LEED O+M: Existing Buildings | v3 - LEED 2009

Indoor air quality procedure

EQpc68 | Required

Glossary

Intent
To contribute to the comfort and well-being of building occupants by es tablis hing
minimum s tandards for indoor air quality (IAQ).

Requirements
This prerequis ite is available for pilot tes ting by the following LEED rating s ys tems and
building types :
New Construc tion

Offic e
Multi-family Residential
Lodging
Warehouses

Retail NC (exc luding restaurants)

S c hools (exc luding laboratories within sc hool buildings)
Commerc ial Interiors
Retail CI (exc luding restaurants)
Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenanc e

Offic e
Retail (exc luding restaurants)
Multi-family Residential
Lodging
S c hools (exc luding laboratories within sc hool buildings)
Warehouses

Project types not lis ted above that are interes ted in purs uing this path, s hould contact
USGBC before regis tration. See below for more information.
Note: The following Pilot Credit modifications apply to this prerequisite:
Introduc tory phone c all between projec t teams pursuing this path and GBCI reviewers.
Projec t teams pursuing this pilot prerequisite will be required to fulfill all prerequisite requirements.
Unlike with other pilot c redits, doc umenting that a pilot c redit is in need of major revision and in
unac hievable in its c urrent form will not demonstrate c omplianc e for IEQp1.
No ID points will be awarded.
If a projec t team registers and submits doc umentation noting that spac e in the projec t fails testing
(c hemic al or perc eived), c orrec tive ac tion must be taken until the projec t meets all requirements; it
will not be ac c eptable to pursue the Ventilation Rate Proc edure in IEQp1 onc e evidenc e of not
meeting the pilot requirements is submitted. If, however, a projec t team dec ides that this path is too
c ostly or otherwise onerous prior to submission, they may go bac k and use the traditional IEQp1
path.
BD+C and ID+C projec ts will still need to meet loc al c ode requirements for ventilation if they differ
from the IAQP.

Meet the minimum requirements of ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007, Sections 4 through 6,

Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (with errata). Determine the minimum
outdoor air intake flow for mechanical ventilation s ys tems us ing the In-door Air Quality
Procedure, or a local equivalent, whichever is more s tringent.

Combining the IAQP and VRP is not an acceptable means of compliance with this pilot
prerequis ite.

Prohibit s moking in the building.

Meet the following requirements for ventilation s ys tems des igned in accordance with
Section 6.3 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Procedure:
1. Contaminant S ourc es. Identify the outdoor sourc es, indoor sourc es, and the expec ted emission rate
for eac h of the c ontaminants and mixtures of c onc ern listed in Table 1. Additionally, c onfirm that
the top 10 c ontaminants by c onc entration in the building, as identified by mass spec trograph
analysis, are inc luded in Table 1. If they are not already inc luded in Table 1, list them.
2. Contaminant Conc entration. Refer to Table 1 for maximum allowable c onc entration limits for eac h
c ontaminant of c onc ern.
3. Perc eived Indoor Air Quality. At least 80% of observers or oc c upants must determine the perc eived
indoor air quality to be ac c eptable using a S ubjec tive Evaluation.
4. Design Approac h. If adjustments will be made to the outdoor air flow rate, use mass balanc e
analysis. Determine minimum outdoor airflow rates per steady-state mass-balanc e in Appendix D of
the standard. Measure system level airflow rates before and after modific ations are made.
5. Non-Dilution Air Cleaning Tec hnology. If non-dilution air c leaning tec hnol-ogy is utiliz ed, use air
c leaning tec hnology c onsisting of sorptive ac tive agents, in ac c ordanc e with AS HRAE S tandard
145.2-2011, Laboratory Test Method for Assessing the Performanc e of Gas-Phase Air-Cleaning
S ystems: Air Cleaning Devic es. If elec tronic air c leaning tec hnology is preexisting, c ontinuous
oz one monitoring shall be provided. Elec tronic air c leaning c annot be used as a means of c hemic al
c ontaminant c ontrol.
6. Air Testing. Conduc t c ontaminant-level testing for eac h of the c ontaminants of c onc ern as follows:
 1. Eac h c ontaminant of c onc ern shall be measured using the test methods in Table 1. If the top 10
c ontaminant c onc entrations are not listed in Table 1, separately mitigate these c ontaminants or
provide a ruling by a c ogniz ant health body that they have no known adverse health impac t.
Testing is to be c ompleted during time of antic ipated peak c ontaminant loading by an
appropriately ac c redited professional. Use c urrent versions of AS TM standard methods or IS O
methods. The number of sampling loc ations depends on the siz e of the building and number of
ventilation systems, but must inc lude the entire building and all representative spac e uses.
2. All measurements within eac h loc ation shall demonstrate c omplianc e with the maximum
allowable c onc entration limits per Table 1. For eac h sampling point where the c onc entration
exc eeds the limit, take c orrec tive ac tion and retest for the nonc ompliant c ontaminants as the
sampling points. Repeat until all requirements are met.
3. Provide testing frequenc y as follows:

