As you read through your reference guide you’ll notice a ton of acronyms, many of which you have probably never seen before. As you become familiar with LEED you will learn what these are just from reading your material over and over again. I’m providing this list so that as you read through your guide like you’re supposed to, you can have this handy dandy LEED acronym and abbreviations list so you don’t have to flip through on your own. Also, if people ask me, “What the hell is CERCLA,” I can just direct them here. Enjoy! (I’ve adapted this list from the following sources: USGBC Colorado Chapter LEED-AP Study Guide, LEEDPASS, and the New Construction version 2.2 Reference Guide.)
Organizations and Agencies:
AIA-American Institute of Architects
ANSI-American National Standards Institute
ASHRAE-American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers, Inc.
ASTM-American Society for Testing Materials
AWEA-American Wind Energy Association
CEC-California Energy Commission
CFR-Code Federal Regulation
CIBSE-Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
CIWMB-California Integrated Waste Management Board
CRI-Carpet and Rug InstituteCRS-Center for Resource Solutions
DOE-U.S. Department of Energy
EIA-Energy Information Administration
EPA-U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
FEMA-U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
FSC-Forest Stewardship Council
GBCI-Green Building Certification Institute
IESNA-Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
IMEX-Industrial Material Exchange
ISO-International Organization for Standardization
NBI-New Building Institute
NFRC-National Fenestration Rating Council
OSWER-U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste & Emergency Response
SBIC-Sustainable Building Industry Council
SCAQMD-South Coast Air Quality Management District
SMACNA-Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Contractors Association
USDA-United States Department of Agriculture
USGBC-United States Green Building Council
ASHRAE 52.2-Standardized method of testing building ventilation filters for removal efficiency by particle size.
ASHRAE 55-Standard describing thermal and humidity conditions for human occupancy of buildings
ASHRAE 62-Standard that defines minimum levels of ventilation performance for acceptable indoor air quality
ASHRAE 192-Standard for measuring air-change effectiveness
ASTM E408-Standard of inspection-meter test methods for normal emittance of surfaces
ASTM E903-Standard of integrated-sphered test method for solar absorptance, reflectance, and transmittance
CERCLA-Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
EPACT-U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992
RCRA-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
UBC-Uniform Building Code: the International Conference of Building Officials model building code
Abbreviated General Terminology:
A/C-Air Conditioning Unit
ACH-Air Change per Hour
AFV-Alternative-Fueled Vehicle: e.g., hybrid-electric, electric, natural-gas, bio-diesel, and fuel-cell
AHU-Air Handling Unit
BIPV-Building Integrated Photovoltaics: e.g., integrated roof, spandrels, glazing, or shading devices
BMP-Best Management Practice
BOD-Basis of Design
CBECS-Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey
CFCs-Chlorofluorocarbons: ozone-depleting constituent of the most widely used
HVAC refrigerants
CFM-Cubic Feet per Minute
CFS-Cubic Feet per Second
CDVR-Corrected Design Ventilation Rate: design ventilation rate divided by the air-change effectiveness
DEC-Design Energy Cost
ECB-Energy Cost Budget: a method of demonstrating compliance with ASHRAE 90.1
ECMs-Energy Conservation Measures, as in those tracked in support of measurement and verification
EER-Energy Efficiency Rating
EMP-LEED Energy Modeling Protocol to assist in documenting efficiency measures not in ECBEMS-Energy Management System
ETS-Environmental Tobacco Smoke, includes that transported between spaces by ventilation systems
FTE-Full Time Equivalent
GPF-Gallons per Flush
GPM-Gallons per Minute
GS-Green Seal
GWP-Global Warming Potential: rating of a gaseous substance’s contribution to greenhouse effects
HCFCs-Hydrochlorofluorocarbons: alternative refrigerant type that has reduced ozone-depleting effects
HFCs-Hydrofluorocarbons: alternative refrigerant with no ozone-depleting effect but some tradeoffs
HVAC-Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning
HVAC&R-Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigerants
IAQ-Indoor Air Quality with respect to human occupancy of a building
IEQ-Indoor Environmental Quality: encompasses
IAQ, thermal comfort, daylighting, views, etc.
IPLV-Integrated Part Load Value: chiller efficiency including part-load operation for a given duty cycle
LAV-Lavatory
LCA-Life-Cycle Assessment: a full accounting of a material’s “cradle-to-grave” environmental impacts
LCC-Life-Cycle Cost
LCGWP-Life-Cycle Global Warming Potential
LCODP-Life-Cycle Ozone Depletion Potential
LEED-Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
LPD-Lighting Power DensityLr-Refrigerant Leakage Rate
MEP-Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing
MERV-Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value: a measure of the effectiveness of air filtration media
Mr-End of Life Refrigerant
MSDS-Material Safety Data Sheet: provides essential information on composition, hazards, & precautions
NC-New Construction
NPDES-National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
O&M-Operations and Management
ODP-Ozone Depleting Potential: rating of a gaseous substance’s ability to destroy stratospheric ozone
OPR-Owner Project Requirements
OSA-Outside Air
PM-Particulate Manner
PMV-Predicted Mean Vote
PPM-Parts Per Million
RA-Return Air
Rc-Refrigerant Charge
REC-Renewable Energy Certificate
RH-elative Humidity
SA-Supply Air
SHGC-Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: the fraction of solar radiation admitted through a particular glazing
SRI-Solar Reflectance Index
TSS-Total Suspended Solids: particles too small or light to be removed from a liquid by gravity settling
TP-Total Phosphorous: phosphates, polyphosphates, and orthophosphates in stormwater
TVOC-Total Volatile Organic Compounds, see VOCs
VAV-Variable Air Volume: ventilation system configuration differentiated from Constant Air Volume
VOCs-Volatile Organic Compounds: potentially hazardous substances omitted as a gas from certain solids and liquids.
WC-Water Closet
ZEV-Zero Emissions Vehicle (minimum energy star rating of 40)
Please note that many of these are referencing terms and acronyms that were in the New Construction version 2.1 reference guide. I’ve included these because I figured, why not. If there are some that you find that are not on this list, please comment and I will definitely add to the list, and give you credit for it. Cheers!
10 Comments On This Post
as i was going thru this list last night, i noticed a couple things that may need clarification –
O&M – Operations & Maintenance
PM – Particulate Matter
Mr – End of Life Refrigerant Loss
and
RH – Relative Humidity (i think everyone can figure that one out, but it doesn’t help to have it right…)
pat – maybe you can just change these in your original post…
I would add:
SCAQMD – South Coast Air Quality Management District
and IAQ stands for Indoor Air Quality, I think that’s easier to remember than what you have on your list
what does ARI stands for in EAc4 under Refrigerant charge (Rc)
How do you compare buildings energy effeciencies? CBECS?
What credit uses CERCLA?
Nevermind, found it. Its SSc3:Brownfield
I had the same question regarding the “Gross ARI rated” term used in several EAc4 calculations. As near as I can tell ARI refers to the “Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute”. So I’m guessing that the ARI publishes a list of values. (It would be so nice if the USGBC Reference Guide defined all of the terms/abbreviations used in all calculations.)
Is Energy Star 40 for ZEV the same as Green score of 40?
what sustainable sites NC,S,CS stands for
NC = new construction, S = schools, CS = core & shell