EBOM 2009 IEQp1: Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance

  • EBOM IEQp1 Diagram
  • Upgrades? No. Changes? Probably

    Meeting the LEED ventilation prerequisite is not likely to require substantial building upgrades, although it is likely to require some adjustments, such as altering minimum damper settings on existing equipment.

    An in-house engineer or a third-party vendor can help you measure outdoor air flow in each air-handling unit and compare their performance against ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007 requirements. ASHRAE and USGBC provide calculators for determining the required rates of outdoor air flow for your building based on floor area, actual occupancy, and other characteristics of the space and ventilation distribution system. Buildings that employ older ventilation equipment or unique ventilation solutions may have one or more air handling units that are unable to meet the ASHRAE 62.1-...

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129 Comments

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Severin Lenel
Jan 18 2012
Member
36 Thumbs Up

ASHRAE 62MZ calculator

I try to fill out the ASHRAE 62MZ calculator and have some problems with it:
1) We have lots of AHUs in our building (Some Vanitlation systems, some AC-systems and some are only exhaust systems). Do I have to do a calculation for each of them (72 in total)?
2) Is it right, that I have to enter one spreadsheet for each AHU, but not for all zones, only the critical ones? Then I only get the required OA to transfer them to submittal form in LEED online under "Table. Ventilation Air Flow Summary" for the critical zones and not for all areas. Is this right?
3)If I have filled in the spreadsheet 62MZ calculator, do I also have to fill in the table in the Appendix IEQp1-A3. Mechanical Ventilation 100% OA?

4) Is there a spreadsheet for natural ventilationas we have more than thousand of natural ventilated rooms and can't fill them in the template. Would it be possible to upload a excel-sheet because of special circumstances?

Thank you very much for your help!

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Ben Stanley Sustainability Manager, YRG sustainability Jan 18 2012 Guest Expert 1425 Thumbs Up

Here are some ideas.

1. Any system that is providing outside air into occupied spacesOccupied Spaces are defined as enclosed spaces that can accommodate human activities. Occupied spaces are further classified as regularly occupied or non-regularly occupied spaces based on the duration of the occupancy, individual or multi-occupant based on the quantity of occupants, and densely or non-densely occupied spaces based upon the concentration of occupants in the space. needs to be included in the calculations. Generally exhaust systems are not included but one exception would be if the exhaust system is the sole source of outside air into a space.
2. Yes, you need to do a separate 62MZ spreadsheet for each system. Only potentially critical zones need to be included in the spreadsheet but you will also need to complete the "Inputs for System" section of the spreadsheet, which allows the calculator to determine the outside air required for the entire system, not just the critical zones. This value for required outside air, for the entire system, is then transferred over to the LEED submittal form.
3. In version 4 of the submittal form, there is a check box to select to complete the ASHRAE 62MZ calculator. Checking that box will automatically pull up the table that needs to be completed on the form. You don't need to complete the table in the submittal form appendix if you do the 62MZ calculators.
4. With the version 4 form select the check box that indicates you have areas served by natural ventilation. Then you will need to complete the natural ventilation table in the submittal form appendix.

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Matthew Macko Principal Environmental Building Strategies
Nov 30 2011
Member
221 Thumbs Up

Naturally Ventilated Corridors

Do corridors need to have access to operable windows within 25 feet?

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Dylan Connelly Senior Mechanical Engineer, Glumac Dec 02 2011 Guest Expert 159 Thumbs Up

With regards to Natural Ventilation in 62.1, ASHRAE defines occupied floor area as "an enclosed space intended for human activities, the term occupiable space excludes those spaces intended for other purposes, such as storage rooms and equipment rooms that are occupied only upon occasion and for brief periods of time." I'd say that because corridors are not specifically excluded it would be safe to have operable windows within 25 feet.

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Robert Calloway President Global Facility Solutions, LLC
Nov 29 2011
Member

IEQp1 Table. Case 1

I am working on the IEQp1 LEED form and ran into a couple problems when filling out the information. The building I am working on is 12 stories high and has 3 AHUs (in the penthouse) that supply the entire building. I am trying to fill out the IEQp1 PDF but dont know what to put in for the total occupants. Would I put in the total number of occupants for the whole building, total number of occupants supplied by just one AHU or total number of occupants in the critical zone? Also, is the Az the area of the whole building, area of the building that one AHU supplies or the area of the critical zone? I would appreciate any assistance.

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Ben Stanley Sustainability Manager, YRG sustainability Dec 06 2011 Guest Expert 1425 Thumbs Up

If you are using version 4.0 of the form, you'll need to enter each AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork. as a separate system in the appendix. For this form, each zone must be listed and the population and area should match up with known values for each zone.

If you'd like, you can use the ASHRAE 62MZ calculator and complete a separate calculation for each AHU. This calculator allows you to assess the critical zones of each system to determine the total outside air required. In other words, each zone does not need to be individually entered into the calculator.

If you are working with any version of the form other than version 4.0, you'll either need to request the updated version of the form or use the 62MZ spreadsheet.

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James Doyle Owner ConServe
Nov 23 2011
Member
2 Thumbs Up

EBOM IEQp1: Dedicated OA to classroom FCU's

For EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. IEQp1 we have a school using a dedicated ventilation AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork. providing ventilation air to classroom FCU's. Will we meet the prerequisite by using a TAB contractor to measure the OA flow at the dedicated ventilation AHU which is ducted to about 40 FCU’s?

