FE&S LEED and Energy Star Webcast Follow Up Questions
- Published on Friday, July 06, 2012
Do the units only need an Energy Star rating to help generate LEED points? Or do they also need to be certified by another body such as Green Seal or Greenguard?
RY: Currently Energy Star qualification (whether certified or not) is what is needed for energy credits. There are no other requirements. Other certifications may come into play on the materials credits, but that has not been part of the program to date. NAFEM has created and is refining a Sustainability Calculator that could help manufacturers define the materials and sourcing of their products in a way that could contribute toward LEED materials credit.
When it comes to LEED, do the steps used to manufacture a refrigerator need to be taken into consideration?
TS: Currently, the LEED rating systems only look at the energy use of refrigerators. The manufacturing process would come into play with a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool such as the NAFEM sustainability calculator, which in fact does have a section on manufacturing. There is a possibility that the next version of LEED will include a credit related to the use of LCAs, but we will not know for sure until the next draft of version 4 is released later this year.
Are there any additional tests that refrigerators have to pass to be used in a LEED-certified setting?
RY: There are walk-in construction requirements (see above) and refrigerant management requirements but the basic ASHRAE test for reach-in refrigerators and freezers is sufficient for the energy requirements.
