Living Building Challenge 4.0

Energy Use Clarifications

ENERGY USE CLARIFICATIONS

Backup Systems for Emergency Power

If the programmatic needs of the project require an emergency power system, the use of battery backup power is encouraged. If backup systems are not utilized for standard building operations, they may be excluded from the scope. Thus, combustion-based emergency backup power systems are discouraged but may be utilized.

Combustion

Bio-Based Combustion Sources
The use of biomass is not allowed due to concerns regarding the associated negative impacts to air quality, increasing demand for the non-sustainable production of biomass fuels that compete with food production, and the risk of systems being switched to fossil fuels in the future.

Building Systems, Heating and Cooling
New construction projects may not have combustion-based heating and/or cooling building systems.

Existing buildings may utilize existing combustion-based building systems; however, project teams may not install new combustion-based equipment where it previously did not exist. Projects that require renovations to an existing building or an interior tenant space are encouraged to convert existing combustion-based equipment to electric-based whenever possible. However, projects may directly replace or upgrade combustion-based components if a conversion to electric-based systems would require a significant increase in project scope. Examples of a significant scope increase include expansion of the base building footprint or a significant increase in the mechanical spaces to accommodate larger equipment (i.e., outside of an interior renovation scope) or an upgrade to the electrical service capacity of the base building that would otherwise not be necessary to service the project space.

Note that any replacement or upgrades to combustion-based equipment must not result in higher fuel consumption; the intent must be to increase efficiency and otherwise minimize combustion-based fuel use. Projects requiring replacement or upgrades to combustion-based equipment must provide additional documentation to describe investigation of electric-based alternatives and clearly outline the project scope boundaries or limitations that inhibit their use.

Interior-only projects may connect to combustion-based heating/cooling systems that are out of the project scope if formal advocacy to the building owner for a phase-out plan for combustion has been documented.

Where combustion is permitted, the energy consumed must be metered, included in the Energy Production and Demand Table, and documented as part of the total energy used and, if pursuing I08 Net Positive Carbon, offset by installed or procured renewable energy.

See table 7-5 for specific limits and requirements.

District Energy Systems Electricity
All projects may connect to a combustion-based district energy system (DES) for electricity.

District Energy Systems, Heating/Cooling
New and Existing projects many only use heating and cooling energy from combustion-based DES heating/cooling systems if a phase-out plan is established. Plans should describe a detailed timeline of the phase-out, how changes will be implemented, and how the plan will be funded. The project team must meter the kWhs or BTUs derived from the system and include that energy in the Energy Production and Demand Table and show that the total energy use is offset by installed or procured renewable energy. For projects which contribute thermal resources to a district system, the project must meter the amount of offsite thermal benefit and extrapolate the proportionate reduction in electrical usage from the contributing project system.

Interior projects may use heating and/or cooling energy from combustion-based DES systems that are out of the project scope if there has been formal advocacy for a phase-out plan for combustion systems.

See table 7-5 for specific limits and requirements.

Municipal Grid
All projects are allowed to connect to a combustion-based municipal grid for electricity.

Table 7-5 Allowance for Connecting to Combustion-Based Systems by Typology

Outdoor Stoves or Grills
Outdoor gas stoves and grills that are not permanently installed or hard-piped are considered furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) and are therefore not governed by this certification. However, the use of non-combustion-based alternatives is encouraged.

Temporary Heat During Construction
There is no restriction on temporary heat sources during construction; however, project teams are encouraged to reduce energy demand as much as possible and to use fuel sources that are in alignment with ILFI’s combustion stance. Project teams must account for construction-related emissions (life cycle stage A5) within their embodied carbon analysis.

Efficiency Target

Buildings with a Mixed Typology
If a project has more than one Typology, for example a renovation project with an addition, the efficiency target is established by calculating a weighted average based on reductions required per Typology and the percentage of Project Area occupied by each Typology. See example under Calculations.

On-Site Net Positive
Projects achieving 105% net energy production (required for pursuing I08 Net Positive Carbon) using exclusively on-site renewables automatically achieve the energy efficiency requirement of this Imperative.

Heat Recovery

Waste heat from an adjacent building or a DES may be used to reduce the energy demand of a project if the recovered heat is not from a combustion-based source.

Project Energy Needs

All equipment and energy-using systems related to any part of the building program (including process energy) and used during building operations must be included in the energy budget for the project. The building must function as intended and meet the energy requirements over the 12-month performance period. Energy used during construction does not need to be included in the project’s operational energy budget.

Note that use of exception EC-014 Emergency Power Systems requires that any energy used by an allowed generator be included in the project’s energy consumption calculations.

In addition, certain optional strategies and exceptions within the Water Petal require that any energy consumption from pumps be accounted for in the project’s energy use calculation.