Measurement and Verification
by Jonathan McGaha | February 12, 2012 12:00 am
The LEED rating system contains one particular credit that is often disregarded by many delivery teams. However, this credit could be one of the most important that the rating system contains. Many in the industry argue that this credit is so important that it should be a prerequisite instead of a voluntary credit. The credit is Energy and Atmosphere Credit 5 (EAc5): Measurement and Verification. The intent of EAc5 is to provide the capacity for building owners to monitor the performance of their buildings over time. The importance of this credit can be summed up in this quote from William Thomson, also known as Lord Kelvin: “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.”
Sharing the Data
The USGBC’s LEED rating system is not the only sustainable rating system that has recognized the importance of measuring building performance over time. Every rating system that I have reviewed contains some form of recognition for the ongoing measurement of building performance. While EAc5 is not a prerequisite in the LEED rating system, USGBC requires building owners to share their energy and water use data with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) as a requirement for LEED certification. An owner of a LEED certified building is required to furnish this information to the GBCI for a period of no less than five years after the building is occupied.
The application of the requirements of the LEED rating system should not be a quest for points that culminates at the end of construction with a ceremony and a plaque. The LEED rating system should be used as a tool throughout the life of a project, from design through occupancy and operations.
During design, the team should look to the rating system as a way to improve the project and reduce the environmental impacts that the construction process can cause. The construction team should view the requirements of the rating system as a means to improve quality, reduce costs and improve productivity while reducing worker exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as well as other airborne particulates. Building owners, in cooperation with their facility managers, should use the sustainable foundation created through the design and construction of their LEED certified buildings as a starting point and constantly look for more ways to improve the performance of the building, with the goal of higher occupant satisfaction and reduced operating costs associated with energy and water consumption.
Since there are obvious benefits to measuring the performance of a building, and USGBC requires owners to share data on their energy and water use, why do so few teams seek to gain the available credit points, routinely leaving two (in the case of LEED for Schools) or three (in the case of LEED for New Construction) credit points on the table?
Obstacles to Measurement and Verification
There are many possible answers to that question, and they are individual to a project delivery team or owner. An owner may not fully grasp the importance of measuring building performance and, due to their lack of knowledge or experience, they do not know to ask their teams to include the equipment required to record this information as part of the building design. Building owners may also lack the necessary experience to correctly operate a building. Too often, building operations are left to a person who has no formal training in facility management or background in building science. These individuals typically focus on building operations only as a function of occupant complaints. In most cases, the equipment that could warn owners or operators of potential problems with critical building systems was not made a part of the building design, or the building staff was not properly trained to use the equipment that was installed.
Some designers resist pursuing this credit for fear that the ongoing measurement of the building’s performance may reflect negatively on their work as designers and could possibly escalate into claims due to errors or omissions. Design teams may make or imply promises for a certain level of efficiency based on publicized statistics relating to the energy performance of LEED buildings, suggesting that the buildings they are designing will replicate this type of performance. Many LEED certified buildings are more efficient than non-LEED certified buildings. However, teams referring to such publicized statistics without the use of qualifying statements to indicate that results will vary depending on how the building is used, maintained and operated, run the risk of misleading building owners. If these building owners select a team based on these perceived benefits, they will expect a reduction in their energy bills year after year. Teams may fear that if the capacity to measure and verify is incorporated into the building systems and the owner finds that the building is performing less efficiently than was originally implied, fault may be found with the design. These two examples are not meant to suggest that all owners lack the necessary experience or that all designers do not want their work measured. There are plenty of people out there who want to know this information and view the collection of this type of data as a way to benchmark their own work and use it to improve within their own trades.
Rewarding Outcomes
The LEED credit for measurement and verification rewards teams by awarding credit points for the installation of equipment that will allow for the ongoing accountability of the energy and water consuming equipment in a building. To fulfill the requirements, a protocol must be written so that a building owner understands the starting point or benchmark, how to collect the data, and has a way to compare actual performance and predicted outcomes based on design and use. Having the equipment and the protocol in place will result in the award of the associated LEED points. However, the true reward comes from a building owner that knows how to use the information to find ways to reduce their energy and water consumption year after year. As Lord Kelvin said, “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.”
Thomas Taylor, a 29-year veteran of the construction industry and noted expert on sustainability, is the general manager of St. Louis-based Vertegy. His recent book, “Guide to LEED 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies,” provides step-by-step information about the LEED 2009 for New Construction process. To learn more about Vertegy or Taylor’s new book, visit www.vertegyconsultants.com for more information.
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