For initial c ertific ation, the testing must oc c ur within the performanc e period.
For rec ertific ation, the testing must oc c ur no less frequently than every two years. Projec t
teams may test more frequently at their disc retion.
Construc tion projec ts within an existing building must c omply with the requirements under this
prerequisite for ID+C projec ts.
Any adjustments to outside air volumes required to c omply with the maximum allowable
c onc entration limits must be implemented within the performanc e period. Outside air
measurements at the affec ted air handling units must c onfirm the adjustments.

4. Confirm c omplete implementation of maintenanc e plans for the following c ontaminants or

doc ument status of no further remediation required:

Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs)

Lead
Radon
Mold

7. S ubjec tive Evaluation. Distribute a seven-point sc ale questionnaire to at least 30% of the
spac e/building oc c upants as desc ribed in IEQ Credit 2.1 Oc c upant Comfort Oc c upant S urvey. The
questionnaire is to be designed to address perc eived air quality partic ularly foc using on odors and
irritation responses.
8. Maintenanc e Program. Implement and maintain an HVAC system maintenanc e program to ensure
the proper operations and maintenanc e of HVAC c omponents as they relate to outdoor air
introduc tion and exhaust. Inc lude any non-dilution methods used.
9. S ystem Testing. Test and maintain operation of all building exhaust systems, inc luding bathroom,
kitc hen and parking exhaust systems.

Table 1.

Contaminant Compound (CAS#) Concentration Limit Test Method

(g/m3)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Acetaldehyde 75-07-0 140

Benzene 71-43-2 60

Carbon disulfide 75-15-0 800

Carbon tetrachloride 56-23-5 40

Chlorobenzene 108-90-7 1000

Chloroform 67-66-3 300

Dichlorobenzene (1,4-) 106-46-7 800

Dichloroethylene (1,1) 75-35-4 70

ISO 16017-1, 2;
Dimethylformamide (N,N-) 68-12-2 80 ISO 16000-3, 6;
ASTM D6345-10
Dioxane (1,4-) 123-91-1 3000

Epichlorohydrin 106-89-8 3

Ethylbenzene 100-41-4 2000

Ethylene glycol 107-21-1 400

Ethylene glycol monoethyl ether 110-80-5 70

Ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate 111-15-9 300

Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether 109-86-4 60

Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 110-49-6 90

Formaldehyde 50-00-0 33 BS-ISO 16000-3, 4; ASTM D5197;

BS ISO 16000-4

Hexane (n-) 110-54-3 7000

Isophorone 78-59-1 2000

Isopropanol 67-63-00 7000

Methyl chloroform 71-55-6 1000

Methylene chloride 75-09-2 400

Methyl t-butyl ether 1634-04-4 8000

Naphthalene 91-20-3 9
ISO 16017-1, 2;
Phenol 108-95-2 200 ISO 16000-3, 6;
ASTM D6345-10
Propylene glycol monomethyl ether 107-98-2 7000

Styrene 100-42-5 900

Tetrachloroethylene 127-18-4 35

Toluene 108-88-3 300

 Trichloroethylene 79-01-6 600

Vinyl acetate 108-05-4 200

Xylenes-total 108-38-3, 95-47-6, and 106-42-3 700

Inorganics

Carbon Monoxide 9 ISO 4224

Ozone 147 (0.075 ppm) ISO 13964; ASTM D5149-02

Particulate Matter PM2.5 15 ISO 7708

Ammonia 200 NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods

Carbon Dioxide 700 above outdoor ppm EPA compendium infared

Submittals
General

REGISTER FOR PILOT ACP 68

Partic ipate in the LEEDuser pilot c redit forum

Complete the feedbac k survey:

CREDITS 1-27

CREDITS 28-38

CREDITS 39-41

CREDITS 42-56

CREDITS 57-67

EBOM specific:
In addition to the above, meet the following additional requirements :
Establishment
1. Provide a c opy of the building maintenanc e plan implementing a regular IAQ Performanc e Method
c ompliant with this Pilot Prerequisite. Desc ribe the ventilation maintenanc e program, inc luding a
desc ription of the periodic c hec ks and sc heduled maintenanc e performed, and whether the c hec ks
are manual, based on a building automation system, or both.
2. Confirm that the projec t team has performed or overseen tests in all projec t building exhaust
systems during the performanc e period to verify proper func tion.