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Dylan Connelly Senior Mechanical Engineer, Glumac Nov 23 2011 Guest Expert 159 Thumbs Up

Yes, you can manually measure AHUs as stated above. We have used this method on LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. projects. Is the DOAS constant volume? For variable volume systems you often have to use the minimum air flow setting.

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Kristofer Kiszynski
Oct 11 2011
Member
3 Thumbs Up

Unable to Meet Pre-req during Current Performance Period

I was wondering what would happen if we failed to meet a prerequisite such as IEQp1. Would we need to restart our performance period after correcting whatever it is that needs to be corrected? Could this potentially push back the project completion by several months? I am asking because I am using the alternative compliance path for IEQp1. I only performed 62MZ calculations using potentially critical zones. The LEED template requires that we enter all zones, but this building has several hundred zones. That is why I am only doing critical zones. Thanks.

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Ben Stanley Sustainability Manager, YRG sustainability Oct 11 2011 Guest Expert 1425 Thumbs Up

There's a couple of things going on here.
1. If for some reason you needed to make corrections to the the ventilation system in order to meet the ventilation prerequisite during the review process, you could do so without having to re-set the performance period for all of the performance based credits like EAp2, purchasing credits, MRc7, etc. Though, you would have to re-do the outside air measurements. It is also probably worth confirming this with the project review team.
2. You can still use the 62MZ Calc to calculate the minimum required outside air. That calculator only requires assessment of the critical zones and is an acceptable alternative to using the credit form calculator. So, you can still avoid entering in hundreds of zones.

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David Hubka GROUP Leader E3 GROUP
Aug 24 2011
Guest Expert
1476 Thumbs Up

VAV Systems

When demonstrating ASHRAE 62.1 compliance for VAVVariable Air Volume (VAV) is an HVAC conservation feature that supplies varying quantities of conditioned (heated or cooled) air to different parts of a building according to the heating and cooling needs of those specific areas. systems, what is the best approach to simulate worst case system conditions expected during normal ventilation operations?

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Julia Weatherby Senior Mechanical Engineer, Lindgren & Sharples, P.C. Aug 24 2011 Member 79 Thumbs Up

"Worst case" to me means all VAVVariable Air Volume (VAV) is an HVAC conservation feature that supplies varying quantities of conditioned (heated or cooled) air to different parts of a building according to the heating and cooling needs of those specific areas. zone dampers at minimum position. Is there some alternative?

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Julia Weatherby Senior Mechanical Engineer, Lindgren & Sharples, P.C. Aug 24 2011 Member 79 Thumbs Up

I suppose you could make a case in certain spaces that the zone damper would not be at minimum when the space is fully occupied due to the heat gain from the people. I would explore that avenue if some spaces were troublesome at minimum damper position.

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Aug 24 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

Thanks for the response Julia.
Here is the issue I am having a problem with:

The LEED reference guide states that the VAVVariable Air Volume (VAV) is an HVAC conservation feature that supplies varying quantities of conditioned (heated or cooled) air to different parts of a building according to the heating and cooling needs of those specific areas. system must be set to worst case conditions. If the measured outside air rate during worst case conditions can not meet the ASHRAE 62.1 specified rate then Case 2 must be checked on the LEED Online template. The LEED reviewer has asked me to me to provide a summary of air measurements taken at maximum flow conditions. (this request also appears on the LEED template)

So which is it???
Take measurements at worst case conditions or maximum flow conditions?

Another LEED reviewer on a different project asked the following: provide technical evidence confirming that this limitation is true for all system operating conditions.

Of course it's not true during all operating conditions!
Only during worst case conditions!!

Any direction is greatly appreciated.

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Dan Ackerstein Principal, Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC Sep 01 2011 Guest Expert 3039 Thumbs Up

David - leaving the confusing (and varied) review comments aside, I think the critical terminology is 'worst case' under 'normal operating conditions'. So as I read it, that means the dampers at the minimum position they would be set for a given occupancy. In some instances, occupancy will be relatively fixed and its simply minimum damper settings. But for many systems, there is interplay between occupancy and damper settings (as Julia references in talking about heat gain). So worst case normal is a bit of a moving target that has to consider both variables in dampers and in occupancy. As for maximums, I'm pretty sure the template doesn't ask for measured airflows at maximum flow - it may ask for the design maximums but the only measurements required are the worst case normal we were talking about. Measuring maximum flow doesn't really tell anybody anything useful, unless the question is determining the ability of the system to deliver ASHRAE ventilation (making the ASHRAE vs 10cfm/person distinction).

And I suspect the second reviewer comment was simply confirming that what you said was worst case normal really was 'worst case'. Its possible that the OA rates were so high as to make the reviewer wonder if that was really worst case. Perhaps not the most direct way to ask that question, but that's my theory.

Hope this helps a little - I suspect other folks may have more technically savvy insights. . .

Dan

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Sep 03 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

Thanks Dan. That helps.

