Allowable VOC Content for LEED

7/23/2019 Allowable VOC Content for LEED

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2.

Design Development

1. First check the allowable

VOC

levels for each

product

type

you

are using

-

see the

summary of VOC

limits

in the Low-Emitting

Material Limits document and

then make sure the

products

specified do

not exceed those

limits.

Select

paint

colors

and sheen

levels.

It's easier to

find

low-VOC

paints

if

you

choose

lighter

paint

colors. Darker colors tend to use

more

pigment

and binders,

where VOCs are concentrated.

When compiling

VOC numbers for

paints,

make sure that the

numbers

you get

include

pigment,

not

just

the base

paint.

Light colors also

make spaces

brighter,

reducing electric lighting needs.

Major manufacturers offer

paints

and coatings that are

just

as durable and

perform

just

as

well

as their

higher-VOC counterparts. Poor performance of low-VOC paints and coatings has been

an

issue

in

the

past,

but is no

longer

a

problem

for any but the

most demanding applications. lnterior wall and ceiling

paints

(in

flat

and semi-gloss

sheens) are

readily available. Some specialty coatings such as

rust-proofing finishes can be

4.

5.

Anti-corrosive

and

anti*rusl

paints

ap.Flid to inlerror

ferrous

fieral suhltratrs.

Do

not

exceed rh

VOC

eontnt

limit

of

250

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3/5

11.

Schedule the

application of

paints and

coatings

so

that off-gassing does

not contaminate other

absorptive materials. This is required

if

projects

are attempting IEQc3.1: Construction lndoor Air

Quality

Plan-During

Construction.

For example, do not store or install acoustic

ceiling tile before

flooring

and

wall

paints

are

put

down, because ceiling tiles will absorb the off-gassing of

paint

and contaminate the air over

a

longer time

period.

Throughout

construction,

the

GC

should collect material safety

data

sheets

(MSDS)

from

subcontractors and completed

VOC

tracking

forms for

all

products

used onsite associated with this credit.

Assign

a

responsible

pafi

to input the subcontractors' tracking forms into the Materials Calculator.

An administrative assistant

in

the GC's office

may

be the best choice for this role.

Review

subcontractor

product

suggestions

ahead

of time

to avoid the

purchase

of inappropriate

materials and eliminate

the need

for

costly change orders.

Streamline documentation and research by keeping

a

master

spreadsheet of all the items being

tracked

for each material across MR and

IEQ

credits. For example,

you

may need

to ask the

millworker for regional

information for MRc5, certified wood information for MRc7, and information

about coatings

installed

on-site for

lEQc4.1. lf one

spreadsheet

collects all the data, it can streamline

your

documentation, associated

research,

and

help

with

quality

control.

A master

spreadsheet

helps

ease

information

collection

for

subcontractors,

giving

them a road map

of

exactly what types of

information

to collect for each

product.

The GC

functions

as

the overall

quality

assurance

provider

for

this credit.

Responsibilities include

conducting

weekly reviews

of subcontractor

product

safety data sheets

and tracking

forms,

as

well

as spot

checks in dumpsters to determine which

products

are actually being

used.

Post

signs at the construction site that

reminds

subcontractors to follow LEED requirements for low-

VOC

products.

The

GC

should

be

aware of any warranty issues

that

may

exist if alternative

paints

or coatings

are used.

For example, a flooring company's warranty may require a specific

coating that does

not meet

the VOC

requirements. To keep the warranty valid,

use the coating specified and use the VOC budget method to show

a weighted average VOC compliance

(see

below)

lf

noncompliant

materials are used onsite

accidentally,

or due

to

a

warranty

or other

issue,

you

can use

the

VOC

budget

method. This method

compares the total amount of VOCs

(in grams

per

liter) used in

the

design case to

the total amount of VOCs that would have been

used

if

every

product

exactly met LEED VOC

allowances. The calculation must

be

determined for

adhesives and sealants

separately

from

paints

and

coatings. For example,

it won't

necessarily help

your

case to use low-VOC

paints

but

also

some

high-VOC

sealants.

