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LEED v4.1
Existing Data Centers
Sustainable Sites

Heat Island Reduction

LEED CREDIT

Data-Centers-EBOM-v4.1 SSc2: Heat Island Reduction 1 point

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SPECIAL REPORT

LEEDuser expert

emily reese moody

LEED AP BD+C, LFA, EcoDistricts AP, ENV SP, Fitwel Ambassador, GGP, GPCP, GCP

Jacobs
Sustainability Director, Certifications & Compliance

SPECIAL REPORT

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Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To minimize effects on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands.

Requirements

Have in place strategies to minimize the project’s overall contribution to heat island effects and that meet the following criterion:

Area of Nonroof Measures

 

Area of High-Reflectance Roof

 

Area of Vegetated Roof

 

Total Site Paving Area

 

Total Roof Area

————

+

——————

+

——————

+

0.50

 

0.75

 

0.50

 

 

 

Alternatively, an SRI and SR weighted average approach may be used to calculate compliance. Use any combination of the following strategies.

Nonroof Measures
  • Plants that provide shade over paving areas (including playgrounds) on the site. For newly installed plants, base shade area on 10-year canopy width at noon.
  • Vegetated planters.
  • Shade with structures covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, and wind turbines.
  • Shade with architectural devices or structures that have a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available meet an initial SR of at least 0.33.
  • Shade with vegetated structures.
  • Paving materials with a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available, meet an initial SR of at least 0.33.
  • Open-grid pavement system (at least 50% unbound).
High-Reflectance Roof

Roofing materials with an SRI equal to or greater than the values in Table 1. Meet the three-year aged SRI value if available, otherwise, meet the initial SRI value.

Table 1. Minimum solar reflectance index value, by roof slope
  Slope Initial SRI 3-year aged SRI
Low-sloped roof ≤ 2:12 82 64
Steep-sloped roof > 2:12 39 32

Roof area that consists of functional, usable spaces (such as helipads, recreation courts, and similar amenity areas) may meet the requirements of nonroof measures. Applicable roof area excludes roof area covered by mechanical equipment, solar energy panels, skylights, and any other appurtenances.

Vegetated Roof

If newly installed, sufficient growing medium and plant material must be in place to provide full vegetative cover within 3-years. Have in place a maintenance program that ensures all high-reflectance surfaces are cleaned at least annually to maintain good reflectance, all vegetation is maintained for plant health, and any vegetated structures or vegetated roofs are maintained for good structural condition.

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What 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

What's the difference between SR and SRI?

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Addenda

4/1/2015
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

Can v4 projects use typical solar reflectance (SR) values, or data from a previous project, for documentation of hardscape materials?

Ruling:

The following typical SR values can be used for standard nonroof materials, in lieu of project-specific testing data:

Typical Solar Reflectance Values for Standard Nonroof Materials
Gray cement concrete- Initial Solar Reflectance: 0.26, Three-Year Aged Solar Reflectance*: 0.18
White cement concrete- Initial Solar Reflectance: 0.70, Three-Year Aged Solar Reflectance*: 0.35
Asphalt concrete- Initial Solar Reflectance: 0.05, Three-Year Aged Solar Reflectance*: 0.10

*Three-year aged SR values are based on no cleaning.

Alternatively, documentation showing that the current concrete mix and sealant are equivalent to a tested mix and sealant from a previous project is acceptable, provided that all ingredients are the same and have not changed.

Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
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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.

LEEDuser expert

emily reese moody

LEED AP BD+C, LFA, EcoDistricts AP, ENV SP, Fitwel Ambassador, GGP, GPCP, GCP

Jacobs
Sustainability Director, Certifications & Compliance

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USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To minimize effects on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands.

Requirements

Have in place strategies to minimize the project’s overall contribution to heat island effects and that meet the following criterion:

Area of Nonroof Measures

 

Area of High-Reflectance Roof

 

Area of Vegetated Roof

 

Total Site Paving Area

 

Total Roof Area

————

+

——————

+

——————

+

0.50

 

0.75

 

0.50

 

 

 

Alternatively, an SRI and SR weighted average approach may be used to calculate compliance. Use any combination of the following strategies.

Nonroof Measures
  • Plants that provide shade over paving areas (including playgrounds) on the site. For newly installed plants, base shade area on 10-year canopy width at noon.
  • Vegetated planters.
  • Shade with structures covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, and wind turbines.
  • Shade with architectural devices or structures that have a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available meet an initial SR of at least 0.33.
  • Shade with vegetated structures.
  • Paving materials with a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available, meet an initial SR of at least 0.33.
  • Open-grid pavement system (at least 50% unbound).
High-Reflectance Roof

Roofing materials with an SRI equal to or greater than the values in Table 1. Meet the three-year aged SRI value if available, otherwise, meet the initial SRI value.

Table 1. Minimum solar reflectance index value, by roof slope
  Slope Initial SRI 3-year aged SRI
Low-sloped roof ≤ 2:12 82 64
Steep-sloped roof > 2:12 39 32

Roof area that consists of functional, usable spaces (such as helipads, recreation courts, and similar amenity areas) may meet the requirements of nonroof measures. Applicable roof area excludes roof area covered by mechanical equipment, solar energy panels, skylights, and any other appurtenances.

Vegetated Roof

If newly installed, sufficient growing medium and plant material must be in place to provide full vegetative cover within 3-years. Have in place a maintenance program that ensures all high-reflectance surfaces are cleaned at least annually to maintain good reflectance, all vegetation is maintained for plant health, and any vegetated structures or vegetated roofs are maintained for good structural condition.

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.

What's the difference between SR and SRI?

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.)

4/1/2015
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

Can v4 projects use typical solar reflectance (SR) values, or data from a previous project, for documentation of hardscape materials?

Ruling:

The following typical SR values can be used for standard nonroof materials, in lieu of project-specific testing data:

Typical Solar Reflectance Values for Standard Nonroof Materials
Gray cement concrete- Initial Solar Reflectance: 0.26, Three-Year Aged Solar Reflectance*: 0.18
White cement concrete- Initial Solar Reflectance: 0.70, Three-Year Aged Solar Reflectance*: 0.35
Asphalt concrete- Initial Solar Reflectance: 0.05, Three-Year Aged Solar Reflectance*: 0.10

*Three-year aged SR values are based on no cleaning.

Alternatively, documentation showing that the current concrete mix and sealant are equivalent to a tested mix and sealant from a previous project is acceptable, provided that all ingredients are the same and have not changed.

Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes

LEEDuser expert

emily reese moody

LEED AP BD+C, LFA, EcoDistricts AP, ENV SP, Fitwel Ambassador, GGP, GPCP, GCP

Jacobs
Sustainability Director, Certifications & Compliance

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