Moving forward I will instruct the TAB contractor to put the system into worst case condition (i.e. VAVVariable Air Volume (VAV) is an HVAC conservation feature that supplies varying quantities of conditioned (heated or cooled) air to different parts of a building according to the heating and cooling needs of those specific areas. dampers set to minimum positions + highest expected occupancy at that moment in time) when taking the outdoor air measurement. Compare the outdoor air measurement with my ASHRAE 62.1-2007 calculation. If the referenced standard can not be met we'll follow Case 2, 10 cfm/occupant.

Thanks again!

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Raphael Sperry Simon & Associates, Inc. Green Building Sonsultants Sep 07 2011 Guest 80 Thumbs Up

To build on what Dan said, "worst case normal operating conditions" are typically encountered on peak heating days (for which you can also use the design heating day). In that case, recirculation is maximized to limit heat loss, so outside air damper position is minimized, while VAVVariable Air Volume (VAV) is an HVAC conservation feature that supplies varying quantities of conditioned (heated or cooled) air to different parts of a building according to the heating and cooling needs of those specific areas. boxes are typically also minimized. (Peak cooling day is not quite as extreme since usually more air is delivered to offset zone heat gains, meaning VAV boxes would be slightly more open.) So I would recommend simulating the peak cooling day for the air testing.

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Laura Case Senior Project Manager Southface
Jul 26 2011
Guest
8 Thumbs Up

IAQ Procedure as ASHRAE 62.1 Compliance Path

ASHRAE specifies that the Ventilation Rate Procedure or the IAQIndoor air quality: The quality and attributes of indoor air affecting the health and comfort building occupants. IAQ encompasses available fresh air, contaminant levels, acoustics and noise levels, lighting quality, and other factors. Procedure can be used to ensure that mechanical ventilation systems meet ventilation requirements in ASHRAE 62.1 (Section 6.1). The intent of the Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance prerequisite is to meet ASHRAE 62.1. However, LEED specifies that the prescriptive Ventilation Rate Procedure must be used to show prerequisite compliance. Is the performance-based IAQ Precedure considered an acceptable compliance path to meet IEQ Prerequisite 1?

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Aug 24 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

If you are utilizing an alternative compliance path check the appropriat box under the ADDITIONAL DETAILS heading. Project using this approach will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

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Prudence Ferreira Principal Integral Impact Inc
Jul 22 2011
Member
288 Thumbs Up

ASHRAE 62.1-2007 in Warehouses

We are working on a project with very large warehouses with massive roof-mounted air handling units and relatively low occupancy. A 60,000 sf facility may only have 8 workers for example. Do we need to account for the size of the building in our outdoor air ventilation supply, or if the total outdoor air entering the space is more than the required minimum per person does that suffice? I have no doubt that we are supply more outdoor air than needed for the 8-10 workers, but am concerned if the dilution by the large building size needs to be taken into account.

Thanks,

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Aug 24 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

Table 6-1 of ASHRAE 62.1-2007 requires warehouses to be provided with 0.06 CFM of outdoor air per square foot during occupied hours. Project teams must account for both people and area when calculating outdoor air rates.

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Julia Weatherby Senior Mechanical Engineer, Lindgren & Sharples, P.C. Aug 24 2011 Member 79 Thumbs Up

For the EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. rating system, I believe that for each piece of equipment that you determine is not capable of fully meeting ASHRAE 62.1, you have the alternate option of documenting that you have at least 10 cfm/person. I do not recall anything in the alternate option about accounting for square footage. This makes sense to me, because most existing buildings were designed when ventilation rate charts were based on occupancy for most spaces, and not floor area.

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Stephen Redding president Redding Linden Burr
Jun 20 2011
Guest
39 Thumbs Up

Problems with version 3 of the Form and Vot

RE: IEQp1 Form Table. Case 1: ASHRAE 62.1-2007 Ventilation Rate Procedure (LEED O&M v3)
I fill out the table based on the critical zone for that AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork., but the Form(Version 3) automatically calclulates and enters Vot ( even though it doesnt have sufficient information )-- rather that letting me input Vot from the LEED calculator spreadsheet.
Either I totally misunderstand the table, or it is goofy - anyone else having this issue ??

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Aug 24 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

Table "Case 1: ASHRAE 62.1-2007 Ventilation Rate Procedure" auto-calculates Rp, Ra, Vbz, Voz, and Vot.

If you are are using a different calculation / spreadsheet to show compliance check the "The project team is using an alternative compliance approach in lieu of standard submittal paths" box under the ADDITIONAL DETAILS heading on the template.

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Dawn Brenner Optimized Energy
Apr 27 2011
Guest
53 Thumbs Up

IEQp1 compliance for high-rise with 1 outdoor air intake

The 1987 high-rise building in California I am attempting LEED certification for has an EnergyStar label and, thus, was signed off by a PE as meeting ASHRAE 62.1/2007. The building has only one outdoor air intake that is 100% open at all times and cannot be modified. The PE established the building met ASHRAE 62.1 by measuring the Outdoor Air (OA) CFM coming into the building at that intake unit. He also measured the outside air CFM into the Air Handlers at three floors of the building - the top floor, a middle floor, and the bottom floor. If these measurements were sufficient for the Energy Star label, are they also sufficient for LEED, or do I need to take measurements at the Air Handlers on every floor? Thank you for any information you can provide.

