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Onsite and Off-Site Renewable Energy
This credit rewards projects with up to six points for using renewable energy either through the purchase of green power (RECs and carbon offsets), the use of onsite renewable systems, or a combination of the two.
The decision to approach this credit through onsite or off-site renewable energy generally comes down to the following:
- The first costs of onsite renewable installation.
- Whether the owner supports the longer-term payback likely for onsite renewables.
- The compatibility of the building and systems with onsite renewables.
- The cost of offsite renewables and whether the owner perceives value in that.
- The kind of green story the building owner would like to tell.
Onsite is tough
Onsite renewable...
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54 Comments
off-site renewable with local utility
We currently participate in our natural gas utility provider's off-set program and off-set all of our natural gas usage. When we called the utility provider to ask if we could sign a contract to commit to purchasing these off-sets for two years they told us that they were unable to do that due to the tariff rules they follow. They said that they would be willing to sign a memo stating that we both agree to participate in the program for years, but it would not be legally binding. So in all reality it would make just as much since for us to submit a memo or letter to LEED stating our intent and commitment to purchasing off-sets for 2 years.
Is this good enough? I would hate switch from supporting our local utility provider just b/c LEED wont allow anything but a contract.
Thanks for your input.
This sounds reasonable to me, and the two-year contract requirement really is not set up to accomodate utility offset programs as well as third-party offset providers.
The reference guide states that: "At the time of application, off-site energy and offsets must have actually been purchased for at least the performance period. Contracts or commitments for future purchases can mee the remainder of the 2-year requirement."
I'd interpret this to mean that a commitment memo is an acceptable method of meeting the 2-year criteria.
OnSIte Renewable Energy Limitations
My EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. project office building is interested in particiapating in the local power company's "Green Power Provider" program. Program pays customers back for power generated and sent to the "grid". In our case, we were planning to install PV array on-site. Question: if Project is receiving money back instead of getting to use the actual "power" produced, are we eligible for the EAc. 4 points? We have to submeterSubmetering is used to determine the proportion of energy or water use within a building attributable to specific end uses such as tenant spaces, or subsystems such as the heating component of an HVAC system. for program, so we would know annual amount of power produced onsite. It would just help lower our electric bills by dollar amount instead of kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu. amount. Here is language from credit that confused me: "For on-site renewable energy that is claimed for LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance credit, the associated environmental attributes must be retained or retired and cannot be sold."
Janna, it is typical for this type of program to purchase RECs from the onsite power installation, thus your project would be selling the environmental attributes and you couldn't aplply this energy to the credit.
Buying addl credits in the APPEAL stage
Prior comment threads discuss buying addl RECs after prelim application but prior to Final Applcation. Anybody have any exeprience doing that durIng the APPEAL stage ?? FOR EXAMPLE, if in Final Review, we are awarded EAc4 at off-site 37.5 % level, may we in the APPEAL stage increase the level (to say off-site 50% ) and submit as an appealed credit?
Stephen, I would think this would be accepted, yes.
I agree here with Tristan, and this is a strategy that I've seen many times. In general, you can submit new credits at the appeal stage (or increase the achievement threshold of previously pursued credits) as long as you aren't running afoul of any performance period rules.
Since it is easy and has no environmental implications to buy the offsets for the performance period _after_ the performance period, it's allowed for this credit.
EAc4:Purchased REC's
This pertains to RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources.'s purchased at the corporate level:
My project is a large office building with multiple tenants. One of the tenants purchases a large share of REC's for their entire corporation every year. These REC's cover multiple offices in several locations. This tenant agreed to apportion some of these REC's to cover the electricity consumption for this project's performance period (7 months). I understand USGBC will require a 2 year contract, but can someone please confirm what other type of documentation is required for submission? Do I just need a letter from the tenant stating they are apportioning so many REC's to this building and these REC's will not be credited to any other LEED project? Also, can the 2 year contact begin before the perfomance period? Thanks!
Gwenedd, the 2-year contract could start before the PP.
I think the letter you describe should do the trick. Let us know if anything else comes up!
Calculating the required REC's
This is related to Re-certification.
We purchased 24 months of RECs during our initial certification. We have not determined when our next performance period will end, now or in the 5th year. However the 1st 24 month block of RECs is set to expire soon.
Can we simply utilize the Total Energy kBTU, (converted to mBTU), as identified in our most recent Energy Star SEP, (Dated Nov 2010) to determine the amount needed to meet our goals? Assume we want to capture 100%, simply double the Total Energy mBTU for the next 24 month block?
Thanks
Robin, that seems like a reasonable approach.
