Energy and Atmosphere
The biggest category
Energy and Atmosphere carries the most points and four prerequisites: Fundamental Commissioning and Verification, Minimum Energy Performance, Building-Level Energy Metering, and Fundamental Refrigerant Management. Minimum Energy Performance uses ASHRAE 90.1 as the baseline and requires a modest improvement for new construction, with a lower threshold for major renovations.
The commissioning authority must be independent of the design and construction teams and should be engaged by predesign or early design, not at turnover. Commissioning covers HVAC and refrigeration, plus renewable energy systems and any systems named in the Owner's Project Requirements. Enhanced Commissioning adds design review, contractor submittal review, and systems manual work.
Credits include Optimize Energy Performance (up to 18 points - the largest single credit), Advanced Energy Metering, Demand Response, Renewable Energy Production, Enhanced Refrigerant Management, and Green Power and Carbon Offsets. Refrigerant management addresses ozone depletion and global warming potential; CFC-based refrigerants are prohibited in new equipment, and existing CFC systems need a phase-out plan.
Traps
- Commissioning is not a punch-list walkthrough at the end; it starts in design.
- Using an employee of the design firm as commissioning authority fails the independence test.
- Metering is a prerequisite, not a bonus credit.
- Green power purchases are cheaper than on-site renewables but are capped at only a few points.
Rule of thumb
Track two numbers: energy use intensity (EUI) for design comparison, and the percentage improvement over the ASHRAE baseline, which sets the points. Worked example: achieving a 30% improvement over baseline is worth far more than any other single EA credit a team can pursue.