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Jun 09 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

The prerequisite requires applicants to demonstrate that each outside air intake, supply air fan, and/or ventilation distribution system supplies the minimum outdoor air ventilation for each air handling unit.
I would expect the LEED reviewer would ask you for OA measurements at every AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork..

The LEED online template requires the reading to be taken during the performance period.

Hope this helps.

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Andy Brophy Project Engineer, E3-GROUP Dec 02 2011 Member 8 Thumbs Up

Does this mean that for compliance with IEQp1 we will need to demonstrate calculations (from ASHRAE 62.1) that show the required OA rate, AND take measurements at each AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork. utilizing the OA proving that we meet the calculated rate? Or would it be sufficient enough to take measurements at only the units supplying OA (i.e. if you have a large MAU that distributes ventilation air to multiple FCU's, do you need to measure OA at each FCU or simply measure the OA supply at the main MAU?)

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Dec 02 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

LEED requires OA measurements to be taken at the system level. If you have a large make-up air unit that distributes OA to numerous fan coil units you will need to take OA measurements at each fan coil unit. i.e. the fan coil units are considered to be "the system level".

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S Sundararaj
Mar 31 2011
Guest
463 Thumbs Up

System status report for ventilation system

We are pursuing LEED-EB:O&M for an office building. It has BAS functions for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system.

To comply with the prerequisite requirements, we provided a ventilation air flow summary, as well as maintenance logs, a preventative maintenance plan, and test reports.

Additionally, please guide us with samples how to provide a periodic system status report for any portions of the ventilation system regulated by the building automation system. Thank you!

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Mar 31 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

Monthly screen shots, during the performance period, showing the fresh air damper is open during occupied times and closed during unoccupied modes would suffice. Or, provide a narrative from the responsible party stating they have used the BAS system regulary to ensure that fresh air dampers are operating in accordance with the documented sequence of operations.

The intent is to verify the ventilation system is working correctly during the performance period.

Hope this helps.

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Jeff Benavides Project Manager, ecoPreserve: Building Sustainability Oct 18 2011 Member 444 Thumbs Up

Just confirming... Does this mean that if there is a BAS in place that already in place that measures OA, CO2Carbon dioxide, airflow etc, no physical testing or balancing at the AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork./VAVVariable Air Volume (VAV) is an HVAC conservation feature that supplies varying quantities of conditioned (heated or cooled) air to different parts of a building according to the heating and cooling needs of those specific areas. level has to be conducted unless an issues comes up that it does not meet the 62.1 levels? Thank you in advanced

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Eric Tu
Mar 29 2011
Guest
16 Thumbs Up

Use CO2 Measurement to meet Prereq Requirement

Hello;

Out BAS does not measure air flow (CFM), but, it does measure Return Air and OA C02 values.

Can this PreReq be met using CO2Carbon dioxide measurement (demand ventilation) rather than CFM? If so, how can it be done?

thanks

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Mar 30 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

The prereq requires an airflow measurement.
CO2Carbon dioxide sensing of RA and OA will not suffice.

sorry :(

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Janna Nash
Mar 06 2011
Member
81 Thumbs Up

Clarifying this preReq - small project

I am working on my first LEED EB project and I am not sure how to meet this pre-requisite. BACKGROUND: My project is a small office building (2000 sq. ft.) located in a 2 story "house" built in 1876. We are replacing the 20 year old HVAC units to help with Energy Efficiency. The recommended replacement has been quoted as two 3 Ton Split units (typical for a residential project).
My question is (1) do these small, basic HVAC units need to be paired with a system like an ERV (Energy Recovery ventilator) which would supply fresh air. One ERV brand says that it can supply whole house ventilation (up to 3500 sq. ft.), but would I have to purchase an ERV for each HVAC system to comply with the Prerequisite? Follow-up question (2) is there another way to comply?
The building is somewhat "leaky" due to its age and inspite of energy conservation measures completed, we probably comply with the required supply of outdoor air, but can't measure or prove!

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Mar 07 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

You do not need an ERV for EA P1 compliance.

If you are mechanically ventilating the space calculate the required fresh air volumes per ASHREA 62.1 section #6. Each of the split systems will most likely be provided with an 8" diameter outside air duct.

If you are naturally ventilating the building follow the requirements of ASHRAE 62.1 section #5.1.

Hope this helps.

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Janna Nash Mar 08 2011 Member 81 Thumbs Up

David,
Thanks! Could you also tell me if measurements can be made just once during the performance period or if they have to be continuous to verify we met the OA flow rate?

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Mar 09 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

Janna,
You'll only need to take the OA measurement once during the performance period. If you provide permanant continous monitoring you may be able to achieve IEQ C1.2 - Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring.

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Janna Nash Mar 31 2011 Member 81 Thumbs Up

David,
In your response above when you said "You do not need an ERV for EA P1 compliance", did you mean to say IEQ P1? The prerequisite reads outside air intake must meet standard for all normal operating conditions, but what about when the HVAC system is off - like during mild spring or fall weather. That is what made me think we might have to have an ERV system. But I like answer of "no we do not".

Does natural ventilation have to be provided by permanently opened "windows" or could I complete calcuations based on the windows that can be opened by occupants when necessary.

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Mar 31 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

I meant to write IEQ P1, thanks for the clarification.

