LEED

[barnesrj80]

When it started, the Air Force just made it a goal to be "certifiable" at a certain level, not actually certified. So, they went through the rigamarole, but didn't have to pay all the fees on the back end.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I'm a LEED AP myself. I'm no great fan of the system, but it was the hot thing a few years ago and my company was willing to foot the bill. It's merely a feather in my cap that looks nice on a resume.

I'd be interested to see the cost/benefit analysis on a typical LEED project. When do you reach your breakeven point when your savings on energy offset the $3M extra you spent to make it earthy and crunchy.

Registering your project is a money grab for the USGBC. Also, it contributes to the greenwashing of the general public. "They support the environment, I can feel good about shopping there..." They do realize the extra expense of the facility is passed onto them I hope.

 

[da_souljah]

Does anyone have any specific examples of how much it costs to get a building certified?

 

[bueltebd]

I'm a LEED AP myself. I'm no great fan of the system, but it was the hot thing a few years ago and my company was willing to foot the bill. It's merely a feather in my cap that looks nice on a resume.

I'd be interested to see the cost/benefit analysis on a typical LEED project. When do you reach your breakeven point when your savings on energy offset the $3M extra you spent to make it earthy and crunchy.

Registering your project is a money grab for the USGBC. Also, it contributes to the greenwashing of the general public. "They support the environment, I can feel good about shopping there..." They do realize the extra expense of the facility is passed onto them I hope.

Do you feel it was worth it to you to get the LEED AP? I'm considering getting mine...if nothing more than for the resume booster.

 

[John QPE]

Do you plan on doing work in the green building industry?

If so, then yes.

Don't let these idiots who tell you not to get "too caught up in it" influence your decision. If you plan on doing work in the field it is absolutely necessary.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I'm a LEED AP myself. I'm no great fan of the system, but it was the hot thing a few years ago and my company was willing to foot the bill. It's merely a feather in my cap that looks nice on a resume.

I'd be interested to see the cost/benefit analysis on a typical LEED project. When do you reach your breakeven point when your savings on energy offset the $3M extra you spent to make it earthy and crunchy.

Registering your project is a money grab for the USGBC. Also, it contributes to the greenwashing of the general public. "They support the environment, I can feel good about shopping there..." They do realize the extra expense of the facility is passed onto them I hope.

Do you feel it was worth it to you to get the LEED AP? I'm considering getting mine...if nothing more than for the resume booster.

It was the hot thing at that point and my dog could pass the test if she was drunk at the time, so why not especially if your company is footing the bill. It's a resume booster, and since it is the flavor of the week, it is good to have an understanding of the system. I won a project for my old firm based on my knowledge of it. That's about it.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Don't let these idiots who tell you not to get "too caught up in it" influence your decision. If you plan on doing work in the field it is absolutely necessary.

Please stop flaming.

 

[bueltebd]

Do you plan on doing work in the green building industry?

If so, then yes.

Don't let these idiots who tell you not to get "too caught up in it" influence your decision. If you plan on doing work in the field it is absolutely necessary.

We don't particularly go for LEED projects, but we have completed a couple.

 

[GA PE]

Everblue has a good on-line class with sample tests for a couple hundred bucks. I watched it, went throught the sample tests mutlple times and passed with no problem.

 

[bueltebd]

Congrats! I'm considering taking the LEED Green Associate exam here shortly then taking the LEED AP. I'm with the others, what exam prep material was good to look at?

 

[GA PE]

Everblue has an online course and sample questions that I thought was fairly straight forward and reasonable at least 18 mos ago.

 

[Duke of PEarl]

Thanks GA PE. I checked out Everblue @ everblue.edu and they do offer Online Webinars starting at $299.

 

[Porta John]

Does anyone have LEED AP BD+C review book(s) for sale? Also, is all the material that you will need to review for the GA exam included in the BD+C books, or do you need separate review books?

Please PM me if you have any of these that you are trying to unload...

 

[Porta John]

If anyone has the BD+C study materials that they are looking to sell, please PM me, I would be interested in purchasing.

 

[Adeeel]

If anyone has the BD+C study materials that they are looking to sell, please PM me, I would be interested in purchasing.

I have books for sale, if interested please e-mail me at [email protected]

 

[user 26087]

http://www.greenlearner.com/signup/ has an exam simulator that helped me. Plus I read through the manuals. Make sure you know your points for the categories.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I spent about 50-60 hours studying for the old general LEED AP exam in 2008. Serious overkill, could have gotten by on much less.

I got a copy of the reference manual from a friend, memorized it as much as I could, and used the practice problems book from PPI.

Very straightforward.

 

[pelaw]

LEED is a good thing.

For one, I recently took a prep course for a certification. After I passed the end-of-lecture test, online, there was nothing, I emailed the administrator asking whether there was some record that I completed the test. He sent me a certificate of completion.

Same thing with LEED, it certifies that the building exceeds the 90.1 requirements as modeled, as far as EA credits go.

Now, some people may have a problem that the certificate does not say that the building is let's say 30% more efficient than ASHRAE baseline, on the PLAQUE! Well, LEED is not ASHRAE, it's covers more than ASHRAE and therefore have their own rating.

For two, it's good because it promotes local materials usage, recycling, clean construction sites, site clean up, cool surfaces, community disconnectedness etc., in addition to energy and water conservation.

For three it's good because it creates a construction niche for the above, to professionals and builders committed to LEED principles.

 

[Ivory]

LEED is a scam. Design around Ashrae standards and use common sense and save the USGBC fees.

I agree. Some companies instead of investing in R&D and a develop a "real" product where they can use to make a profit and create "real" jobs will instead position themselves and spend money on lobbying for bogus policies and regulations to create a phoney industry such as "going green". It is all a scam.

 

[K19]

Does anyone on the board here have this "Green Assoc." credential, and if so, could you explain the rationale for obtaining it? Is is correct to presume that the title carries little (if any) weight relative to the AP credentials, and that it is essentially resume/proposal fodder for persons in related industries (in effect saying that the person is cognizant in LEED principles, etc.)?

For context I'm a Civil P.E. in a small-ish firm that primarily does transportation, public works, and to a lesser extent site development. We do not do any "green" design ourselves (apart from LID / stormwater BMPs) although we do occasionally sub on architect-led projects where LEED is involved. As no one in our company has a LEED title, I'm trying to figure out if the Green Associate is worth going for and if there are tangible benefits to having it (while my employer would be paying for it, I have a healthy skepticism for these industry credentials).

Also, if anyone has used the Green Assoc. as a pathway towards an AP credential I'd love to hear about your experiences with this.