HVAC is a must-have for the modern world. A building without adequate heating, ventilation, and air conditioning is practically unlivable; and commercial and industrial buildings need powerful systems to regulate their climate and keep their occupants safe and comfortable and their processes efficient.
However, HVAC systems also have a serious greenhouse gas problem. Should our comfort, productivity, and health at work come at the cost of a sustainable environment for our children? Who says we have to choose one or the other?
In this blog, we’ll take a look at LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an international standard for green building design, and how LEED-accredited HVAC systems can help your building hit these milestones and do its part to build a cleaner, greener future.
The Benefits of LEED-Certified HVAC Systems
LEED is an international, voluntary standard for green buildings. Obtaining LEED certification can reduce your operating costs, raise your property values, and make you eligible for tax benefits or energy rebates. Certifications are awarded by Green Business Certification Inc. to businesses who apply and meet the requirements.
LEED is a points-based system; the more items on the checklist you achieve in several different categories (including Energy & Atmosphere, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Water Efficiency), the more credits you earn; earn enough, and you get to proudly declare that your building is as green as green can be. But it ain’t easy being green—and HVAC systems, which cause roughly three percent of greenhouse gas emissions, can be a real millstone around your neck when it comes to earning LEED credits and getting your building certified.
For example, outdated and energy-inefficient HVAC systems can:
- Consume excessive energy, making it harder to meet LEED energy performance benchmarks
- Fail to meet LEED standards for ventilation and filtration, negatively impacting air quality and occupant comfort
- Use refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP) or ozone depletion potential (ODP)
- Use excessive water and fail to capture and reuse condensate water, reducing performance
- Produce noise above acceptable levels
All these factors and more can stand in the way of your building earning enough LEED credits for certification. On the other hand, modern and energy-efficient HVAC can be your LEED certification’s ace in the hole:
How to Earn LEED Credits with HVAC Systems Built for Sustainability
If you’ve got your eye on LEED certification, you need a LEED-accredited HVAC system—climate control that uses the latest technology to reduce your building’s climate footprint instead of expanding it. But what do these systems look like? To minimize the negative climate impact of indoor climate control, they employ features such as:
- Smart building controls ranging from programmable thermostats and zoned heating and cooling to variable frequency drives (VFDs) and occupancy sensors to improve efficiency and prevent energy wastage
- Cooling systems designed to use low-impact refrigerants and minimize the escape of greenhouse gases or ozone-depleting material
- Filtration systems that use high-efficiency (MERV 13 or higher) filters to meet LEED standards for air quality
- Condensate recovery systems to ensure as much water as possible is reused
- Advanced metering and diagnostic systems to provide ongoing performance monitoring and ensure you can continue to prove your compliance and keep your hard-earned LEED credits
All these features probably sound expensive, though—and they certainly can be. The types of HVAC retrofits and upgrades you might need to achieve LEED certification can rack up high upfront costs, even if they reduce your operating costs in the long run.
However, there are plenty of ways to make LEED certification more affordable. For example, state and local governments have tax credit and rebate programs to help business owners defray those upfront expenses and get to the part where your LEED-certified HVAC systems start paying for themselves sooner.
Build LEED-Certified HVAC Systems and Save the Environment (and Money) with Chiller Systems Service
Upgrading or retrofitting your building’s HVAC system to help build a leaner, greener, cleaner future doesn’t have to mean significantly raising your operating costs or sacrificing your occupants’ comfort, health, and productivity.
With over 25 years of HVAC leadership across the metro Denver area, Chiller Systems Service has worked hard to stay on the cutting edge of climate-friendly climate control solutions. Our technicians can advise you on energy-efficiency strategies and help you choose the best turnkey LEED-accredited HVAC systems for your building and your budget.
Start earning LEED credits and energy rebates and do your part for future generations. Contact our technicians today!