Even during milder weather days you will still need to provide fresh air in the quatities outlined by ASHRAE 62.1 during occupied hours. On milder days HVAC systems typically operate in the economizerAn economizer is a device used to make building systems more energy efficient. Examples include HVAC enthalpy controls, which are based on humidity and temperature. mode.

For natural ventilation systems the wall or roof openings do not need to be permanantly open. They do however require control such that occupants can easily open them when the space is occupied.

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Michelle Perez
Mar 01 2011
Member
102 Thumbs Up

Measure AHUs or measure air flow in each room?

Hello,

We are currently working on a LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. project at our University campus. This building has two air handling units (AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork.), one serving the north and the other serving the south side of the building. The design of the AHUs is such that they supply a 100% outside air. The air is vented out of a ventilation shaft or open windows through positive pressure. There are approximately 34 offices in the north side, 41 offices in the south side and a total of 36 meeting rooms in the building that are served by these 2 AHUs.
ASHRAE 62.1 defines zones as areas that have similar occupant and building outdoor air rates, similar occupant density, and similar zone primary airflow rates. Almost all of the 75 offices differ in their size and occupancy thus all of them will have to be considered as different zones if we are to strictly follow ASHRAE 62.1. The meeting rooms too are different in their size and capacity.
The question I have is do we have to just measure the 2 AHUs and see how much outside air they pull during normal operations or do we have to measure the air flow in each of the offices and meeting rooms? I am not sure if this has been addressed before but I would really appreciate your clarification on the above question.

Thanks,
Michelle

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David Hubka GROUP Leader, E3 GROUP Mar 07 2011 Guest Expert 1476 Thumbs Up

LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. only requires ventilation to be met at the system level, not the zone level. Measuring the OA rates at the two AHUs to verify compliance with ASHRAE 62.1 will suffice.

Be sure to stay consistent with the FTEFull-time equivalent (FTE) represents a regular building occupant who spends 8 hours a day (40 hours a week) in the project building. Part-time or overtime occupants have FTE values based on their hours per day divided by 8 (or hours per week divided by 40). Transient Occupants can be reported as either daily totals or as part of the FTE. Residential occupancy should be estimated based on the number and size of units. Core and Shell projects should refer to the default occupancy table in the Reference Guide appendix. All occupant assumptions must be consistent across all credits in all categories. count of the project.

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Andy Brophy Project Engineer, E3-GROUP Dec 02 2011 Member 8 Thumbs Up

Can you provide further clarification on what you mean by staying consisten with the FTEFull-time equivalent (FTE) represents a regular building occupant who spends 8 hours a day (40 hours a week) in the project building. Part-time or overtime occupants have FTE values based on their hours per day divided by 8 (or hours per week divided by 40). Transient Occupants can be reported as either daily totals or as part of the FTE. Residential occupancy should be estimated based on the number and size of units. Core and Shell projects should refer to the default occupancy table in the Reference Guide appendix. All occupant assumptions must be consistent across all credits in all categories. count of the project. Are you suggesting for IEQp1 we should be consistent with occupancy counts for both ventilation and say plumbing calculations (I've only heard of FTE in reference to water calculations).

Thanks in advance David!

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Zachary Goodnough
Feb 23 2011
Member
56 Thumbs Up

Multiple AHUs serving a single space

The building I am working on has a large main sales area which is served by 8 AHUs, all bringing in 100% fresh air. In this case, is the proper protocol to first divide total peak customer and worker population numbers and total size of the sales floor by 8, and then use these numbers to calculate the required Vbz for each AHU, which in this case would be identical for each?

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Pete Dahl Sebesta Blomberg Mar 23 2011 Guest 55 Thumbs Up

The System Ventilation Efficiency factor (Zp) of the Ventilation Rate Procedure is not correctly accounted for if you do not consider the 26 recirculating AHUs. The method for completing this calculation also strongly depends on whether the AHUs are CV or VAVVariable Air Volume (VAV) is an HVAC conservation feature that supplies varying quantities of conditioned (heated or cooled) air to different parts of a building according to the heating and cooling needs of those specific areas..
While measuring the OA rates is sufficient at the system level (in your case measure OA rates at each AHU providing OA), you'll need to more accurately determine the zones for each OA AHU to correctly calculate minimum OA requirements per ASHRAE 62.1-2007 Ventilation Rate Procedure. These zones will depend on the air distribution system, partition walls or any air barriers, and loads in the space.

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Zachary Goodnough Mar 23 2011 Member 56 Thumbs Up

My understanding is that this issue comes down to whether or not the area can be considered a single ventilation zone, since it appears Zp only needs to be accounted for in Multiple-Zone Recirculating Systems. The sales area I am calculating ventilation rates for has similar occupancy category, occupancy density, distribution effectiveness and primary airflow per unit area. Although there are many "occupiable spaces", by definition, ventilation zones can have one or more. The air distribution system is a ceiling supply of cool air, and while there are aisles, the length of the space between the top of the aisles and the ceiling is large enough where it doesn't seem necessary to consider the aisles air barriers. That all being said, I am inexperienced working with this standard, so please let me know if something in here is incorrect.

