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An easy, no-cost credit
Like the similar credit, IEQc4.1: Low-Emitting Materials: Adhesives and Sealants, it shouldn’t cost you anything extra to earn this credit—it will just take some work. Your first priority should be to specify only paints and coatings that comply with the credit’s VOC limits, and enforce those specifications on the jobsite. Research low-VOC paints and coatings before construction begins and provide lists of acceptable materials to contractors to help ensure that the right products are used.Performance should not be an issue
Major manufacturers offer paints and coatings that are just as durable and perform just as well as their higher-VOC...
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Schools have a tighter requirement
Schools have to meet the testing and product requirements of the California Department of Health Services Standard Practice for the Testing of Volatile Organic Emissions from Various Sources Using Small-Scale Environmental Chambers, including 2004 Addenda.
This is a chamber test that determines the rate of offgassing for adhesives, sealants, paints, and coatings. This reference standard is much more stringent than the low-emitting standards referenced in other LEED rating systems. Not many products have gone through this testing method, so finding compliant products can be difficult and may include a cost premium.
However, earlier versions of LEED for Schools were able to follow a USGBC (...
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:
- Checklists covering all the key action steps you'll need to earn the credit.
- Hot tips to give you shortcuts and avoid pitfalls.
- Cost tips to assess what a credit will actually cost, and how to make it affordable.
- Ideas for going beyond LEED with best practices.
- All checklists organized by project phase.
- On-the-fly suggestions on useful items from the Documentation Toolkit, Resources, and Credit Language.
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Credit language straight from USGBC
Need to check up on the exact LEED credit language from the LEED Rating System on the fly? LEEDuser includes the verbatim language. Members get:
- Easy access to the official LEED credit language with just a couple of clicks.
- On the jobsite without your bulky LEED Reference Guide? Check up on the credit language details here.
- Credit language content is used by permission of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Your credit-by-credit reference library
Why waste time chasing down referenced standards and supporting resources when LEEDuser links you directly to the ones you need? LEEDuser has gathered all the best tools out there and organized them by credit for easy reference. Members get links to:
- Organizations that can give information or help on a credit.
- Standards or studies that are key reference points for credits and prerequisites.
- Articles that help explain important topics.
- Key documents or references for credit inputs.
- Software tools you can use to run calculations or simulations.
Documentation Toolkit
In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
12 Comments
where is the Low-Emitting Material Limits document?
Under "Getting it Done," all of the EQ Credit 4's keep referring to the "Low-Emitting Material Limits document" but it does not appear to be in the documentation tool kit?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Apr 05 2010
Hi Alison, good question. We are working on revisions to that document. But it is basically a simple compilation of the tables shown in the Bird's Eye View for each of the IEQc4 credits, so to see that content simply view each of the credits. Since the NC and Schools requirements are different, the tables for the versions of these credits are different, by the way. A Schools project has the option to follow either set of requirements.
GYM FLOOR PAINTS
The color paints usually submitted for use on a gym floor seem to have very high VOC content. Sealers may be OK. Does anyone have a list of products specifically used to paint game lines on gym floors that meet the LEED for SCHOOLS requirements?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Jun 11 2010
I am asking around but so far have come up empty. One option to consider, however, is using the VOC budget method to calculate credit compliance (discussed in more detail above in the Bird's Eye View and Getting It Done tabs). If you are under the VOC limits in other areas, you could go over the VOC limits here. Since the quantities for gym floor lines are relatively small, this may be fairly workable.
Christian Nielsen replied Senior Architect, Ashley McGraw Architects Jun 11 2010
Tristan:
A manufacturer's rep told me yesterday that under SCAQMD Rule 1113 (referenced on page 481 of the Reference Guide), "graphic arts coatings" can have VOCs1. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carbon compounds that participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions (excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides and carbonates, and ammonium carbonate). The compounds vaporize (become a gas) at normal room temperatures. 2. A molecule containing one or more carbon atoms that tends to evaporate (volatilize) into the air at typical ambient conditions. Some legal definitions of VOCs are restricted to those that react with sunlight to generate smog. Some VOCs are carcinogens, suspected carcinogens, or known irritants at typical levels. of up to 500, and that that's how they meet LEED. However, in the 2009 Guide this is under NC & CS, not under SCHOOLS. If you can provide additional info it would be great. By the way, this week's webinar on LEED for SCHOOLS was very good. There were 8 of us listening, and we found it very useful.
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Jun 11 2010
Christian, see the important subsection in the "Bird's Eye View" above under the subheading "Schools have a tighter requirement." (This might be past the preview portion and thus only visible to subscribers. Is it worth subscribing for this kind of must-have information? Yes.)
I'm so glad you found the webinar helpful. The recorded version of "LEED for Schools Certification – A Crash Course" is now posted here, by the way.
Christian Nielsen replied Senior Architect, Ashley McGraw Architects Jun 11 2010
After the webinar, we decided to subscribe, but it hasn't happened yet....
Shannon Gray replied Consultant, YRG sustainability Jun 11 2010
We are following the rep’s recommendations as well and submitting gym line paint under the “graphic arts coatings” in the SCAQMD Rule 113. We have two projects that are getting ready for their LEED review so we have not had an official approval by the GBCI but I think we will be fine. And, as Tristan said, if for some reason they reject it…you can always do the VOC budget method.
Also, Schools projects can follow the NC requirements for EQc4.1 and EQc4.2 There is a link above to the errata that allows this.
Shannon
Local Accredited Laboratories
I am doing LEED Registered Projects in the Philippines.
Are laboratory results and certifications of VOC contents from local laboratories acceptable to earn IEQc4 credits? Do local labs have to be accredited by Green Seal, SCAQMD or California's DHCS or their results traceable to any "standard lab?" Or are only certifications from Green Seal acceptable?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Jun 24 2010
I believe you simply have to meet the specific VOC requirements, with results from a credible lab. There is no specific accreditation requirement for the labs that I am aware of.
Dry Erase Paint - What is the VOC limit?
I have a project looking to use Dry Erase paint to crease a whiteboard-like surface on the wall. I am having trouble searching for a compliant product because we are unsure of what the VOC limit is for such a product. Does anyone know what the limit is and any compliant products? We know of Idea Paint which is 220 g/L, and Rust-Oleum Dry Erase Paint that is <100 g/L.
Thanks for your help.
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Jul 19 2010
It seems to me that this is similar to an earlier discussion on this credit about "graphic arts coatings," so I'd recommend you review that.
If you're following SCAQMD, there's always the "other' category. Either way, seems like the <100 g/L paint should work.
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