Exemplary Performance Approaches for EBOM IOc1

Use this list as a guide to Exemplary PerformanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. approaches that are available through IOc1: Innovation in Operations, Path 2. The list is sorted by ease of achievement, from credits that are more commonly achieved, to moderate difficulty, to credits that are considered tougher.

The actual accessibility of any given approach depends on your project’s specific circumstances, of course.

Commonly achieved

 SSc5: Site Development—Protect or Restore Open Habitat 

Any team can achieve this credit through an agreement to improve or maintain offsite areas, and some projects may have enough area to do it onsite.

Baseline credit requirements: Cover at least 25% of site, excluding footprint, or 5% of total site (whichever is greater), with native or adapted vegetationAdapted (or introduced) plants reliably grow well in a given habitat with minimal winter protection, pest control, fertilization, or irrigation once their root systems are established. Adapted plants are considered low maintenance and not invasive.. For offsite, support any area equal to 50% of the project building’s site, excluding footprint, or 10% of the total site—whichever is greater.

EP: For both the onsite and offsite options, double the baseline credit requirements.

SSc7.1: Heat Island Reduction—Non-Roof

Buildings with concrete hardscapes, underground parking, or a parking garage may earn exemplary performance with relative ease.

Baseline credit requirements: Use SRI-compliant materials for at least 50% of non-roof impervious surfacesSurfaces that promote runoff of precipitation volumes instead of infiltration into the subsurface. The imperviousness or degree of runoff potential can be estimated for different surface materials. or 50% of onsite parking that is under cover.

EP: Use SRI-compliant materials for at least 95% of non-roof impervious surfaces or have 50% of onsite parking under cover.

WEc1: Water Performance Measurement

Buildings that submeterSubmetering is used to determine the proportion of energy or water use within a building attributable to specific end uses such as tenant spaces, or subsystems such as the heating component of an HVAC system. both irrigation systems and cooling towers will easily meet exemplary performance. For other buildings, it may not be practical. 

Baseline requirements: Comply with Option 1: Water Performance Measurement, and meet the requirements of Option 2 for ONE water subsystem.

EP: Comply with Option 1: Water Performance Measurement, and meet the requirements of Option 2 for TWO or more water subsystems.

WEc2: Additional Indoor Plumbing Fixture and Fitting Efficiency

Exemplary performance is generally achievable for buildings that are able to retrofit existing fixtures with low-flow fixtures and fittings that perform better than those rewarded in WEc2.

Highest threshold for WEc2: Achieve a potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. savings of 30% or greater.

EP: Achieve a potable water savings of 35% or greater.

MRc4: Sustainable Purchasing—Reduced Mercury in Lamps

Achieving exemplary performance should be relatively easy for most buildings because low-mercury lamp options are widely available and the requirements apply only to lamps purchased during the performance period.

Baseline requirements: 90% of lamps purchased for the project must have a mercury content of 90 picograms per lumen1. A lumen is a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a unit solid angle by a uniform point source of 1 candle intensity. 2. A measurement of light output. per hour, or less.

EP: Purchase 90% of lamps with a mercury content of 70 picograms per lumen per hour, or less.

MRc8: Solid Waste Management—Durable Goods

With effective separation and tracking, projects are often able to recycle 100% of durable goods.

Baseline requirement: Achieve 75% diversion from the landfill of the durable goods waste streamThe durable goods waste stream consists of durable goods leaving the project site that are fully depreciated and have reached the end of their useful lives for normal business operations..

EP: Achieve 95% diversion from the landfill of the durable goods waste stream.

IEQc2.2: Controllability of Systems—Lighting

Exemplary performance is generally achievable for buildings where task lighting is provided at all occupant workstations.

Baseline requirements: 50% occupant-controlled lighting for both individual workstations and multi-occupant spacesConference rooms, classrooms and other indoor spaces used as a place of congregation for presentations, trainings, etc. Individuals using these spaces share the lighting and temperature controls and they should have, at a minimum, a separate zone with accessible thermostat and an air-flow control. Group multi-occupant spaces do not include open office plans that contain individual workstations..

EP: Provide 95% occupant-controlled lighting for both individual workstations and multi-occupant spaces.

IEQc3.3: Green Cleaning—Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials

Cleaning products that meet the criteria are widely available at competitive costs compared to conventional cleaning products. This makes exemplary performance for this credit viable for most buildings.

Baseline requirements: Demonstrate that at least 30% of the cleaning products and materials purchases made during the performance period meet at least one of the credit criteria.

EP: Demonstrate that at least 60% of the cleaning products and materials purchases made during the performance period meet at least one of the credit criteria.

Moderately difficult 

SSc6: Stormwater Quantity Control

Buildings with a relatively high level of vegetation onsite will have a chance to achieve exemplary performance without additional effort.

Baseline requirement: Reduce stormwater runoff by 15% or more.

EP: Reduce stormwater runoff by 30% or more.

MRc2: Sustainable Purchasing—Durable Goods

Durable goods purchases can be infrequent and may not match up with the project’s performance period. This makes it moderately difficult to achieve exemplary performance. However, if electronics or equipment are purchased during the performance period, exemplary performance could be easy to achieve.

