LEED Points For Air Filtration National Air Filtration

LEED Points For Air Filtration National Air Filtration Association NAFA member – U. S. Green Building Council

Mission - USGBC “To transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life”. Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2009

Meaning? Let’s do everything we can possibly afford to do that will help keep this place neat for the next generation of humans… Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2009

What Are We Really Talking About? Everyone is doing everything to be “green” ? Green buildings and products still remain a small percentage of the total market Need to increase focus on greening existing buildings-potential savings est. 40% - 75% Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2009

LEED Air Filtration “Looking beyond initial cost factors towards the total cost throughout life of operation” Benefits to the Facility: Ø Lower energy use Ø Lessen impact on the environment Ø Lower use of resources – raw materials and human resources Ø Increases Productivity and Improves Environment Impacting Health of Building Occupants

Carbon Dioxide Contribution of Buildings

Energy Consumption-U. S. Source: 2007 DOE Building Energy Data Book

1% 22% 5% Residential 7% 5% 8% 12% 11% 12% 31% 4% 18% Commercial

Sustainability § § § LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in six key areas of human and environmental health for Existing Buildings: Sustainable Site Water Efficiency Energy & Atmosphere Materials & Resources Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Innovations in Upgrades, Operations and Maintenance

LEED Checklist (prerequisites) l Sustainable Sites Erosion Control n Age of Building – at least two years old > n l Water Efficiency Minimum Water Efficiency n Discharge Water Compliance n l Energy & Atmosphere Existing Building Commissioning n Minimum energy Performance n Ozone Protection (Reduce Ozone Depletion-CFC’s) n

LEED Checklist (prerequisites) l Materials & Resources Source Reduction and Waste Management n Toxic Materials Source and Reduction n l Indoor Environmental Quality Outside Air Introduction & Exhaust System n Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control n Asbestos Removal or Encapsulation n PCB Removal n l Innovations in Upgrade, Operations & Maintenance

Energy & Atmosphere l Energy & Atmosphere n Preq. -Existing Building Commissioning – Prepare a commissioning plan for carrying out the testing of all building systems to verify that they are working according to the specifications of the building operation plan. “Verify and ensure that fundamental building elements and systems are installed, calibrated and operating as intended so they can deliver functional and efficient performance. “ NEW - ASHRAE Guideline 26 -2007 – “Guideline for Field Testing of General Ventilation Filtration Devices and Systems for Removal Efficiency In-situ by Particle Size and Resistance to Airflow “

Energy & Atmosphere l Ø EA Credit 3. 1 - Staff Education – 1 point “Support appropriate operations and maintenance of buildings and building systems so that they continue to deliver target building performance goals over the long term. ” NAFA Certified Technician (NCT) certifies individuals who study the text, “Installation, Operation and Maintenance of Air Filtration Systems, ” and pass the national exam

Energy & Atmosphere l EA Credit 6 - 1 point Document sustainable building cost impacts. l NAFA Life Cycle Costing Formula can document sustainable impact on existing building www. nafahq. org

Total Costs of Air Filtration 0. 5% 18. 5% 81% Carlsson, Thomas; “Indoor Air Filtration: Why Use Polymer Based Filter Media”, Filtration+Separation, Volume 38 #2, March 2001, pp 30 -32.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) l Preq. - Establish minimum indoor air quality (IAQ) performance to enhance indoor air quality in buildings, thus contributing to the health and well-being of the occupants. l Increased Ventilation - + 30% over ASHRAE 62. 1…? ? IEQ Credit 3 – 1 Point – MERV 8 at each return grill Ø

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Ø Possible use of carbon filtration after construction during “bakeout” phase Ø IEQ 4. 1 – Absenteeism and Healthcare Costs – 1 point Document decrease in absenteeism by increasing efficiency of air filtration system IEQ 4. 2 Other Improvements 1 Point – Ø “Documentation of the other productivity impacts (beyond those identified in IEQ Credit 4. 1) of sustainable building performance improvements.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) l Ø IEQ Credit 5. 1 – 1 point – “Reduce exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous particle contaminants, which adversely impact air quality, health, building finishes, building systems and the environment. Establish and follow a regular schedule for maintenance and replacement of these filters. ” MERV 13 filters on occupancy

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) l IEQ Credit 10. 6 – 1 point “Reduce exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous chemical, biological and particle contaminants, which adversely impact air quality, health, building finishes, building systems and the environment. ” Ø HEPA filtered cleaning equipment

Innovations in Upgrades, Operations and Maintenance l IUOM Credit 1 – 1 point “To provide building operation and upgrade teams with the opportunity to be awarded points for additional environmental benefits achieved beyond those already addressed by LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System. ” Ø Ø Ø Clean and re-circulate bathroom exhaust air Clean outdoor air of ozone (prevalent during “rush-hour” traffic, temperature inversions, etc. with bypass OA ducting Source removal of copying and printing equipment through HEPA & HEGA filters

Air Filtration Credits - Summary l Energy & Atmosphere – 2 Point Staff Education n Sustainable impact n l Indoor Environmental Quality – 4 points MERV 8 during construction n Molecular filtration instead of “bakeout” n MERV 13 filters after construction n HEPA filtered cleaning equipment n l Innovations in Upgrade, Operations & Maintenance - >? limited only by your mechanical creativity

Overall Summary l l Air filters should be an important part of your LEED and “Green” overall sustainability directive – easy Life Cycle Costing can be implemented tomorrow Many points available for LEED in three major categories It the right thing to do

LEED 2009 will incorporate highly anticipated regional credits, extra points that have been identified as priorities within a project’s given environmental zone. LEED has also undergone a scientifically grounded re-weighting of credits, changing allocation of points among LEED credits to reflect climate change and energy efficiency as urgent priorities. This will be one of the most significant changes to the rating system, and will increase the importance of green building as a means of contributing immediate and measurable solutions toward energy independence, climate change mitigation, and other global priorities.

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. ” -von Goethe www. nafahq. org