EAc1 LEED points can't fall entirely on the back of the MEP!

I've probably seen as many LEED files as most LEED reviewers. What blows my mind is that most of the files I have seen save very little in lighting, even though lighting is often 25% of the building energy costs. In my opinion, this is a result of Architects and firms who, let's face it, are too set in their ways to change their designs. (Either that, or it's just plain laziness).  Perhaps, I am being harsh and they simply don’t understand the huge impact lighting has on LEED points. So, I’m going to spell it out mathematically, but first let’s see how a typical conversation goes:

"We have a design that is going to save...

It’s safe to say that there’s a solid ten (or more) requirements in Appendix G that engineers, energy modelers, and rating authority reviewers consistently trip over. If I had $100 for every conversation I’ve had about correctly calculating the baseline system fan power per Appendix G, I’d be sipping a drink with an umbrella on an island somewhere.

In this first installment of “Wisdom from a TRACE Jedi” we’ll be discussing the baseline supply fan power calculations when exhaust fans (toilet, garage, etc.) are involved. The ECB subcommittee of 90.1 published a formal interpretation ruling on just this topic in the summer of 2010 and thus will be the basis of our...

If you're a LEED AP you passed a pretty difficult test, so how difficult could a LEED energy model be? Well, doing an energy-model is one thing, but doing a LEED energy-model is another. With countless nuances in LEED modeling, it takes a decent bit of experience to get good at modeling for LEED. To be honest, I have seen some horrible models. In fact, in my years working in TRACE 700 support, I've told many LEED APs that he or she would save money by sub-consulting the project to a firm with more experience.

How can you avoid this? Well, we recommend making friends and getting training! We offer a low cost "LEED for Energy-Modelers"...

As an avid TRACE user, I always wanted to learn eQUEST, but trainings were hard to find (and support was near impossible to get!). With a growing online community, the need for centralized support has dwindled and eQUEST has become even more popular. 

Learning eQUEST has paid off faster than I ever imagined. I had no idea how big the community was until I started working with it. 

Apart from the fact that learning eQUEST will help you better understand TRACE 700 (like learning Spanish helps with understanding the nuances English, verb conjugation anyone?) - here are 12 great reasons to learn eQUEST, and if you think they are great too, head over to our...