Performance period
1. Doc umentation provided must c onfirm that required performanc e period miles-tones have been
c ompleted within the stated performanc e period for the projec t building.
2. If adjustments are made to the outdoor air flow, provide a table listing system level air flow rates
before and after adjustments are made.

A dditional questions
Would the team apply this method to another building in the future? Why/why not?
How did the c ost of this method c ompare to the c ost of the Ventilation Rate Proc edure?

Background Information
Subjective evaluation - Panel

Panel participants may be regular occupants of the project building, vis itors to the
build-ing (i.e. cus tomers of a retail es tablis hment), or individuals with no connection to
the project building. Compos ition of the panel in this regard is at the dis cretion of the
project team.

Res pons es are to be collected via anonymous methods either written or electronic. The
Perceived Indoor Air Quality tes t is cons idered pas s ing if 80% or more of the panel
renders the s pace acceptable at each interval. If les s than 80% of the panel renders
the s pace acceptable, appropriate corrective actions mus t be implemented to correct
the deficiency. Corrective actions mus t be implemented within s ix (6) months of the
con-clus ion of the panel obs ervations .
Subjective evaluation - Ques tionnaire

The ques tionnaire is to be des igned to addres s perceived air quality particularly
focus ing on odors and irritation res pons es . The res pons es s hall be tabulated.
Res pondent ans wers of -1, -2, or -3 on the s even-point s cale will be cons idered as
dis s atis fied. If more than 20% of res pondents are dis s atis fied, appropriate corrective
actions mus t be implemented during the performance period.

For EB: O+M projects , at leas t one occupant s urvey mus t be conducted during each
monitoring period.

Space s ampling for tes ting

Randomly s elect s paces to be tes ted, ens uring that each occupiable s pace type is
adequately repres ented. Utilize HERS s ampling methodologies for multi-family and
lodging projects or APPA s ampling methodologies for offices , retail, s chools ,
warehous es , and exis ting buildings .
1. Minimum area and spac e c ounts noted in the applic able sampling methodology MUS T be met.

1. For HERS sampling proc edures, randomly selec t one in seven (1 in 7) substan-tially similar
spac es. Eac h sample group would c onsist of identic al spac es, one out of every seven of whic h are
to be tested. A minimum of three tests must be c onduc ted in eac h sample group.
2. For APPA, randomly selec t loc ations totaling at least 10% of the gross floor area of the building
and 10% of the total c ount of substantially similar spac es provided at least five (5) spac es of
eac h spac e type are inc luded. For any spac e types with less than five (5) spac es, inc lude all
spac es of that type.

2. Note: different oc c upiable spac e types may be c ombined into c ommon groups if the c ontaminants
and mixtures of c onc ern within those spac e types are expec ted to be the same with similar emission
 rates and the spac es are served by the same ventilation system.

For purpos es of determining how many tes t locations are required, the following s hall
govern:
1. Testing must oc c ur in at least one loc ation per ventilation system, per oc c upiable spac e type. The
loc ation(s) selec ted for testing must represent the worst-c ase z one(s) where the highest
c onc entrations of c ontaminants of c onc ern are likely to oc c ur.

1. For offic es, retail, sc hools, lodging, multi-family residential, and existing buildings, testing must
oc c ur within areas no larger than 5,000 square feet. For warehouses or large open spac es within
other building types (i.e. ballrooms in lodging, gymnasiums in sc hools, etc .) a limit of 50,000
square feet may be used. If there is evidenc e that the air within the spac e is well-mixed and
sourc es of c ontaminants of c onc ern are uniform, projec t teams may test a single loc ation within
that spac e. Evidenc e would c onsist of one of following:

1. Engineering verific ation of HVAC system with uniform ventilation distribution, and uniform
sourc e of c ontaminants within that spac e.
2. Trac er gas analysis showing uniform air distribution, and initial c ontaminant measurements
showing uniform levels of c ontaminants of c onc ern.

2. Real-time sensors may be used to identify the worst-c ase z ones for c ontaminants of c onc ern;
however, final testing results must be measured using the protoc ols below. Real-time sensor
testing is not ac c eptable for final testing results.
3. Loc ations selec ted may be served by more than one ventilation system provided that eac h
ventilation system serving the loc ation is designed in ac c ordanc e with S ec tion 6.3.

A dditional Resources
1. Referenc e to CHiPS database of c ontaminant generation rates
2. S preadsheet Calc ulator for c omplianc e purposes
3. Flow c hart of c omplianc e steps
4. Example S urveys
5. CEC/LBNL report, Balanc ing energy c onservation and oc c upant needs in ventilation rate standards
for Big Box stores in California: predic ted indoor air quality and energy c onsumption using a
matrix of ventilation sc enarios. It is available here

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