Big Green: LEED: appeals/flexibility on VOC limits

Sat Feb 16 14:09:54 EST 2008

I do not have experience with how flexible the appeal process is, but I feel compelled to comment on this minor mistake and the suggestion that the product be removed.

This is where chasing points becomes silly.  The intent is to build an environmentally friendly building for the owner.  The intent of LEED is to provide some benchmarks to help guide this process.  Yes, a mistake was made, but....the product is already installed.  Some of the offgassing has already occurred.  If the heating system has been running, even more offgassing has occurred.  Requiring the contractor to remove mastic sealant may  require solvents, waste for the landfill, multiple trips to the site with the resultant carbon and other emissions.  The solvent used for removal and clean up could even potentially end up inside the ductwork.  From an environmental viewpoint (which is the real intent of the USGBC with LEED) I think it is better to acknowledge this mistake and find some other solution: 
Perhaps you can document that the other products are so far below the VOC limits, thus offsetting any impact by this mistake and that the volume of the offending product is so small that is just "noise" in the overall project offgassing? 
Can you have the contractor (or whomever made the mistake) instead contribute $ to some other measure (that would improve the environmental footprint of the project and possibly generate another point) in the project that was originally rejected because of budget issues? 
If loss of this point does not really put your level of certification at risk, perhaps the party that made the mistake can instead pay for something would be of benefit to the owner and the environment - a more efficient boiler, more insulation, enhancements to the energy management system, installation of a heat recovery ventilation system, expansion of onsite renewable energy systems, etc.....

Jonathan Harkness
EBM Consulting Services, Inc.
PO Box 911
3281 Franklin Avenue
Millbrook, NY 12545
845.877.6030 tel
845.877.9875 fax
www.ebmservices.com
jonharkness at ebmservices.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Christopher Sweetnam-Holmes 
To: Lee Connah;biggreen at biggreen.org
Sent: 2/15/2008 5:17:44 PM 
Subject: RE: Big Green: LEED: appeals/flexibility on VOC limits

if your spec was properly written- you should demand that the contractor remove and replace the product- yes- it will be a lot of work- but that is why we have contracs and specs.

cheers,

Christopher Sweetnam-Holmes, 
B.I'ntl. Bus., B.E.D.S. (Arch), 
LEED Accredited Professional
---
EcoCite Developments
innovative.urban.green
innovateur.urbain.vert
www.ecocite.ca

514.524.0191
m:613.263.0801 
f:514.523.0436

From: biggreen-bounces at lists.biggreen.org [mailto:biggreen-bounces at lists.biggreen.org] On Behalf Of Lee Connah
Sent: February 15, 2008 4:14 PM
To: biggreen at biggreen.org
Subject: Big Green: LEED: appeals/flexibility on VOC limits

Hello,

I’m working on my first LEED project and we’ve run into a potential problem: our HVAC subcontractor mistakenly used a duct sealant that exceeded the allowable VOC limits. I believe this is the only speed bump to our achieving the point for Credit EQ 4.1.

Does anyone have experience appealing minor issues such as this one? Does the review and appeal process provide any wiggle room for minor, unintended mistakes?

Thanks,  Lee 

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