For what it's worth, and I'm not sure if it is possible to take this into account, because I'm treating the whole area as one zone, the recirculating AHUs will be working as a CV CO2Carbon dioxide demand system, controlled by the building automation system. Since the area is very large, and it is probable that at certain times customer population density will fluctuate from store area to store area, depending on special sales or other retail related factors, this will move the fresh air to where it is needed if the circumstance requires it. The fresh air AHUs, however, will be constantly providing the calculated minimum outdoor airflow volume sufficient for the entire ventilation zone.

So, I guess the fundamental question is, do you think I can I consider the sales area to be one ventilation zone?

Thanks

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Andres Schwarz Sustainability Project Manager Lend Lease
Feb 20 2011
Member
216 Thumbs Up

Parking and Data center included?

Our project includes one Data Center and a parking space. Both spaces are not regularly occupied, according to ASHRAE 62.1-2007 glossary (they are "only occupied occasionally and for short periods of time"). In our project, these spaces are not seved by any AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork.. We conclude that we do not have to count them in the IEQp1 outdoor air calculation. Do you think our assumption is right? Thanks in advance.

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 23 2011 Moderator

Yes, I would agree with your logic.

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Richard Navarro
Feb 09 2011
Member
367 Thumbs Up

Exhaust Systems Report

Hi all,

We received our comments back from the reviewers and it appears we are missing our exhaust systems report. It was found that the contractor who did our air balance reports did not include an air balance report for the exhaust systems, which basically means that no air balance report for the exhaust systems were done for the building during the performance period.

The team was thinking of doing an air balance report for the exhaust system now and having that reported as our submission documentation. The team would be doing a full air outlet test report for the zones and exhaust systems without changing any of the set-points, and taking the readings as is. We do realize that it is outside the performance period, but were wondering if this would be acceptable especially since no set-points would be changed when this test would be done.

The team would also get a signed document from our onsite mechanical ventilation team stating that no set-points were changed during this air-balance report.

The team is assuming that this would be acceptable, because the intent of this pre-requisite is to see the balance between energy use and increased air ventilation, and since we are not changing anything it would still be representative of the pre-requisite's intent.

If anyone has any input on this situation, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

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Jenny Carney Principal, YRG sustainability Feb 09 2011 Guest Expert 2608 Thumbs Up

In my experience, it shouldn't be a problem taking the approach you describe. But, just in case you didn't know, air balance reports for the exhaust systems would certainly qualify, but teams often show compliance with much less intensive documentation, such as PM logs that verify fan speed, voltage, etc.

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Richard Navarro Feb 09 2011 Member 367 Thumbs Up

Hi Jenny, one more question. For the measured outdoor airflow for each zone, would it be okay to grab this information from our Building Automation System? Or would it have to be something that we need a formal reporting protocol such as getting a Flow Hood and getting the reading from each individual zone.

Let me know when you get a chance thanks!

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TEI Intern
Jan 26 2011
Member
185 Thumbs Up

Vacancy - EQp1 Calculations

We have a floor that is vacant in our project building. In performing EQp1 calculations, I assume that # of occupants given for each zone should sum up to the total building occupants for other credits. Is this correct? This is a bit tricky in establishing regular building occupants vs. daily peak occupants vs. hourly peak occupants, ultimately to establish the appropriate input (Pz) for the calculator. Is there any clarification you can provide on this? Also, because one of our floors is vacant, we will only show we are meeting fresh air requirements based on current occupancy. Is that correct?

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 08 2011 Moderator

I am a bit confused by the wording of your question, but I'll try to answer based on my understanding. The requirements for this prerequisite involve ensuring that the HVAC system can meet the needed ventilation loads of the space. If it is an office space, the HVAC should be able to meet the needs of that space as designed (with occupants), not as it currently stands (vacant). In your case I would come up with reasonable occupancy numbers for the vacant floor based on numbers from other floors.

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Andy Brophy Project Engineer, E3-GROUP Dec 02 2011 Member 8 Thumbs Up

I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly...

Even if we have a vacant space, we should use the default space type density to assume that we have occupants in the space. Then we should calculate our required ventilation based on the default occupant density even though the space is vacant.
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With that being said, since during the performance period we are only required to take one measurement of the outside air, if we are able to show that the AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork. for that vacant space can supply sufficient OA, are we able to return the space to "unoccupied (i.e. shutdown OA to vacant space) to save energy? Basically it seems to me that we should be able to demonstrate that the system can supply enough OA if it were occupied, without actually having to do so since the space is vacant.

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TEI Intern
Jan 26 2011
Member
185 Thumbs Up

10% exemption?

I'm unclear if 10% of space can be exempted for this prerequisite. Could someone clarify this? We have a project where we have several retail spaces on the ground floor of an office high rise. We are currently reviewing retail leases to understand if the owner has authority to measure fresh air to the spaces. The office portion of the building has a central plant and supply, so it is under central control. What can we expect will be the position of our reviewer regarding retail spaces?

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 08 2011 Moderator

Yes, per page xxiii of the LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. Reference Guide, all prereqs and credits except IEQp2 are subject to the 10% exemption option.

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Pablo Fortunato Suarez Principal ESD Consultant/Architect GreenArc Sustainable Building & Architecture
Jan 13 2011
Member
1328 Thumbs Up

new OAS measurements

From preliminary submission, we have outside air measurements (taken aug 20) of some spaces that do not meet EQp1 requirements. However, our building engineers (mechanical) noted that outside air supply to adjacent spaces meet and exceed EQp1 required measurements and can be adjusted to compensate for the deficiency of the aforementioned spaces.

