Buildings represent the largest source of CO₂ emissions in the United States (www.eia.doe.gov). High performance buildings have been shown to reduce energy use 24–50%, CO₂ emissions 33–39%, water use 40% and solid waste by 70% (www.usgbc.org). Because they are a large contributor to a building’s indoor environmental quality and energy consumption, HVAC systems play a significant role in being able to achieve significant energy consumption and air quality targets.

Venmar CES has a large number of cost-effective, pre-engineered, off-the-shelf air-to-air energy recovery solutions; in addition to having the ability to custom manufacture HVAC equipment to fit your specific requirements to ensure that your HVAC equipment is energy efficient, provides excellent indoor air quality and superior acoustic performance. Our custom design capabilities enable us to find unique solutions to your most challenging requests.

As one of the most widely recognized green building rating programs, LEED^® helps building owners minimize their impact on the built environment through a set of credits and points. HVAC systems themselves do not get points, but are a large part of the building system and contribute to earning several points the building may achieve. The following is a list of LEED NC points where the HVAC system is involved:

• EA Credit 1: There are up to 20 points available for demonstrating energy efficiency better than a baseline building as defined by ASHRAE 90.1. The benefit to the building owner is reduced energy costs for their building.
• IEQ Credit 1: There is 1 point for monitoring outdoor air delivery either by using an outdoor airflow measuring station or by using demand control ventilation. This helps to ensure ventilation is delivered to the occupied spaces in a building.
• IEQ Credit 2: There is 1 point for increasing the amount of outdoor air by 30% above ASHRAE 62.1-2007. This ensures additional outdoor air is supplied to the occupied space for improved indoor air quality for building occupants.
• IEQ Credit 3.1 and IEQ Credit 5: There are 2 credits and 2 points for addressing IAQ and particulate contaminants during and after construction. For the HVAC design, this requires MERV 8 filtration if the air handlers are used during construction and MERV 13 filtration after the building is occupied.
• IEQ Credit 3.2: There is 1 point for completing a building flush out or an air quality test. It helps to reduce indoor air quality issues resulting from construction or renovation in a building.
• IEQ Credit 7: There are 2 points for designing and verifying compliance with ASHRAE 55-2004. Addressing thermal comfort needs in the space helps building occupants feel more comfortable and improves productivity.

This is a list of LEED credits that the HVAC system influences and not a full description of the requirements to achieve LEED certification, or to achieve points in each area of the program. Please contact your local Venmar CES representative to learn more about how we can help maximize your HVAC's contribution on your LEED project.

For more information on our energy recovery equipment, please contact your Venmar CES representative.