Modeling the Challenge of EA Credit 1

Abstract

ABSTRACT Energy modeling professionals who are modeling a building for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Energy and Atmosphere (EA) Credit 1 for the first time will spend considerable effort establishing, running, and perfecting the energy model for their project in order to get the most LEED® points available with the associated energy savings. They may also spend additional, frustrated hours once they have received the review comments from the Green Building Council explaining why the model has been rejected and no points have been awarded. While Appendix G of American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1 contains the detailed roadmap for constructing the energy model required for EA Credit 1, several small aspects are easy to overlook that will cause large headaches further down the road. These aspects include baseline system type, required plant capacities, roof albedo, fenestration exposure, lighting power densities, and many others. Ad...