine the estimated electricity use.The minimum renewable energy percentage for each point threshold is as follows:
|
Percentage Renewable Energy |
Points |
|
1% |
1 |
|
3% |
2 |
|
5% |
3 |
|
7% |
4 |
|
9% |
5 |
|
11% |
6 |
|
13% |
7 |
Pilot ACPs Available
The following pilot alternative compliance path is available for this credit. See the pilot credit library for more information. EApc95: Alternative Energy Performance Metric ACPXX%
Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »
Got the gist of EAc2 but not sure how to actually achieve it? LEEDuser gives step-by-step help. Premium members get:
- Checklists covering all the key action steps you'll need to earn the credit.
- Hot tips to give you shortcuts and avoid pitfalls.
- Cost tips to assess what a credit will actually cost, and how to make it affordable.
- Ideas for going beyond LEED with best practices.
- All checklists organized by project phase.
- On-the-fly suggestions of useful items from the Documentation Toolkit and Credit Language.
In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
Our PV system is being installed after the building is occupied. Is that okay?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our project will have a PV system onsite, but it will be installed, operated, and owned by a separate entity that is paying for the system through a premium price per kWh paid by the utility, per state regulations. Is there any way to count this toward the project, in EAc2 or EAc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
A biofuel-based cogenerator is being used to produce both electricity and heat (CHP). Can I consider all the energy produced, or just the electricity?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Can a backup generator qualify, if it runs on biofuels?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We have a PV array installed on our campus, under the same ownership, but not on the building or within the LEED project boundary. Can we count that toward EAc2?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Because of how our onsite PV system was financed through the utility, the project is selling the RECs associated with its solar energy production, even though we own the PV array and its power. Is there any way we can earn EAc2?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Can I pursue this credit if I am using one of the prescriptive compliance paths for EAp2/EAc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Can I really double-count onsite renewable energy in both EAc2 and EAc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
LEEDuser expert
Marcus Sheffer
7group / Energy Opportunities
LEED Fellow
