LEED is not as applicable to northern climates?
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Friends,
The VP of my institution made the following claim:
"To me, the main problem with LEED is that it is driven by the climate of Southern California and the density of metropolitan New York City. Whenever the USGBC finally recognizes that what makes good sustainable sense in LA does not in our town and vice versa then I'll become an advocate.
Just one example -- LEED gives far too many points for exterior glass and skylights -- when short northern days mean that even R-5 windows (platinum+ grade: triple-glazed, gas-filled, low-e, $$$$) are essentially radiators that increase the carbon footprint forever when there could have been a R-30 wall. Typically, double-paned windows and the very best skylights are R-2. So in heating climates, excess glass should result in decreased LEED points."
Can I get someone to weigh in on this? It seems like LEED would take this into consideration and I'm also not sure about the passive solar gain question.
Thanks.
Jay,
I wanted to echo Jeremy's posting as he presented the information on LEED 2009 quite succintly. Green building is about synergies and trade offs and when planning for a high performing building decisions will need to be made based on the project goals - in this case daylight vs. energy usage. LEED 2009 introduces the concepts of weightings and now rewards projects for implementing strategies for reducing CO2 emissions particularly in the areas of transportation, water and energy. Every project is different and LEED recognizes this by providing a flexible framework for projects to pursue those credits most appropriate for their situation. Siting and regional aspects will be a big driver in which credits can be obtained. I would encourage you to reach out to institutions in your region and speak with them about strategies they are implementing in the design and construction of green buildings. I also wanted to share the following article - http://www.buildings.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/3321/ArticleID/9478/Defaul... - although not direclty related to the conversation at hand, it provides a great overview of how project teams should utilize LEED as a tool in the green building process.
If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me.
Jaime Van Mourik
Higher Education Sector Manager
USGBC
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As a LEED AP and a sustainability consultant, I hear your VP's position often and have to work to change that perception. Here's a go at it for your situation - hope it helps!
LEED only has 2 points associated with daylighting - something that did not change with the recent upgrade to LEED 2009 versions. For a LEED 2009 project, this means that daylighting is only 2/100 points or 2% of the total rating, so it is hard to say that it offers far too many points for exterior glass. ASHRAE 90.1 does penalize buildings for excessive glass. Unless you are less than 40% glazed, the only way to pass ASHRAE 90.1 (and also International Energy Code) from a compliance perspective is to use a performance-based compliance method or an Energy Cost Budget. The more glazing you have, the more you have to cover for it from the energy code perspective.
As for LEED not recognizing the differences in what is good in different regions, this was a common complaint pre-LEED 2009. In the LEED 2009 rating systems, the USGBC has added a "Regional Priority Credit" category that similar to the Innovation credits are "extra" points a project may earn. For each US ZIP code, the USGBC has identified 6 credits in the rating system that are higher environmental priority for a project in that particular zip code. If the project earns the associated credit, the regional priority credit is automatically added to the project's score. For example, in the Midwest where I am, loss of agricultural land is considered to be an environmental threat. If a project in Dubuque, IA (for example) were to earn SS Credit 1 for Site Selection (requires not building on prime agricultural soils, thereby respecting a regional priority) then in addition to the 1 point earned for SSc1, the project would earn 1 point for RPc1, giving SSc1 a higher priority in Dubuque, IA.
While the balance of glazing versus energy use is definitely a tough issue, that is very much a part of the fabric of LEED. One goal of the rating system is to drive the market to developing more sustainable solutions. A classroom facility in your climate that is able to bring in a reasonable amount of daylighting while still demonstrating the potential to save over 30% compared to an ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G baseline should be rewarded with the appropriate points as it is a challenging thing to accomplish. There are studies in the retail and office sectors that show better sales and productivity in daylit environments, as well as significant research (some sponsored by the USGBC) showing the benefits of daylighting in K-12 schools with respect to achievement testing, attentiveness, behavior, etc. These all should offer indicators to the benefits of daylighting in a university setting.
There is something else going on underneath this line of reasoning and it may take time to figure out what, but slowly working away at it with irrefutable facts eventually will get to the bottom of the issue. It may be a budget issue, it may be a lack of interest, or even just misinformation that has continually been pushed in your VP's direction by others. Hope you are able to sort this out!
Jeremy