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An easy credit, if the owner is on board
This credit requires surveying building occupants to find out if they are satisfied with thermal conditions in the building, as defined by the thermal comfort variables defined in ASHRAE 55-2004. The credit costs little or nothing to implement (although it does take some time), and provides important feedback to building owners and operators.
Do it yourself, or get help
If you have the internal staff resources and don’t want to pay for an outside service, you can go with a simple self-administered online survey.
If you want some hand-holding, can afford the (relatively low) fee, and are interested in a more comprehensive occupant survey (beyond just thermal performance) that gives you results in the context of a large dataset, use the service from UC...
Step-by-step credit help
Got the gist of the LEED credit but not sure how to actually achieve it? LEEDuser gives step-by-step help. Members get:
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11 Comments
Corrective Action Plan review comments
We have just been denied this credit by GBCI. GBCI stated the narrative only includes examples cited from the Reference Guide, and do not appear to include specific corrective actions reflecting a corrective action plan (CAP) that has been developed for the project. The documentation does not demonstrate credit compliance. For future submittals, provide a more detailed narrative that includes specific actions to demonstrate that a corrective action plan has been developed that is specific to the project.
We state in our submittal If 20% or more of the occupants are dissatisfied with thermal comfort, the CAP will be implemented. The CAP includes gathering additional information through follow-up questions, emails, or personal interviews to determine the exact issue and desired outcome (if applicable) for the issue resolution. Once that information has been gathered, a team will be put together to troubleshoot the issue and determine the best resolution. Once the resolution(s) has been identified, the resolution with the best desired outcome (depending on time and cost to implement) will be selected. Once the resolution has been implemented and the issue resolved, respondents will be inquired again to ensure the issue is resolved and no further action is needed. Specific corrective actions that may be implemented to correct thermal comfort issues may include adjustments to temperature setpointsSetpoints are normal operating ranges for building systems and indoor environmental quality. When the building systems are outside of their normal operating range, action is taken by the building operator or automation system., adjusting operating schedules, adjusting operating modes, airflow adjustments, solar control adjustments, or other measures.
Our thought is we cannot be more specific at this point since we don't know the specific issue. A mechanical issue will require different actions compared to a light fixture issue. What additional information should we have included to satisfy the reviewer? As a note, the information we submitted has been accepted on at least 2-4 other projects. Any help would be appreciated.
We had a similar issue with the tenant M&V Plan. The reviewer wanted us to provide detailed measures of an corrective action plan. We asked for a clarification and ended up describe 3 potential scenarios. My suggestion would be to describe for instance what you would if people in a certain area complain about cold indoor temperatures. Even if this probably will never work as described, it's more so for the reviewers to see that you actually though this through and have the resources to address it.
This is exactly what I submitted and I did not have any issues:
'The O & M Manager will gather and analyze the responses. When a minimum of 20% of the occupants are dissatisfied, corrective action must be taken including changing the set point for a particular zone, adjusting operating schedules or modes, adjusting diffusersIn an HVAC context, diffusers disperse heating, cooling, or ventilation air as it enters a room, ideally preventing uncomfortable direct currents and in many cases, reducing energy costs and improving indoor air quality (IAQ). In light fixtures, diffusers filter and disperse light. and mandating the use of blinds, or other sun control measures. If a set of responses (minimum 20% of occupants) warrants adjustment of the HVAC system, the O&M Manager may, in consultation with the Facility Manager, contact an HVAC specialist to re-balance a zone or the overall system as s/he sees fit.
If rebalancing is not sufficient to correct the problem, resolution of the performance failure may be directed to the Design Team.'
Thermal Comfort Verification for a residential tower
Has anyone attempted to earn this credit for a residential tower (nc v2.2)? As i would recall residential projects are not eligible for this credit when using reference guide 2009 bd+c but for the NC v2.2 the reference guide technically is not saying you can't. Thanks
That's correct, for NC v2.2 projects, you can pursue this credit on a residential building.
What are your thoughts on doing this on your project? Any particular obstacles you're looking for feedback on?
Thanks Tristan. Yes I am planning to attempt this credit but I am not so sure if I could attain it because of the permanent thermal monitoring system requirement. I don't know how i could achieve this if the project is not using BAS. Any suggestions?
We have some suggestions in the content above—handheld meters, for example.
Would anyone share a survey geared toward residential units? the one i use for offices just doesn't seem to work...thanks!
Thermal Comfort Verification for a Hotel
I am currently working on a 73 room hotel and wanted to see if anyone had samples of a survey used for this purpose. Surveying employees can be done by paper and collected in an employee break room, but I am uncertain that the same survey would work for the guests as well. How would you treat the guest rooms?
In my experience, we have had the commissioning agent draw this up for us for a few hundred dollars. Rather than have piece of paper, consider using a web based survey that could collect the data, tabulate it and save it as proof that your client actually did the survey. Each guest could be emailed after their stay.
is there any seperate corrective action required for BMS based buildings?
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