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Trades Training
USGBC
Excerpted from LEED 2009 for Retail: New Construction and Major Renovations
IEQ Credit 6: Controllability of systems - lighting and thermal comfort
Intent
To provide a high level of lighting system and thermal comfort control for individual workstations to promote the productivity, comfort, and well-being of building occupants.
Requirements
Provide individual lighting controls for 90% (minimum) of retail employees in office and administrative spaces, enabling adjustments to suit individual task needs and preferences.
AND
Provide individual thermal comfort controls for 50% (minimum) of retail employees in office and administrative spaces to enable adjustments to suit individual task needs and preferences. Operable windows can be used in lieu of comfort controls for occupants of areas that are 20 feet (6 meters) inside of and 10 feet (3 meters) to either side of the operable part of the window. The areas of operable window must meet the requirements of ASHRAE 62.1–2007, paragraph 5.1, Natural Ventilation (with errata but without addenda2).
Conditions for thermal comfort are described in IEQ credit 7.1: Thermal Comfort—Design and include the primary factors of air temperature, radiant temperature, air speed and humidity.
Potential Technologies & Strategies
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2 Comments
Individual Thermal Control
We are nearing the completion of our Design Submittal and have run in to a bit of a sticking point with this credit. Our project is a bank branch that we are both renovating and adding square footage to. Due to the nature of the operations of this particular client (and probably most banks) the floor plan is open. Additionally, as it is a bank, there are no operable windows (security). Those points being made, we of course have individual control of lighting but have no possible way of creating individual control of 50% of the regularly occupied administrative space (all the RO administrative space is in the open floor plan except the conference room and the break room). Does anyone have any experience explaining why having individual control is not possible for this type of "Retail" activity?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
I don't think you'r going to be successful trying to explain why individual control is not possible, the reviewer will just explain to you that you should therefore not pursue the credit.
You might consider exploring other factors that you can control instead, thermal is only one of 4 factors you may control, there is also radiant temperature, air speed and humidity. On on project, for example, I used cable actuators linked to dampers to individual 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. to affect local air speed.
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