Every LEED project needs to fulfill all prerequisites and Minimum Program Requirements. These do not get the project any points towards certification. To get points, the project must include many different strategies in the different categories to add up to the threshold number of points. Read through this website for details on the process: GBCI.

Here are the different certification levels:

• LEED certified – 40-49 points
• LEED Silver – 50-59 points
• LEED Gold – 60-79 points
• LEED Platinum – 80+ points

Strategies that are used to fulfill credits are very diverse. The LEED project should be using more strategies than needed so that if some are not awarded points, then others that do get points will still count towards making it to the certification threshold.


USGBC is very careful to NOT condone specific products for LEED buildings, but instead they promote overall strategies such as low-flow showerheads and faucets. Therefore, there is nearly never a case where a product or material can be for-sure used on a LEED project to gain points. The only exception is that, as things are now, Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood is approved for LEED (there is some controversy over this and there is talk of USGBC making their own label for wood products).


For example, the new Nintendo building will be building a green roof and including composting bins towards gaining points for LEED Silver certification. Strategies may contribute towards credits in more than one category (i.e. Energy & Atmosphere in addition to Materials & Resources).

Other strategies might include:

• Bicycle and shower facilities
• Light shelves in windows and shell
• Natural ventilation
• Constructed wetlands

For previous posts on this topic, Part 1 and more advanced notes.
For a more in-depth look at LEED in action, check out the blog Real Life LEED.

This entry will focus on how the LEED rating systems are set up and the basic categories of credits. For a basic introduction to LEED, check this website.

The LEED Rating Systems are the sets of credits and categories that a LEED project team is aiming for. They are specific for the type of construction, like a new building would go for LEED for new construction, a school would go for LEED for Schools, a home would go for LEED for Homes.

Every rating system has the same set of categories, though the credits within them may be different.
The categories are:

• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy & Atmosphere
• Materials & Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Locations and Linkages
• Awareness & Education
• Innovation in Design
• Regional Priority

The different credits in each category may be weighted to be worth more points than other credits. Some credits allow for incremental points to be earned by how much is accomplished by the building. For example, a certain percentage decrease in water usage could result in 1 point, but by decreasing water usage by then next threshold percentage could result in 2 points.

The Energy & Atmosphere category’s credits have the most potential points to be earned.

That’s it for now. I’ll be posting more on this since I’m almost done with graduate school applications, but for more advanced notes, see my previous post.

[EDIT: I am turning this into a several part series on studying for the LEED GA exam, with more comprehensive tips and outlines, so check back for updates!]

So today I took and passed the LEED Green Associate examination! I can now add the LEED GA credential to add to my resume!

While studying, I pulled together this basic outline of study tips and resources. These are meant for people who are also in the process of studying for the LEED GA exam. If you know nothing about LEED, check out this website first.

Hopefully these notes will help others study for the exam. U.S. Green Building Council is the nonprofit organization that releases the rating systems and standards, and Green Building Certification Institute is the organization that does the certification and accreditation.
Image Credit: Flickr user quapan

Key tips:

1. Many things are calculated by area and cost so pay attention to those ratios and things. Know what types of data go into the ratios. For example, recycled materials used is calculated using proportion of costs.
2. I had difficulty differentiating minimum occupancy rate and full time equivalent occupancy. Minimum occupancy rate is just for LEED O&M and has to do with how many permanent tenants are in the building, which needs to take up 75% of the floor area for at least 12 months continuously prior to registration of the project. Full time equivalent occupancy has to do with the actual amount of time the people spend in the building, and this is calculated using person-hours per day divided by 8. For example, an 8-hr shift worker is equal to 1 FTE.
3. Salvaged materials are different from recycled materials because salvaged means the material is being used somewhat in the same form as it was previously, whereas with recycled the material is being used for a new purpose and in a changed form. An example of salvaged material is old brick from a building’s walls being reused to make a path. An example of recycled is glass being melted together to make something for the new building.
4. Pre-consumer recycled material is industry scraps diverted from the landfills to make something for a different purpose than where it came from. Post-consumer recycled material comes from the end consumer waste stream like aluminum cans and such. Post-consumer fiber material comes from fibrous materials like paper and paperboard.
5. Regional materials are harvested, processed, and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site. But this still allows for the materials to travel within that 500 mile radius from the place where it is extracted to where it is processed and rack up the mileage that way. This is a weakness in the LEED standards that might be addressed by future revisions.
6. Projects cannot register to achieve a certain certification level. For example, though a target level might be noted as a goal, you can’t say that the project is “LEED Gold registered.” You can only say that the project will be applying for it after completion or that it is registered with a certification goal of a specific level. The wording is really important to USGBC.
7. HFCs and HCFCs have Global Warming Potential, and CFCs have Ozone Depleting Potential.
8. “Green power” refers specifically to off-site energy. Solar panels and other on-site renewable energy have their own category under on-site renewable energy. RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) or any similar certificate would contribute to green power because they help pay for the costs of developing renewable energy. This is different from purchasing green power in that it does not directly involve green electrons because they represent the positive attributes of the electricity separate from the actual electrons.

Online pages and references to read:

• LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook (Read the articles and references they list in here too!)
• Green Building Research
• About the LEED project certification process (People get accredited, projects get certified)
• LEED Logo Guidelines
• Information and Policies
• Policy Manual
• Minimum Program Requirements
• Integrated Project Design
• LEED Reference Documents

[EDIT:
For a very basic introduction to LEED, check out these two entries:
Study Guide Part 1
Study Guide Part 2


More advanced parts to the study guide are on the way!}