Yale strengthens design standards to advance its climate goals

There is clearer counsel for documenting LEED project credit information and design guidance for equipment that will help achieve Yale’s zero-carbon goals. These updates include enhancements to design requirements for electric domestic hot water heaters, HVAC and utility systems insulation in buildings, and increasing service and safety for panelboards.

Renewed requirements for sustainable design

Since 2010, the Office of Sustainability has shared descriptions of our LEED-certified projects [6] with the Yale and greater community. This archive of LEED cards illustrates innovative building practices and technologies used to design and construct the projects listed.

The revised sustainability requirements provide:

A new template for LEED cards, offering clear guidance to consultants on format and content.
An updated LEED requirement for construction and demolition waste management that references the incorporation of credit option one, path two; diverting 75% and four material streams.

Benefits of a new electric domestic hot water standard

Adherence can reduce the first cost by eliminating building recirculation.

Provides greater flexibility through several options, such as point of use and local or centralized storage.

Promotes the use of heat pump technology and a non-CFC refrigerant for heat pump systems, CO2.

Encourages the engineer of record to pursue alternate sizing methods to avoid oversizing systems. For example, for existing systems, metered data could be referenced to size a replacement heater. This would likely result in a lower replacement cost for equipment.

Updates to the HVAC insulation standard

The standard moves from prescriptive to performance-based criteria. It no longer lists minimum values for insulation thickness and requires compliance with current energy code guidelines and condensation control.

It now indicates that fiber-exposed internal insulation for attenuation or thermal insulation is prohibited.

Adds new criteria to omit all materials identified in the Living Building Challenge Red List [7].

Updates the insulation schedule.

Benefits of a new utility systems insulation standard

Differentiates between plant and building services.

Utility steam and condensate piping in manholes, tunnels, power plants, and mechanical rooms.

Utility chilled water piping in manholes and tunnels.

Jackets for steam and condensate and chilled water flanges, valves, and fittings.

Updates to the panelboard standard

Strengthens electrical service to laboratory spaces.

Requires new safety features and considers an arc-flash incident energy per NFPA 70 and 70E.

Includes selective coordination requirements to maintain operation of unaffected loads.

Establishes minimum design requirements for panelboard schedules and short circuit information on drawings.

These standards were developed through a collaboration between Yale’s Engineering and Energy Management and Facilities Operations departments and a contracted engineer.