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LEED + LL97 + G36 Research Brief

Regulatory + standards numbers behind every demo claim. Source-cited.

LEED + LL97 + FDD competitive/regulatory brief

Research date: 2026-05-01. Time-boxed agent run, Jan 2026 knowledge cutoff. Verify any specific dollar/cap figure against current NYC code before client-facing claims.

1. LEED credits map (v4.1 O+M unless noted)

Credit Pts BMS data needed Our readiness
EAp2 / EAc1 Optimize Energy Performance up to 33 (EAc1) Whole-building kWh, gas, weather-norm baseline (ENERGY STAR score) Shipped (/leed, /energy)
EAc2 Existing Building Commissioning — Analysis 2 RCx investigation + ASHRAE-Lvl-2 audit using BMS trends Build: auto-RCx report from trends
EAc2 EBCx — Implementation 2 Evidence setpoints/schedules changed; M&V period Need write-back + change log
EAc3 Ongoing Commissioning (MBCx) 3 Continuous trends ≥1-yr, key-system points, monthly review cadence, FDD reports Partial: have trends; need rule engine + monthly digest
EAc4 Advanced Energy Metering 2 Sub-meter all major end-uses; 1-hr or finer granularity; 36-mo retention Partial — depends on site sub-metering
EAc5 Demand Response 1–2 Curtailment plan + ConEd DLRP/CSRP enrollment; verified shed events New: shed-mode dashboard + control writeback
EAc6 Renewable Energy 1–5 On-site PV/solar-thermal kWh trends Read-only if metered
EAc7 Refrigerant Mgmt 1 Equipment refrigerant inventory, leak alarms BMS only sees alarms
EQc1 IAQ Mgmt Plan 2 CO₂ trends, OA dampers, ventilation rates per ASHRAE 62.1 Strong fit if CO₂ sensors present
EQc2 Enhanced IAQ Strategies 1–2 Demand-control vent (CO₂-based reset), MERV ≥13 Control writeback unlocks DCV

LEED v5 (released Aug 2025): heavier weight on operational carbon (kgCO₂e/sf, not just kBtu/sf), grid-interactive behavior (DR + load-flexibility), and a new resilience category. Real-time emissions tracking against marginal grid factors (eGRID/WattTime) becomes table stakes.

Sources: https://www.usgbc.org/leed/v41 · https://www.usgbc.org/leed-v5 · LEED v4.1 O+M Reference Guide.

2. NYC Local Law 97 — risk + opportunity

NYC LL97 caps GHG intensity for buildings >25,000 sf in two tiers: 2024–2029 and 2030–2034 (~40% lower). Penalty: $268 per metric ton CO₂e over the cap, annually (NYC Admin Code §28-320.6). Office (Occupancy Group B) 2024 cap = 0.00846 tCO₂e/sf; 2030 cap drops to 0.00453.

Illustrative: a 1M-sf tower 5% over the 2030 cap pays ~$60K/yr per percentage point over. A 10% miss = ~$600K/yr forever. Real-time monitoring + automated setpoint optimization typically delivers 8–15% energy reduction (DOE/LBNL meta-analyses) — the difference between compliant and exposed for most pre-1990 Class-B stock.

Adjacent: California Title 24 Part 6 (DR-ready controls + FDD on packaged AC ≥10 tons); EU EPBD 2024 recast (BACS Class B by 2030 for non-residential >290 kW).

Sources: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/codes/local-law-97.page · https://www.urbangreencouncil.org/local-law-97/ · https://up.codes/viewer/california/ca-title-24-part-6.

3. Continuous commissioning playbook — FDD rules to ship

Anchored to ASHRAE Guideline 36-2021 + LBNL FDD library:

  1. Simultaneous heating + cooling — Reheat valve >5% open while cooling valve >5% open at AHU/VAV ≥15 min. Highest hit-rate fault.
  2. Economizer not economizing — OAT 50–65°F, AHU cooling, OA damper <30%.
  3. Stuck damper / valve — Command vs feedback divergence >10% for >30 min.
  4. Schedule violation / after-hours runtime — Fan/pump runtime outside occupied schedule >2 hr/wk.
  5. Sensor drift — Zone temp deviates from neighbors >3°F sustained, or OAT vs NOAA station drift >2°F.
  6. Trim & Respond not active — Static-pressure or chilled-water-supply setpoint constant for >24 hr (G36 §5.16 says it should reset continuously).
  7. DAT not tracking setpoint — |DAT − DAT-SP| >2°F for >20 min indicates valve hunt or coil fouling.

