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Preventing mold is a good idea
Good 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. and comfort begin with proper design and construction techniques, and continue through effective operations and maintenance. Exposure to mold and bacteria can cause allergic reactions and general health problems, ruin building materials, and create unpleasant odors. Even if you decide not to pursue this credit, taking steps to prevent mold is a really good idea.
You have to earn some other credits first
This...
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16 Comments
IEQc10 Mold Prevention Plan
Has anyone actually made "a plan" for this credit? based on the I-BEAM or EPA document references, this document could be of incredible length, with charts, tables, complaint logs, etc. Has everyone done these plans as detailed as thosed referenced in the LEED guide?
I think our owner would freak out if we presented him with a 200-page document.
Sandra, have you checked out our plan template in the Doc Toolkit above? It's less than 200 pages ;)
Humidity Calculations at Peak Conditions
I am in the process or completing IEQc10 credit form. The credit form lists a required upload as "Upload IEQ10c10-1. Provide humidity calculations at peak conditions, both occupied and unoccupied." I do not understand what a "humidity calculation" is. Is a narrative describing how the HVAC system was designed to address humidity control during occupied and unoccupied periods acceptable??
James, I think that since the previous field in the form is a narrative, GBCI is looking for something more along the lines of engineered numbers or calculations.
My engineer is asking for help with these calculations. He says that he has no idea what they want. Any guidance I can provide him would be helpful.
UV Treatment of Intake air?
We often design UV lights to sterilize intake air in an effort reduce mold growth. Is this an acceptable strategy for achieving this credit? Is it worthy of an ID credit?
Either way; what is the best way to document compliance? Thanks.
Beckham, this could definitely be a part of a strategy for achieving this credit, but it's not close to being sufficient in itself. There are a number of specific requirements to meet—see our guidance above.
I would say that this would not qualify for an ID credit, because it's already covered under this credit.
RH sensors in the building - where required?
I am wondering if anyone has experience with this credit, and where the RH sensors are required. We typically integrate them with the thermostat, however, we do not have a thermostat in every room. So i'm unsure on how other people are verifying the relative humidity in all spaces without literally putting a relative humidity sensor in all spaces, which can get rather expensive.
If you go back to NC v2.1 where this requirement originated, the requirement is to monitor by zone. That should be sufficient.
Thanks Michelle!
Innovation in Design Credit
How could a school project gain an Innovation in Design point under this credit?
According to the LEED Reference Guide, you can earn a point here under IDc1, but there is no prescribed process for how to do that.
I doubt there is very much if any precedent here. I would start by asking what is driving your project to pursue this credit and why you think you might be eligible for an EP point?
IEQ 10 / Natural Ventalation
Is it possible to achieve this credit with a naturally ventilated building located in northern California
Sure, there is nothing that would immediately rule that out. No. Cal. is a big place—is it a particularly wet area?
Are there any particular sticking points you're worried about?
You could argue that in a cool, wet climate, this credit is quite important to achieve.
My concern is the requirement "Provide heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and controls designed to limit space relative humidity to 60% or less during all load conditions, both occupied and unoccupied." there is no language about exceptions for naturally ventilated buildings.
The relative humidity in CZ2 does not exceed 60%, which falls in the acceptable humidity standards for the credit. Our engineers have done a psychrometric analysis to support this assertion. So I guess my real question is: Are projects in climate zones that do not exceed 60% relative humidity exempt from requiring humidity controls?
I checked with Bob Kobet, our guest expert on this credit—so this is not an official GBCI response, but he's been pretty involved in this credit.
He said he'd never been asked this question, but in short, it seems like that should work, i.e., mechanical ventilation would not be required. His caveat was that the design should meet all the requirements embedded within ASHRAE 62, not only psychrometrics, but also calculations related to the effectiveness of ventilation distribution—stuff like are the spaces washed sufficiently, is the stack action strong enough, is the window-to-wall ratio sufficient? (Stuff that would be covered by IEQp1.)
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