Pacific Garden Mission, Chicago, IL. A 236-ton custom packaged DX system with evaporative cooling and FANWALL TECHNOLOGY^® serves this homeless rescue mission that was designed for LEED Silver certification. Read our case study (PDF).

As one of the most widely recognized green building rating programs, LEED helps building owners minimize their impact on the built environment through a set of credits and points.  HVAC systems themselves do not get points, but are a large part of the building system and contribute to earning several points the building may achieve.  The following is a list of LEED NC points where the HVAC system is involved:

• EA Credit 1: There are up to 20 points available for demonstrating energy efficiency better than a baseline building as defined by ASHRAE 90.1-2007. The benefit to the building owner is reduced energy costs for their building. 
• EA Credit 4: There are 2 points available depending on the refrigerant chosen for the HVAC system, or for not using refrigerant at all. Refrigerant choice is a first step in minimizing the environmental impact of your HVAC system.
• IEQ Credit 1: There is 1 point for monitoring outdoor air delivery either by using an outdoor air flow measuring station or by using demand control ventilation. This helps to ensure ventilation is delivered to the occupied spaces in a building.
• IEQ Credit 2: There is 1 point for increasing the amount of outdoor air by 30% above ASHRAE 62.1-2007.  This ensures additional outdoor air is supplied to the occupied space for improved indoor air quality for building occupants.
• IEQ Credit 3.1 and IEQ Credit 5: There are 2 credits and 2 points for addressing IAQ and particulate contaminants during and after construction. For the HVAC design, this requires MERV 8 filtration if the air handlers are used during construction, and MERV 13 filtration after the building is occupied.
• IEQ Credit 3.2: There is 1 point for completing a building flush out or an air quality test. It helps to reduce indoor air quality issues resulting from construction or renovation in a building.
• IEQ Credit 7: There are 2 points for designing and verifying compliance with ASHRAE 55-2004. Addressing thermal comfort needs in the space helps building occupants feel more comfortable and improves productivity.

Mammoth can also incorporate a condensate drain recovery system in your system, so you may reuse that water within your building.  LEED recognizes condensate recovery as a significant way to reuse water within the building which can help reduce potable water use.

This list of LEED credits that the HVAC system influences is not a full description of the requirements to achieve LEED certification, or to achieve points in each area of the program.   Please contact your local representative to learn more about how we how we can design a custom solution to help maximize your HVAC system’s contribution on your LEED project.