Reporting offset purchases on form EAc4
The reference guide is explicit that if you are purchasing off-site renewable energy for fuels combusted on site (Scope 1 emissions), it needs to be done via carbon offsets ("Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. Climate or equivalent"), not RECs.
However, the Green Power Provider Summary table in form EAc4 v3.0 only lists 'Purchase Types' for electricity purchase / RECs:
"Green-e certified power provider
"Green-e accredited utility program
"Green-e accredited tradable renewable certificates
"Green-e equivalent"
(It's clear from the reference guide that "Green-e equivalent" refers to an alternate certification for renewable power, not the Green-e Climate certification for carbon offsets.)
How are we to document purchases of carbon offsets to cover Scope 1 fuel combustion?
In case my original question was not clear enough, I am asking about an apparent problem with a data table in the LEEDOnline EAc4 credit form, not about required documentation.
Hi Michael,
That is a great question. Looking at the LEED EB O&M 2009 submittal template for EAc4- you are correct. There is no option to insert your carbon offsets, or VERs, into the document. I would suggest using "Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified Power Provider", document the total kBTU purchased combining both the RECs and Carbon Offsets, and then include in your narrative what was purchased to address your scope 1 and 2 emissions and how the calculations were done. Also, uploading your contract/documentation must be done as well.
Let me know if I can help. LMalone@renewablechoice.com
Lana Malone
Michael, In my experience these little form snafus pop up with regularity, and the typical process for dealing with them is to check the box near that bottom of the form that says "Special circumstances preclude documentation of credit compliance with the submittal requirements outlined in this form", and then explain the problem a bit.
In your particular case, I would choose "Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. equivalent in the table, and then explain that you in fact have Green-e certified offsets and the table just doesn't offer an explicit option for that path. Upload a copy of the contract showing the number of offsets purchased, Green-e status, etc and you should be all set.
Another thing to pay attention to is the form version you have. If you're working with beta forms, it's worth having GBCI set you up with the latest versions so you have fewer of these form bugs to deal with.
Michael,
Thanks for the clarification. Our clients that have come across this issue with LEED forms have addressed the problem in one of two ways. Either they address the issue in the optional narrative section or have just written "Please refer to attached documentation: Name.pdf" in the narrative space and craft up their own form sheet following the GBCI format making sure to make all calculation methodologies visible in the write-up. Obviously, neither of these two solutions are optimal but they usually work.
Jenny, your suggestions on documenting make sense. It is frustrating, though, to have to use 'Special Circumstances' to document standard requirements of the credit (standard, at least, for any project with fuel combustion, as opposed to being 100% electric). As I noted above, our form _is_ version 3.0.
Sorry, missed the bit about the form version. I agree it's frustrating, for which I recommend a dose of LEED therapy/kvetching with your fellow frustrated compadres (I could go on and on about how the NC-centric nature of the forms development process thwarts EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. users, which is what I think is happening here. In NC, for some unknown reason, teams only have to offset electricity).
And maybe using the feedback button in LOL to point out the deficiency.
I had already opened a 'feedback' window when I got your response. (When I first read your last sentence, I thought you were abbreviating "laugh out loud", which would probably be good advice for dealing with LEEDOnline...)
I received a response from USGBC acknowledging that this is a problem in the form (the lack of carbon-offset options in the 'Purchase Type' drop-down). They indicated that a revised version of the form should be available in 4 to 6 weeks.
We have a client that purchased VERs that are Voluntary Carbon Standard and not Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products.. Do you know what type of documentation GBCI / LEED requires to establish the equivalency? Or is it enough if the contract says that the VERs are Voluntary Carbon Standard? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!
I don't hink the VCS is equivalent to Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products., although there is definitely some overlap. I think you would need to dig in deeper to both standards to establish whether they are equivalent for this case.
Definition of On-Site
We received our comments back and they questioned our on-site energy use. We have a co-generation unit that takes the methane gas from the landfill to produce energy.
The reviewers questioned the fact that since the landfill is not within our LEED project boundary then the co-gen probably should not count towards what we consider "on-site"
My question is just because the landfill is not included in our boundary can it really not be considered on-site?
I understood the credit that as long as the "eligible system (our co-gen unit) produces electrical power or thermal energy for use on-site" (EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. Manual, 206) then that should count towards as "on-site renewable energy" right?
And to clarify the landfill and the co-gen are about 2 blocks away from the project building, and the co-gen only serves the project building.
Any help would be great, thanks!
Richard, have you reviewed the MPR supplemental guidance? I think you may find this helpful.
My understanding is that regardless of that, if you are burning the landfill gas onsite, then it qualifies under the defintions in the LEED Reference Guide.
Thanks Tristan! This was helpful.
Purchasing REC's after the submittal?