My query:
Will making adjustments and taking new measurements at this stage (after performance period and preliminary review) such that all spaces meet EQp1 requirement be acceptable for final submisison?

Hoping for some advise soon.

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Patty Breech Sustainability Consultant, UHG Consulting Jan 13 2011 Guest 33 Thumbs Up

Hi Pablo,

This will all depend on your review team, as each is different. Decisions handed down in one case will often directly contradict decisions handed down in others. All I can offer you is my experience, but i cannot promise that it will be identical to yours.

We submitted our AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork. measurements for this prerequisite and were told that the project team had misunderstood the meaning of "worst-case conditions as it relates to EQp1." We thus re-tested over a third of our units at the proper worst-case conditions AFTER the performance period and preliminary review stage, and our project was ultimately approved for LEED certification.

I don't know if this experience translates exactly to your case, as it seems that in your situation the building was not receiving the required minimum of outside air during the performance period, if I'm interpreting your comment correctly (whereas ours was, we just didn't prove it in the right way).

Hope this helps.

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Dan Ackerstein Principal, Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC Jan 13 2011 Guest Expert 3039 Thumbs Up

Pablo - My experience as a reviewer is consistent with Patty's. Although the goal of the prerequisite is (at least partially) to ensure that your EAp2-related energy efficiency was not achieved at the expense of reasonable ventilation rates, in reality the GBCI has been understanding that the EQp1 calculations are not easy to get right, and projects may either miscalculate or accidentally under-ventilate. I can't recall any project that I was involved in being rejected on EQp1 grounds if they were ultimately able to achieve the required OA rates, even if that achievement was not documented (or did not occur) until after the performance period had concluded. Ultimately, the GBCI wants the review process to improve building operations for the future, not solely evaluate operations in the past.

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Simon .S
Jan 11 2011
Member
1682 Thumbs Up

2007UM_62MZCalc.xls and Table. Ventilation Air Flow Summary

The credit prompts you to fill out 2007UM_62MZCalc.xls to calculate required OA, and transfer the data to submittal form in LEED online under "Table. Ventilation Air Flow Summary." However, with the multi-tenant high-rise building we're working on, this would require us to add thousands of rows in the table and a lot of efforts inputting calculations we've already done. Is it possible to upload the completed 2007UM_62MZCalc.xls spreadsheets in lieu of submitting data in the table?

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Ben Hollon Mechanical Engineer, Antella Consulting Engineers Jan 21 2011 Guest 208 Thumbs Up

I'm confused about this issue as well. If LEED expects users to complete the spreadsheet why is it not given as an option to upload? The table on LEED Online doesn't allow as much detail as the ASHRAE spreadsheet, so I am certainly confused as to what LEED is looking for here...

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Dan Ackerstein Principal, Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC Jan 21 2011 Guest Expert 3039 Thumbs Up

Interestingly, this issue has recently cropped up on a pair of my projects as well, and been equally frustrating. Here's what (little) insight I can offer - the compliance model for this credit has historically been for projects to complete the 62MZCalc spreadsheet for each AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork. in the building, and then upload ALL of the completed calculators. The information in the spreadsheets was also required to be transferred to a simple table that identified each AHU, the required OA, and the measured OA. This made sense but required a lot of individual uploads/downloads for projects and reviewers. More recent projects, however, do not seem to be required to provide the 62MZCalc spreadsheets - they are simply expected to populate a revised LEEDOnline table/calculator, which ostensibly mimics/simplifies the 62MZCalc into just a handful of inputs. So there are two questions here: 1. Can we provide a pile of 62MZ calculators in lieu of completing the table, and 2. What if the 62MZ calculator and the table generate different results for a given AHU (because of the lesser level of detail).

1. I feel like the answer to this is no - if you've completed the 62MZCalc spreadsheet for your building, you've already done 95% of the work. Transferring the key data into LOL is a headache, but it also eliminates an enormous headache for the GBCI reviewer. It's not uncommon for that table to be dozens of rows (although thousands would be a first for me).

2. The table on LOL should capture all the key elements of the 62MZCalc in one simple format. If for some reason it fails to accurately describe your building or a specific unit, I would use the alternative compliance path option to explain your situation and upload your 62MZCalcs.

Ultimately, GBCI is looking for a simple, clear way to understand compliance with what is admittedly a complicated standard and calculation. Hopefully the table in LOL is a step in that direction, but if it is creating more problems than it solves, explain how/why to the reviewer and provide your 62MZ calculators to back up your case.

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TEI Intern
Jan 10 2011
Member
185 Thumbs Up

Supplemental HVAC package units - Need testing?

We have a building with four main AHU1.Air-handling units (AHUs) are mechanical indirect heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning systems in which the air is treated or handled by equipment located outside the rooms served, usually at a central location, and conveyed to and from the rooms by a fan and a system of distributing ducts. (NEEB, 1997 edition) 2.A type of heating and/or cooling distribution equipment that channels warm or cool air to different parts of a building. This process of channeling the conditioned air often involves drawing air over heating or cooling coils and forcing it from a central location through ducts or air-handling units. Air-handling units are hidden in the walls or ceilings, where they use steam or hot water to heat, or chilled water to cool the air inside the ductwork.'s that supply fresh air and meet ASHRAE 62.1-2007 for all spaces in the building. Additionally, some tenants have installed supplemental units that in some cases provide additional fresh air. Do we need to take readings on the supply CFM for these supplemental AHU's as well?

