Pass the USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) LEED-Green-Associate Questions and answers with CertsForce

The Location and Transportation (LT) category addresses the location and accessibility of a project site, as well as its impacts on transportation, land use, and community connectivity. One of the credits in this category is LT Credit: Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses, which rewards projects that are located in areas with high density and a variety of land uses, such as retail, residential, and civic facilities. This can reduce vehicle miles traveled, greenhouse gas emissions, and infrastructure costs, as well as promote walkability, livability, and social interaction. A new project that is built adjacent to a park with a trail leading to an urban business district qualifies for this credit by providing pedestrian access to diverse uses within a 1/2 mi. (0.80 km) walking distance1 . References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide

Light, sound, occupant experience are some of the components that comprise the Indoor Environmental Quality credit category. The Indoor Environmental Quality credit category aims to provide a healthy, comfortable, and productive indoor environment for building occupants by addressing various factors that affect their well-being, such as thermal comfort, lighting quality, acoustic quality, air quality, and occupant control. The LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook states that one of the intents of the Indoor Environmental Quality category is to “enhance indoor environmental quality (IEQ) by improving the design, construction and operation of buildings” [1, p. 16]. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, [Indoor Environmental Quality | U.S. Green Building Council]

A project can earn up to four maximum points under the Regional Priority credit. The Regional Priority credit is a bonus credit that rewards projects for addressing environmental issues that are of regional importance. The USGBC regional councils and chapters have identified six environmental issues for each zip code in the United States, and projects can earn one point for each issue they address, up to a maximum of four points. The other options are not correct. One, two, or three points are possible, but not the maximum number of points under the Regional Priority credit. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, page 30; USGBC, [Regional Priority], page 1.

Only 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh, and a significant portion is locked in glaciers and ice caps. LEED emphasizes water conservation strategies to protect this finite resource​​.

Building-level energy metering is a prerequisite in LEED that requires the installation of energy meters to track the total energy usage of a building12. It helps to monitor and optimize the energy performance of the building and to report the data to USGBC3. Green metering, site evaluation data, and energy savings records are not terms used in LEED.

Drip irrigation is a method of watering plants that delivers water directly to the roots through a network of pipes, tubes, valves, and emitters. Drip irrigation is not a plumbingfixture, but a landscaping technique that can reduce outdoor water use by minimizing evaporation, runoff, and overspray12.

Plumbing fixtures are devices that provide water for various purposes, such as washing, bathing, cooking, or flushing. Plumbing fixtures include urinals, showerheads, kitchen faucets, and other types of faucets, toilets, bidets, and sinks. Plumbing fixtures are subject to indoor water use reduction strategies in LEED certification, such as installing low-flow or high-efficiency models, using automatic sensors or timers, or implementing water reuse systems34.

ASHRAE 189.1 is a standard that provides guidance for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings that comply with building codes and voluntary rating systems. The standard covers topics such as site sustainability, water efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and the impact of materials and resources12. References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, ASHRAE’s Standard 189.12

Regional priority credits are bonus points that are awarded to projects that achieve credits that address geographically specific environmental, social equity and public health priorities. These credits are not new LEED credits, but instead are existing credits that USGBC regional councils and chapters have designated as being particularly important for their areas. The goal of regional priority credits is to incentivize project teams to address the most critical and relevant environmental issues in their regions, such as water scarcity, air quality, habitat loss, or social equity12. Regional priority credits are based on the project’s geolocation (latitude and longitude coordinates), which can be entered and confirmed during project registration in LEED Online2. Each project can earn up to four regional priority bonus points, one for each regional priority credit achieved3.

The methodology that is used to evaluate and study the economic performance of a building or system over its entire life is life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA is a technique that assesses the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, process, or service throughout its life cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal or recycling7. LCA can also include an economic dimension by incorporating life cycle costing (LCC), whichestimates the total costs of ownership over the life cycle of a product or system8. By combining LCA and LCC, one can evaluate the environmental and economic performance of a building or system in a holistic way, taking into account both the initial investment costs and the long-term operational costs. This can help identify trade-offs and synergies between environmental and economic objectives, as well as opportunities for improving efficiency and reducing impacts9. References: Life-cycle assessment7; What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?8; Life Cycle Costing in Construction Projects: A Case Study of a Municipal Building in Portugal9

ASHRAE stands for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, a professional organization that develops standards and guidelines for the design, operation, and maintenance of buildings. ASHRAE standards are applicable to two LEED categories: Energy and Atmosphere (EA) and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). The EA category addresses the energy performance, efficiency, and renewable sources of buildings. The IEQ category addresses the indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting quality, and acoustic performance of buildings. Some of the ASHRAE standards that are relevant for these categories are: ASHRAE Standard 90.1 for energy efficiency;ASHRAE Standard 62.1 for ventilation; ASHRAE Standard 55 for thermal comfort; ASHRAE Standard 189.1 for high-performance green buildings1 . References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, ASHRAE’s Standards & Guidelines