Marcus Sheffer
7group / Energy Opportunities
LEED Fellow
Hospitality-NC-v4.1 EAc5: Renewable Energy 1-5 points
See
all forum discussions about this credit »
SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser overview
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium
Already a premium member? Log in now
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce the environmental and economic harms associated with fossil fuel energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the supply of renewable energy projects and foster a just transition to a green economy.Requirements
Use on-site renewable energy systems or procure renewable energy from offsite sources for all or a portion of the building’s annual building energy use.
Choose one or more strategies for renewable energy procurement from the categories below. Points achieved in each category may be added for a total of 5 points.
- Tier 1: On-site renewable energy generation
- On-site renewable energy generation, environmental attributes (e.g. RECs) retained
- Tier 2: New off-site renewable energy
- Off-site renewable electricity that is produced by a generation asset(s) built within the last five years or contracted to be operational within two years of building occupancy
- Green-e Energy certification or equivalent is required for one-time purchase and delivery of EACs of more than 100% of the project’s annual electricity use
- Tier 3: Off-site renewable energy
- Off-site renewable electricity that is Green-e Energy certified or equivalent or captured bio-methane
Ownership of Environmental Attributes: All environmental attributes associated with renewable energy generation must be retired on behalf of the LEED project in order for the renewable energy procurement to contribute to credit achievement.
The default contract length for renewable energy procurement is 10 years. Contract lengths less than 10 years may be pro-rated.
For Tier 2, the age of the generation asset(s) is assessed at the beginning of the contract, and the generation asset(s) retain these attributes for the duration of the initial contract or lease term.
Off-site renewable energy must be generated by renewable electricity projects located in the same country or region where the LEED project is located.
Methane capture in the form of biogas that is both captured and used on-site may qualify as a Tier 1 renewable energy resource.
Points are awarded according to Table 1, based on the percentage of total site energy use. Renewable electricity and EAC procurement can only be applied to project electricity use or district energy use. Captured bio-methane can only be applied to project fuel use.
Table 1. Points for Renewable Energy Procurement| Points | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BD+C (except CS) | CS | BD+C (except CS) | CS | BD+C (except CS) | CS | |
| 1 | 2% | 1% | 10% | 3% | 35% | 10% |
| 2 | 5% | 3% | 20% | 6% | 70% | 20% |
| 3 | 10% | 5% | 30% | 9% | 100% | 30% |
| 4 | 15% | 10% | 40% | 12% | ||
| 5 | 20% | 15% | 50% | 15% | ||
What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium
Already a premium member? Log in now
Checklists
Step by step to LEED certification
LEEDuser’s checklists walk you through the key action steps you need to earn a credit, including how to avoid common pitfalls and save money.
For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium
Already a premium member? Log in now
Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium
Already a premium member? Log in now
LEEDuser overview
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium
Already a premium member? Log in now
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce the environmental and economic harms associated with fossil fuel energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the supply of renewable energy projects and foster a just transition to a green economy.Requirements
Use on-site renewable energy systems or procure renewable energy from offsite sources for all or a portion of the building’s annual building energy use.
Choose one or more strategies for renewable energy procurement from the categories below. Points achieved in each category may be added for a total of 5 points.
- Tier 1: On-site renewable energy generation
- On-site renewable energy generation, environmental attributes (e.g. RECs) retained
- Tier 2: New off-site renewable energy
- Off-site renewable electricity that is produced by a generation asset(s) built within the last five years or contracted to be operational within two years of building occupancy
- Green-e Energy certification or equivalent is required for one-time purchase and delivery of EACs of more than 100% of the project’s annual electricity use
- Tier 3: Off-site renewable energy
- Off-site renewable electricity that is Green-e Energy certified or equivalent or captured bio-methane
Ownership of Environmental Attributes: All environmental attributes associated with renewable energy generation must be retired on behalf of the LEED project in order for the renewable energy procurement to contribute to credit achievement.
The default contract length for renewable energy procurement is 10 years. Contract lengths less than 10 years may be pro-rated.
For Tier 2, the age of the generation asset(s) is assessed at the beginning of the contract, and the generation asset(s) retain these attributes for the duration of the initial contract or lease term.
Off-site renewable energy must be generated by renewable electricity projects located in the same country or region where the LEED project is located.
Methane capture in the form of biogas that is both captured and used on-site may qualify as a Tier 1 renewable energy resource.
Points are awarded according to Table 1, based on the percentage of total site energy use. Renewable electricity and EAC procurement can only be applied to project electricity use or district energy use. Captured bio-methane can only be applied to project fuel use.
Table 1. Points for Renewable Energy Procurement| Points | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BD+C (except CS) | CS | BD+C (except CS) | CS | BD+C (except CS) | CS | |
| 1 | 2% | 1% | 10% | 3% | 35% | 10% |
| 2 | 5% | 3% | 20% | 6% | 70% | 20% |
| 3 | 10% | 5% | 30% | 9% | 100% | 30% |
| 4 | 15% | 10% | 40% | 12% | ||
| 5 | 20% | 15% | 50% | 15% | ||
Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium
Already a premium member? Log in now
Guest expert
Marcus Sheffer
7group / Energy Opportunities
LEED Fellow