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Patty Breech Sustainability Consultant, UHG Consulting Jan 13 2011 Guest 33 Thumbs Up

ASHRAE 62.1-2007 is mostly concerned with ensuring the interior spaces are receiving enough outside air under the worst-case normal operating conditions. Worst-case conditions are described as those when the least amount of outside air is being delivered (e.g. dampers squeezed down to their minimum openings). If these supplemental units installed by the tenants are never off, then it would be wise to test them -- it would help show that the minimum requirement of outside air is indeed being met for those spaces.

However, if the supplemental units are not constantly on -- for example, if the unit is an AC window box that is only used in the heat of the afternoon -- then you do not need to test the supply CFM. Worst-case conditions in this case would be a cold day when the tenant decides not to use the AC. It is on days such as these that ASHRAE wants to make sure the interior spaces are getting enough outside airflow.

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Sustainability Provider
Jan 09 2011
Member
78 Thumbs Up

Natural Ventilation Compliance Calculation

Hello,

I am doing a pre-assessment for an existing building with only natural ventilation. As the reference guide refers, I'm using ASHRAE 62.1-2007, paragraph 5.1. However, the paragraph about interior spaces without direct openings to the outdoors was not so clear to me regarding their required distance to the outdoors (operable walls or roof openings).
Does an interior space without any direct openings to the outdoors but adjoining a room with a direct opening to the outdoors (complying 4% rule) also have to be within 25 feet of operable wall or roof openings to the outdoors? For example, there's an interior space (20 feet by 20 feet) which is ventilated through an adjoining room (25 feet by 25 feet and complying 4% rule) and the openings between rooms are permanently unobstructed and have an area of more than 8% of the area of the interior room. But, the depth of the adjoining room (which is open to outdoors) is 25 feet. So, if I measure the distance of the interior room from the outdoors by using the adjoining surface of the interior room, it is 25 feet and complies with standard. On the other hand, if I measure the distance of the interior room from the outdoors by using the farther side of the interior room, it comes out to be 45 feet from the outdoors and it does not comply with the standard.
1. Which one is correct?
2. If it does not comply with the standard, what can be the alternative strategies in order to be able to comply with the standard and be eligible for LEED-EB certification?

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David Posada Sustainability Manager, GBD Architects Jan 10 2011 Guest Expert 4572 Thumbs Up

We've seen cases where the LEED reviewers interpreted this situation differently from local code officials, who were also following ASHRAE 62.1 language to determine the ventilation provided by operable windows and the distance of compliant spaces.

On a residential project pursuing LEED NC 2.2, we had a similar condition to yours where a back room without windows had a large opening to a front room, and the front room had operable windows for ventilation. Most of the back room was beyond the 25' distance from the front room windows. For local code compliance the back room was considered adequately ventilated, but the LEED reviewers indicated any area beyond the 25' would not be considered adequately ventilated. We were able to comply with LEED requirements by providing a small transfer fan between the front and back rooms that would mix the air of the front room with the back room.

To your question, since this was an NC project and under 2.2, it may not predict exactly how your situation would be reviewed, but may give you an idea how it has been interpreted in the past.

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Sustainability Provider Jan 11 2011 Member 78 Thumbs Up

Then, if only the interior space (adjoining a room with a direct opening to the outdoors but not within 25 feet distance from th windows) is supplied by a dedicated fresh air system (fresh iar fan blowing fresh 100% fresh air inside the interior room) and the rooms with direct openings to outdoors (complying 4% and 25 feet rules) are still only naturally ventilated, it complies with ASHRAE 62.1 - 2007 and LEED-EB 2009 consequently. Am I right or have I misinterpreted your old case with NC-2.2.?

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David Posada Sustainability Manager, GBD Architects Jan 11 2011 Guest Expert 4572 Thumbs Up

I think your scenario could comply, since you are essentially mechanically ventilating the one interior space. In our situation the "transfer fan" was just to mix the air between the inner and outer rooms, not to supply dedicated outside air. The window openings of the outer room were greater than 4% of the combined total area of both rooms, since they were providing the outside air for both. Hope that helps.

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Jared Silliker Owner, Silliker + Partners Feb 07 2011 Member 351 Thumbs Up

I have a slightly different variation that I'm trying to resolve. One large room (4,000 sf metal shop) is naturally ventilated by two large garage doors (totaling 336 sf). Per your transfer fan example, can I get around the 25' requirement with ceiling fans, which are moving the fresh air around?

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Tristan Roberts Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 08 2011 Moderator

Jared, are those doors actually open whenever the metal shop is in use? In all weather?

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Jared Silliker Owner, Silliker + Partners Feb 08 2011 Member 351 Thumbs Up

Not ALL the time, but occupancy often correlates to activity going in and out of the doors. It's admittedly a low-tech solution, but one that seems to work for their situation. It seems plenty ventilated overall, but the back corner in winter is clearly the worst-case scenario. Any work-arounds you can think of?

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