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Common Acronyms and Abbreviations for LEED

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

Earn $$ with WidgetBucks!
Referenced Standards and Legislation:ASHRAE 90.1-Building energy standard covering design, construction, operation and maintenance.

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!

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10 Comments On This Post

  1. 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…

    Reply
  2. 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

    Reply
  3. what does ARI stands for in EAc4 under Refrigerant charge (Rc)

    Reply
  4. How do you compare buildings energy effeciencies? CBECS?

    Reply
  5. What credit uses CERCLA?

    Reply
  6. Nevermind, found it. Its SSc3:Brownfield

    Reply
  7. 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.)

    Reply
  8. Is Energy Star 40 for ZEV the same as Green score of 40?

    Reply
  9. what sustainable sites NC,S,CS stands for

    Reply

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