ASHRAE, LEED V4, Net Zero Best Practices

Green Building Systems

Metering is a critical component of any energy efficient building. QMC helps property owners and consultants design and implement metering systems for compliance with all green standards, including LEED, ASHRAE, Zero Carbon and more.

image of a green building with metering installed

Metering is a critical component of any energy-efficient building.

QMC helps property owners and consultants design and implement metering systems for compliance with all green standards, including LEED, ASHRAE, Zero Carbon and more.

Our team is uniquely positioned to help you understand your metering requirements as specified by international associations, local governments and building codes. If you’re interested in implementing metering and submetering as part of your green building strategy, our team can help.

LEED

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One of the substantial changes to the rating system in LEED v4 is a focus on the long-term operations of a building. As such, there is an increased emphasis on metering, which has increased the number of credits directly and indirectly requiring metering systems in LEED v4.

QMC works with consulting partners and clients to design and deploy metering systems that score all of the direct metering credits and complement systems for other water and energy credits. There are 2 direct prerequisites and 2-8 credits for LEED v4 BD+C and Operations & Maintenance that require QMC metering systems including:

  • LEED v4 requires that buildings have meters or sensors to measure and monitor energy use, including electricity, natural gas, and other fuels. This requirement applies to both new construction and existing buildings that undergo major renovations.
  • LEED v4 recommends the use of submetering to measure and track the energy usage of specific areas or systems within a building. This can help building owners and operators identify areas of high energy consumption and take targeted measures to improve energy efficiency.

Prerequisites: Building Level Energy Metering and Building Level Water Metering

Direct Credits: Water Metering, Advanced Energy Metering, Tenant Submetering in C&S 

Credits Requiring Integrated Metering: Enhanced Commissioning, Demand Response, Renewable Energy Production, and Innovation credits related to energy awareness and tenant engagement

QMC will assist in the design, specification, budgeting, supply, and deployment of a turnkey metering and reporting system for your LEED v4 project. This includes the required communications and software components. Please call us to discuss your project. Download our PDF here.

Looking for more help? Contact us today!

ASHRAE

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The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has published several standards related to the metering and submetering of utilities, including the recent ASHRAE 90.1 standard.

ASHRAE Standard 90.1 requires that buildings have meters to:

  • Measure and monitor total building energy use, including electricity, natural gas, chilled and heating water, and other fuels
  • Measure and monitor any electrical system that totals over 10% of building energy use, including HVAC, lighting, exterior lighting, receptacles and chilled water systems
All metering data is collected hourly and is required to be stored for 3 years. QMC can assist with designing your meter system to meet ASHRAE requirements. Looking for more help? Contact us today!

Zero Carbon & Net Zero

Image of a building with Net Zero Buildings requirements listed

In response to the climate crisis, hundreds of business and governments of all levels have pledged to reach net zero emissions; some by as early as 2030! Ensuring new and existing buildings have zero or low carbon emissions are a critical part of these commitments.

Zero Carbon or Net Zero buildings require extensive metering on:

  • Main utility feeds for energy and water, including district heating and cooling systems
  • Common area loads, such as HVAC, lighting, irrigation
  • Tenant loads, including electricity, hot and cold domestic water and heating and cooling energy
  • On-site renewables, such as solar, wind, geothermal
  • EV charging stations
All metering will require enhanced integration to building automation systems, fault detection systems, cloud-based reporting software and compliance reporting systems, such as EnergyStar Portfolio Manager and RETScreen.
QMC can assist with the design, budgeting and deployment of metering systems for your low or zero-carbon building. Please call us to discuss your project.

Green Building Systems are Applicable in These Markets:

Learn What Makes QMC One of North America’s Leading Metering Experts.

Contact us for a consultation on your new or retrofit project today.

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