855773644-LEED-v5-BD-C-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition - Page 332

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District energy Projects may optionally account for District Energy System (DES) efficiency when assessing energy credits for Case 1 and incremental energy credits beyond the minimum required for Case 2:

- H02: HVAC Heating Performance Improvement or H03: HVAC Cooling Performance

Improvement. Calculate the heating and/or cooling capacity weighted-average improvement separately for the DES system, and for the building systems. Use the peak DES capacity supplied to the building and the sum of equipment capacity onsite to calculate the heating and/or cooling capacity-weighted average improvement for the combined systems.

- H05: Ground-Source Heat-Pump System. Demonstrate that the credit requirements

are met by a Ground-Source Heat-Pump District Energy System serving the project.

- W02: Heat-Pump Water Heater or W03: Efficient Gas Water Heater. Demonstrate

that the credit requirements are met for a District Heating System serving the project.

PATH 2. PLUG AND PROCESS LOADS

Path 2 places a spotlight on plug, process, cooking, refrigeration, and elevator/escalator system energy use that represent 30% to 50% of building energy usage yet are only partially or peripherally addressed through ASHRAE 90.1 standard requirements.

Projects may apply Case 1 in conjunction with Case 2, or document compliance with Case 1, Case 2, or Case 3 independently (Case 3 is only available for New Construction).

Case 1. Plug Load Management (New Construction and Core and Shell)

A plug load dashboard empowers building occupants to actively engage in reducing building energy consumption from plug loads. For projects with required monitoring and recording of receptacle use at 15-minute intervals per EAp4: Energy Metering and Reporting, the dashboard should visualize this data and compare receptacle energy consumption to the prior interval annually, monthly, daily, and hourly. The dashboard is only required to show usage for receptacle circuits but may optionally address other process usage (such as elevators), or other building end-uses (such as lighting or HVAC energy).

New Construction The dashboard must be accessible to all regular building occupants. For buildings with multiple tenants or multiple floors, the dashboard may be configured so that an individual user sees only the receptacle usage for common areas and for their space.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 322