LEED Opportunities with District Energy

Large district energy facilities use a variety of fuels to provide cooling, heating, and electric utilities to colleges and universities, health-care campuses, manufacturing facilities, and municipalities in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. District energy facilities allow thermal and electric utilities to be generated efficiently and reliably. These systems also allow for the consolidation of maintenance and operations. These reasons alone have justified the significant capital investment required. Today, however, there is a new movement that is changing how these investments are viewed: the sustainable building movement.

HPAC Engineering's September issue features an article on how tapping into sustainable district energy systems can significantly boost LEED ratings. The USGBC in 2008 released its first guideline to address applying the LEED program to proposed buildings that would receive district energy, Required Treatment of District Thermal Energy in LEED-NC Version 1.

There are aspects of district energy systems that align very well with core goals of the USGBC. Understanding these aspects and implementing them in district energy systems creates scenarios in which connecting a proposed building to district energy increases the level of LEED certification that can be achieved.