Section 2: Individual LEED Credit Reviews
LEED Credit EA-1:
Practical Applications
Optimize Energy
In response to Executive Order 13123--a national
mandate that requires the federal building stock to
Performance
reduce its energy use by 35 percent by 2010,
compared with a 1985 baseline--GSA assigns
specific energy use targets to all of its major new
Intent:
construction and renovation projects. The energy
use targets are established based on the building
Achieve increasing levels of energy performance
type and geographic region and are expressed in
above the prerequisite standard to reduce
terms of maximum allowable BTU/GSF/year.
environmental impacts associated with excessive
While the energy use targets vary from project to
energy use.
project, they generally result in buildings that are
more efficient than those that minimally comply
Requirement:
with the referenced ASHRAE/IESNA Standard
Reduce design energy cost compared to the
90.11999. It is therefore expected that most GSA
energy cost budget for energy systems regulated
projects will be able to earn 1 or more points under
by ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.11999
this LEED credit.
(without amendments), as demonstrated by a
Both the GSA and LEED energy targets are
whole building simulation using the Energy Cost
performance based1; i.e., they do not prescriptively
Budget Method described in Section 11 of the
dictate the energy efficiency measures to be
Standard.
incorporated in a project. As such, computer
Existing Bldgs.
Points
New Bldgs.
energy modeling is required to evaluate proposed
energy efficiency measures (EEMs) and to verify
15%
5%
1
the overall building energy performance. GSA's
P100 notes that energy modeling is required to
20%
10%
2
evaluate the life cycle costs of major building
25%
15%
3
systems and to verify compliance with the assigned
energy use target.
30%
20%
4
Overall, GSA favors energy-efficient designs based
35%
25%
5
on proven techniques and technologies, which
have favorable life cycle costs and do not place
40%
30%
6
undue burden on the building's operations and
45%
35%
7
maintenance personnel. The measures included in
the Courthouse and Office Building models (see
50%
40%
8
below) exemplify some of these options.
55%
45%
9
Basis for Cost Assumption
60%
50%
10
Computer energy models were created for both the
Courthouse and Office Building case studies. The
Cost Impact = 1, 2 or 5
GSA energy use targets, baseline building
assumptions, and supplemental energy efficiency
measures are summarized below.
1
2
3
4
5
GSA
No
Low
Moderate
High
Standard
premium,
premium
premium
premium
(no cost)
psble svgs
(<50K)
(50-150K)
(>150K)
Although both GSA and LEED use performance-
1
based energy targets, GSA's goals are energy-based
(BTUs), while LEED uses dollar-based (annual energy
cost) comparisons.
GSA LEED COST STUDY
73
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