Reference: LBNL/PNNL rule library · https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/automated-fault-detection-and-diagnostics · ASHRAE G36-2021.

4. Control-loop technical path (WebCTRL 9)

WebCTRL 9 SOAP eWeb API exposes three write-capable services:

  • PropServRA — read/write any property by reference path (#sl_green/.../zone_setpt); use setValue op.
  • Schedule — read/write equipment schedules.
  • Eval — runs BACnet expressions; can issue write-property at a priority level (use 13–14 for analytics; never ≤7 = life-safety/manual operator).

Endpoints: http://<webctrl>/_common/lvl5/eval/eval.jsp (Eval) · http://<webctrl>/_common/lvl5/properties/properties.jsp. Auth via WebCTRL operator account; HTTPS strongly recommended.

4-layer risk model for any writeback:

  1. Dry-run mode — every action emits a "would-write" payload, no SOAP call.
  2. Approval workflow — Operator + Engineer dual sign-off outside an approved guardrail (setpoint ±2°F, schedule ±1 hr).
  3. Change windows — block writes during peak/critical hours.
  4. Rollback — every write captures prior_value; one-click revert; auto-revert after N hours if not reconfirmed.
  5. BACnet priority discipline — never write at priority ≤7. Use 13/14. Operator-Manual at 8 always wins over us.

5. Game-changer feature ranking (impact × feasibility)

# Feature Data Writeback LEED/LL97 Effort Gap closed
1 LL97 carbon governor — live tCO₂e ticker, cap delta, suggested setpoint trims kWh, gas, eGRID hourly Yes (suggest → approve → write) LL97 direct, EAc1, v5 carbon M Nantum shows the number; nobody auto-actions it
2 G36 conformance score per AHU/VAV — % of sequences matching G36 DAT, DAT-SP, OA dmp, valves, SP-reset No (read-only) EAc2/3 EBCx M No commercial tool grades against G36 today
3 Closed-loop optimal start/stop — weather + occupancy ML, dry-run by default Zone temps, OAT forecast, schedules Yes (Schedule SOAP) EAc1 S–M Most BAS analytics are read-only
4 DR auto-shed playbook — pre-cool → coast → restore, ConEd CSRP/DLRP integrated kW interval, zone temps Yes (PropServRA) EAc5, LL97 M Aquicore/Gridium notify; we execute
5 MBCx auto-report — monthly LEED EAc3-ready PDF All trends No EAc3 (3 pts) S Saves $50–100K/yr per building in CxA fees
6 Refrigerant + leak digital twin — chiller log scrape + alarm correlation + EPA 608 Alarm + event log No EAc7, LL97 (HFC phase-down) S Nobody handles refrigerant in BAS analytics
7 CO₂-driven DCV with IAQ guardrails — auto-modulate OA per ASHRAE 62.1 CO₂, OA dmp, AHU Yes EQc1/2, EAc1 M DCV usually requires controls retrofit; we do via SOAP
8 Tenant carbon-allocation portal — sf-weighted tCO₂e per tenant for ESG/lease Sub-meters or modeled No LL97 §28-320.5, ESG M Unique ROI hook for SL Green's leasing team

Top 3 to ship next (agent's recommendation)

  1. LL97 carbon governor (#1) — dollar-for-dollar killer demo for SL Green. Read-only ticker + suggestions panel first; Phase 2 wires SOAP writeback behind dry-run + approval.
  2. G36 conformance scoring (#2) — pure-read, low risk, no other vendor has it. The moat.
  3. WebCTRL SOAP write-back layer with 4-tier safety — foundation that unlocks features 1, 3, 4, 7.