Baseline requirements: For Option 1, increase your purchases of sustainable electrical equipment to at least 40%; for Option 2, increase your purchases of sustainable furniture to 40%.

EP: For Option 1, increase your purchases of sustainable electrical equipment to at least 80%; for Option 2, increase your purchases of sustainable furniture to 80%.

Rarely achieved or very difficult

SSc4: Alternative Commuting Transportation

Most buildings will not have high enough alternative commuting rates to achieve the exemplary performance path for this credit.

Highest baseline requirement: Demonstrate a minimum 75% reduction in occupants’ conventional commuting trips.

EP: Demonstrate a minimum 95% reduction in occupants’ conventional commuting trips.

SSc7.2: Heat Island Reduction—Roof

The costs and technical challenges of retrofitting a roof with a green roof makes exemplary performance unattainable for most buildings.

Baseline requirements: Install a vegetated roof system on 50% of the building’s roof areaRoof area is the area of the uppermost surface of the building which covers enclosed Gross Floor Area, as measured when projected onto a flat, horizontal surface (i.e. as seen in Roof Plan view). ‘Roofs’, or portions of roofs, covering unenclosed areas (e.g. roofs over porches and open covered parking structures) are not included in the areas used to evaluate compliance with SSc7.2, though they may be applicable to SSc7.1..

EP: Install a vegetated roof system on 95% of the building’s roof area.

WEc4: Cooling Tower Water Management

Use of non-potable water for cooling towers is rare because of cost and technical challenges, especially for existing buildings. This makes exemplary performance very difficult for most buildings.

Baseline requirements: Pursuing Option 2, demonstrate that a minimum of 50% of cooling tower makeup water comes from non-potable sources.

EP: Pursuing Option 2, demonstrate that a minimum of 95% of cooling tower makeup water comes from non-potable sources.

EAc1: Optimize Energy Efficiency Performance

A relatively few buildings in the country could qualify for exemplary performance for this credit because of the high efficiency that is already needed to qualify.

Highest baseline requirement: For Case 1, achieve an Energy Star rating of 95 or higher or, for Case 2, Option 2, achieve at least a 45th percentile ranking above the national median.

EP: For Case 1, achieve an Energy Star rating of 97 or higher or, for Case 2, Option2, achieve at least a 47th percentile ranking above the national median.

EAc4: Onsite and Off-site Renewable Energy

Retrofitting a building with renewable energy systems or purchasing enough off-site renewable energy to meet exemplary performance requirements is typically cost-prohibitive.

Highest baseline requirement: Provide 12% of onsite renewable energy, or 100% off-site renewable energy.

EP: Provide 13.5% of onsite renewable energy, or the equivalent calculated combination of onsite and off-site renewable energy.

MRc1: Sustainable Purchasing—Ongoing Consumables

Exemplary performance is rarely achievable here because of a limited availability for some product types that meet the credit criteria, cost premium, and the difficulty of tenant participation.

Baseline requirements: Make sustainable purchases accounting for 60% or more of total ongoing consumable purchases over the performance period. 

EP: Make sustainable purchases accounting for 95% or more of total ongoing consumable purchases over the performance period. 

MRc3: Sustainable Purchasing—Facility Alterations and Additions

The timing of facility alterations may not coincide with the performance period, and it can be difficult to procure 95% of materials that meet the credit criteria. 

Baseline requirements: Make sustainable purchases accounting for 50% of all purchases associated with facility alterations and additions.

EP: Make sustainable purchases accounting for 95% of all purchases associated with facility alterations and additions. 

MRc5: Sustainable Purchasing—Food

Purchasing food that meets the credit criteria is not always easy to coordinate and often carries a significant price premium.

Baseline requirements: Make sustainable food and beverage purchases accounting for at least 25% of total food costs.

EP: Make sustainable food and beverage purchases accounting for at least 50% of total food costs.

MRc7: Solid Waste Management—Ongoing Consumables

Most areas will not have the recycling infrastructure in place to accommodate recycling of 95% of ongoing consumables.

Baseline requirements: Achieve 50% diversion from the landfill of the ongoing consumables waste stream.

EP: Achieve 95% diversion from the landfill of the ongoing consumables waste stream.

MRc9: Solid Waste Management—Facility Alterations and Additions

This is commonly achieved for facility alterations and additions that use a relatively small amount of materials. However, some areas will not have the recycling infrastructure in place to accommodate recycling of 95% of construction waste materials.

Baseline requirements: Divert from the landfill at least 70% of the waste generated by facility alterations and additions.

EP: Divert from the landfill at least 95% of the waste generated by facility alterations and additions.

IEQc2.4: Daylight and Views

This credit is one of the least frequently pursued in the rating system because of its laborious documentation requirements and because most existing buildings were not designed to provide daylight or views to the majority of spaces.

Baseline requirements: Achieve 50% daylighting or 45% outdoor views.

EP: Achieve both 75% daylighting and 90% outdoor views.