USGBC Updated LEED-Green-Associate Exam Questions and Answers by juniper

LEED certification is awarded based on the number of points a project earns across several categories of green building performance. The range of points required to maintain Gold level of LEED certification is 60-79, out of a possible 110 points. The other levels of LEED certification are: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59points), and Platinum (80 or more points)13. References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide3

Daylighting is a strategy that involves designing buildings to maximize the use of natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting1. Daylighting can improve the indoor environmental quality by enhancing the visual comfort, mood, and productivity of the occupants2. Daylighting can also help attain points toward LEED certification by contributing to the credits in the Energy and Atmosphere and Indoor Environmental Quality categories1. Night lighting, installing indoor plants, and installing inoperable windows are not strategies that directly improve the indoor environmental quality or help attain points toward LEED certification.

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

LEED prerequisites are the minimum requirements that a project must meet in order to be eligible for LEED certification. Prerequisites are mandatory for all projects and cannot be substituted or waived. If a project does not meet a prerequisite in one credit category, it does not qualify for certification, regardless of how many points it earns in other categories123.

A project that does not meet a prerequisite in one credit category does not forfeit all points in the same credit category, as points are awarded for meeting optional credits, not prerequisites. A project cannot file a CIR (Credit Interpretation Request) to seek clarification or exception for a prerequisite, as CIRs are only applicable for credits. A projectcannot substitute a prerequisite from an alternative rating system, as prerequisites are specific to each rating system and reflect the minimum standards for that system