Schematic Design

A project pursuing the Exemplary Performance credit for doubling transit ridership need to note that for this credit "transit rides" is defined as the number of times per day a bus or train stops at that particular stop. A combination of rail and bus lines is allowable.

Having trouble calculating the 2-year, 24-hour storm event? See LEEDuser's guidance on interpolation of rainfall intensity values. 

A reliable source for rainfall intensity data is NOAA's Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center Precipitation Frequency Data Server.

If pursuing Option 2, and you need to model the whole building because your space shares a central HVAC plant, consider using energy modeling software, like eQuest, that can account for energy use of the base building separately from your project space.  This is more likely to be accep

Don’t think that you can artificially pad your baseline case with extra watts per/sf for decorative lighting. In the ASHRAE Compliance form and in the LEED Online form, the decorative allowance for your baseline gets reduced to equal the decorative wattage you actually installed. Calculating the additional wattage allowance for your baseline is only to make sure that your have not installed too much decorative lighting.

It is not realistic to take 1 watt/sf for the entire room where decorative fixtures may be. Only claim the additional wattage around the area where your decorative fixtures are.

You can claim an additional 1 watt/sf of lighting power for decorative fixtures in your baseline, but this is only for areas where you actually have decorative fixtures.

Additional Lighting Power Allowance

When an aspect of your project site is in question, check the intent of the credit and the referenced standards that apply to your situation, and realize that rarely are there exemptions for this credit. As always, check the LEED Interpretations page for past CIRs and other scenarios in which the