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Minimum Energy Performance
- Each version requires some minimum level of energy performance as
defined by some third party standard such as ASHRAE 90.1 or the EPA
Benchmarking Tool. For this prerequisite, lighting is one of the
disciplines involved (usually also involving mechanical, envelope and
water service issues). Lighting is an important component of this
prerequisite but will not solely provide compliance with it.
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Optimize Energy Performance
- Each version also allows for additional credits to be earned by
out-performing the standard mentioned above by some specific
percentage. The number of possible points and how to achieve them
varies greatly version to version. Lighting is an important component
of this prerequisite but will not solely provide compliance with it.
Typically, this credit offers the greatest oppotunity for a project to
earn points.
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Light Controllability
- All versions of LEED offer credits for providing varying levels of
individual control over lighting and for ensuring that common areas
also contain separate controls.
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Light Pollution Reduction
- This is 1 of only 2 credits totally dependent on lighting issues. The
specific requirements and the number of possible points (0.5 to 1) vary
between the various versions of LEED. In general, however, this credit
aims to:
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reduce light trespass onto neighboring properties,
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improve nighttime visibility through glare reduction, and
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reduce sky-glow to increase night sky access and to reduce developmental impact on nocturnal environments.
Most of the versions, for this credit, contain requirements for both the internal and the external lighting.
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Mercury Content in Light Bulbs
- The various versions of LEED-EB has both a prerequisite and/or a
credit (1 point) for maintaining the mercury content of all
mercury-containing light bulbs below a specified number of picograms
per lumen hour, on weighted average, for all mercury-containing light
bulbs acquired for the existing building and associated grounds.