The building owner for our project would like to purchase green power/RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources.'s to earn EA4 points only if we discover that we are short on LEED points during the certification process (after we've submitted). I've heard this is possible but never actually been through the process. Is this possible? What is the process? We are submitting under LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. First Edition Aug 2008. (not 2009) Thanks for any guidance!
As long as your contract retroactively covers the performance period and extends two years, you should be fine.
Depending on where you are in the process, preliminary or final certification review you can either add the info to your final review submittal (if you get a preliminary review) or appeal the final ruling, pay $500 and add the green power info. Hope this helps.
Does this mean that after the performance period we can still purchase RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources.'s if we see we are a few points sign of a specific level?
Hi Paul,
Yes, you can still purchase RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources.'s after the project's performance period as long as it is done before your final submission to the USGBC. Please let me know if we can help!
Lmalone@renewablechoice.com
Lana Malone
Windmill Credit in RECs or Energy Star
Can we get the credit if one of our project has an investment in windmill in India? There is no any Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. Certificate for the same. but as LEED reference guide specify that the certificate is Green-e or equivalent. So what document should be submit to proof the Green-e equivalency.
You'll need to review the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. standard available from the CRS website and be able to show that this is equivalent. That may be a lot of work!
Pricing - Toolkit
The pricing document in the toolkit does not provide any pricing numbers. I am just trying to get a feel or what costs are in order to achieve this credit. Thanks.
Hi Paul! I'd be happy to put a cost estimate together for you if you'd like some information for your project. Depending on the energy usage will determine your Green Power cost. You can email me at LMalone@renewablechoice.com. Let me know if I can help!
Paul..... I'd be happy to put together a cost estimate for you that would include a variety of alternatives for achieving this credit. Mark.lacroix@carbonneutral.com
Paul, it's generally very cheap, but of course depends on the purchase size and if you have any specific requests (as far as location, type of source, etc.).
Best way to find out is to just get quote from one of these guys, or from one of the many other options out there. You're only going to find very general public info about pricing, because the suppliers want to quote customers directly.
On-Site Renewables - Submeters installed and Performance Period
For our project, the office building has had a Solar Thermal Array that runs one of their packaged ACUs last year We are now installing the BTUA unit of energy consumed by or delivered to a building. A Btu is an acronym for British thermal unit and is defined as the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit, at normal atmospheric pressure. Energy consumption is expressed in Btu to allow for consumption comparisons among fuels that are measured in different units. submeters to measure the actual energy generated by the Solar Thermal Array used by the ACU. Should the performance period start from installation of the solar thermal array or from the installation of the submeters? LEED Online does not ask for photos, or automatic readings/logs, or calibration reports for the meter. Although, the reference guide asks for documentation of the installed on-site renewable energy systems. Please advise on performance period start date.
Since you can only count onsite renewable energy that is metered, seems like you would be hurting yourself if you started the performance period before the meter is up and running.
Utility Owns Green Power Producer
I have a client that is a utility company undergoing LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. for their headquarters buildings. This company is made up of many smaller energy producers, one of which produces green power. The green power is not Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified nor can it be proven that the green power that is produced goes to their headquarter buildings. However, it is safe to say they own a green power utility that introduces green power to the grid. Although they don't pay the green power provider money for electricity (because they own it), is there any known way or CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide to capture any points from this credit?
As things stand, you can't earn points under this credit. Since the green power is not Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified or the equivalent, it doesn't meet the credit threshold. Secondly, there is nothing connecting this facility with that green power. For all you know, there might be other customers who have purchased all this power specifically due to its environmental attributes, leaving nothing left to allocate to the utility HQ.
You would need to establish Green-e equivalence and then find a way of "selling" that power to the building, or just buy some Green-e RECs on the open market. It's pretty cheap right now.
I just wanted to clarify the
I just wanted to clarify the length of time RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources.'s need to be purchased over. From what I understand, you purchase a total of two years. At the time of certification you have to have purchased enough credits to have covered the performance period, and have in place a contract to purchase the remainder of the two years, correct? You do not have to purchase enough for the performance period plus two additonal years do you?
Hi Rachael,
You are correct- to earn the green power credit(s) for LEED EB O&M 2009, you have to purchase enough to cover two years of the energy usage of the project. Green Power is should be purchased during the projects initial performance period, which is included in the 2 years required.
Hope this helps!
RECs for other forms of energy?