(See

the compliance example below for

paints

and coatings.)

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4/5

4.

themselves, and simply need a low-emltting finish, which is unlikely

to have much of a

cost

premium.

V/ith

higher-end flooring products, the cost

of

credit-compliant and non-compliant products should

be

comparable

for

all types

of

flooring.

Durability and

performance

of

flooring

materials

that are compliant with

this credit should

not

be an issue,

compared

with

conventional

materials.

Carpeting all of

your

regularly occupied spaces

will

make earning this credit

easier, because compliant

carpeting

is

easy to

find

and should

be

available

without

a cost

premium.

FloorScore-certified hard-surface

flooring, on the other hand, is harder to find as there may be limited variety and

availability. However,

consider durabillty as

part

of

your

design-hard-surface flooring offers better

durability than carpet.

FloorScore Iists a few compliant

products

on its website, but

a

limited

number of manufacturers

that

have

had their

products

tested by FloorScore. Products

certified under the Greenguard for

Children and Schools

program

are

also okay, because that standard meets the California Department

of Health

Services

protocol.

Beware: the generic Greenguard standard does not meet this protocol.

Resilient flooring, rubber flooring,

ceramic tile, and

prefinished

wood flooring

all must be FloorScore-

certified.

Wood,

concrete, and other

flooring

installed

raw

need not be certified,

but all coatings and finished

applied to them must meet

the

requirements

of

lEQc4.2: Low-Emittinq

Materials-Paints

and Coatinqs.

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5/5

LEED

Cl 2009 IEQ c4.4 Low-Emitting Materials

-

Composite

Wood and Agrifiber Products

Like most other low-emitting

material

credits, this credit

is

all-or-nothing.

Composite

products

and

laminating adhesives can have

no

added

urea-formaldehyde

(UF)

resins. This

credit

applies

to the manufacturing of all

composite materials and laminating

adhesives used on the

project

(and

installed

within

the

weather barrier), in contrast with

lEQc4.1

and lEQc4.2 that only apply to site-applied

products.

For this credit,

there is no

"VOC

budget" option as there is with lEQc4.

1

and

lEQc4.2.

UF is an inexpensive binder that

is widely used in interior-grade

particleboard,

MDF, and

plywood.

lf

you

are

looking

for

products

without UF,

look for

exterior-grade

plywood

(UF

is not used

there

because it is not moisture-

resistant), or straw-based

agrifiber

panels

(in

which

UF doesn't

perform

well as a binder).

Different kinds and sources of formaldehyde

Some woods have naturally occurring formaldehyde, so

note

that the credit does

not

address

total

UF content,

but added UF.

To

be

compliant,

products

simply need

to

have

no added urea-formaldehyde

binders and

glues.

Other types

of

formaldehyde binders-phenol and melamine-are

allowed under this credit,

as

their

formaldehyde content

is more tightly bound.

Do

your

research

Research credit-compliant

products,

including

plywood,

MDF,

door cores, laminate countertops,

and

other

composite materials before construction begins helps to ensure that

the

right

products

are used. Early research

helps

avoid

costly change orders and mistakes that would

disqualify

you

from earning the credit.

While most

of

the

focus in

this credit

is

on

composite

wood,

make sure to

check the

laminate

adhesives used by

manufacturers

in

products

such as countertops, doors,

flooring

and millwork

that

has

adhered edging, Iaminates,

and veneers.

Don't use or choose

products

that

merely

claim to be

"low-emitting."

You have

to

find

and submit documentation

that

proves

the

project

met the specific credit requirements.

Only 20o/o of

product

cut sheets selected at random need to be uploaded

to

LEED

Online to document this credit,

although it is best to

keep

all

product

cut sheets on file in case the credit is

audited.

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Allowable VOC Content for LEED

Documents