I’m confused about determining the amount of RECs a project must buy when the building uses electricity and some other form of energy, say natural gas. The ref guide on pg 207 is terribly unclear. It sounds like it is suggesting that we can’t just add up the total energy use in MBtus or KWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu. and then purchase RECs equivalent to two year’s worth based on whatever % total we’re targeting (e.g. 25% for 1 point). Instead, it sounds like we need to buy RECs for the electricity portion (based on its % contribution to the total) and something else, which the ref guide doesn’t really make clear, for the other forms of energy, in this case natural gas (based on its % contribution to the total). Is the latter the case? And is there a different name for these credits that represent renewable natural gas, propane, fuel oil, etc.?
Hi Matthew!
Energy usage from natural gas, purchased steam, fuel oil, or propane should be offset with Verified Emissions Reductions, or VERs- a direct carbon offsetA fiscal unit measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) representing six main categories of greenhouse gases. Aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, one carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases). Carbon offsets are typically purchased by consumers of fossil fuels or products using fossil fuels, as a way to "offset" or negate their negative environmental impact.. There was a Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide) that was answered by the USGBC on 1/7/2009 which clarifies this information.
This ruling which applies to both LEED EB 2.0 and EB O&M states:
In regards to offsets, with the release of programs like Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. climate to complement Green-e energy, the USGBC agrees that Green power or REC purchases or the equivalent should only be used to offset electricity use, Scope 2 emissions. Scope 1 & 3 emissions from natural gas, purchased steam, fuel oil, or propane use should use carbon offsets, verified through a program like Green-e climate or equivalent.
Please let me know if this answers your question! Please let me know if you'd like to discuss further! lmalone@renewablechoice.com
Thanks, Lana!
RECs providers...
In researching RECs options, a municipal utility has a purchasing program that is not itself Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified, but they say the RECs themselves are certified. I suspect this means they are purchasing them from elsewhere and that my client should just purchase them elsewhere as well (direct from a certified source).
Good strategy? Would the RECs I've described above get nixed in a LEED application?
Jared, it's not clear whether the RECs being sold by the utilities are Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified, or the equivalent. The utility program does not need a certification, as long as the RECs are Green-e certified. If that's the case, you're fine for this credit.
To sacrifice the convenience of buying your RECs from the utility, you'd probably want to be getting a better price elsewhere. It's worth shopping around for that, but the utility may be buying in bulk and getting a favorable rate.
Hi Jared!
We would be glad to help you out! We have provided RECs for over 1,000 LEED projects in the U.S. and internationally, and offer very competitive rates if you would like for us to provide a quote.
http://www.renewablechoice.com/business-LEED-green-power.html
lmalone@renewablechoice.com
Thanks, Tristan and Lana.
Re, timing ... can the RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. contract be initiated any time during the performance period? (going forward 2 years, of course)
Yes. You would need to buy them retroactively to the beginning of the performance period, and sign a two year contract as you stated, but it's perfectly legal. That's what we did.
Hi Jared!
I apologize for the late response, but Chris Nixon is correct! You can purchase at any time during the initial performance period. You would need to purchase enough RECs to cover the initial performace period, and an additional two years worth of RECs to cover the next performance period. I hope this helps! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions!
On Site Renewable Energy
We recently received the following question related to this credit.
"We are a city owned convention center going for LEED EB O&M. Another city department, (Department of Water & Power) has photo voltaic cells located on the roof of our building which generates power. The convention center does not use the power that the photo voltaic cells produce, but the power does go back to
the grid. Can we still get credits for onsite renewable energy even though we
don't use the energy our building produces?"
This scenario should work as long as three conditions are met. The first is that the system needs to be sub-metered, second the RECs associated with the PV need to be retained by the city, and the third is that the city must somehow assign the associated RECs to the project building, similar to how you can use a corporate pool of RECs (see off-site renewable energy) to earn the credit at a specific building, but have to make sure you're not also using those RECs for other claims in other buildings.
Off Site Renewable Energy
According to LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. V3-2009, all energy sources have to be counted. In particular Natural Gas usage. In other words it sounds like they want you to convert all your electrical to KBTU and also the Natural Gas ussage.
My Question is what is the process for purchasing renewable energy to cover the Natural Gas portion. Our utility provider currently determs the percent of renewable energy purchased by automaticaly taking the 30 percent of each meter and multiplys by .03 cents.
How do we implement a process for Natural Gas portion?
You're correct about conversion to kBTU - all energy consumed by the building is converted to kBTU and considered holistically in terms of off-site renewable purchases. In terms of the process for accounting for natural gas, I would suggest contacting Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. for a list of certified providers of carbon offsets. In my experience, that is the most likely path to accounting for gas use.
Hi Reynaldo-
In terms of dealing with offsetting your natural gas usage, you would need to purchase carbon offsets, or Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs). We would be glad to help you out!
http://www.renewablechoice.com
lmalone@renewablechoice.com
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