Pass LEED-AP-BD+C Exam Guide

LEED requires that at least 50% of a building’s annual electricity consumption be offset by green power or carbon offsets to achieve the Energy and Atmosphere Credit: Green Power and Carbon Offsets. For this building with a projected annual consumption of 2,200,435 kWh, half of this amount, 1,100,218 kWh, must be purchased from green sources to meet the credit requirements. This strategy helps mitigate carbon emissions by promoting the use of renewable energy.

According to the LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, the calculations for Quality Views must include the following variables: window size and configuration, glazing factor, window head height, distance of the window from the floor, permanent interior obstructions, and exterior obstructions. Ceiling heights, building furniture, and movable partitions are not required to be included in the calculations.

References:

LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, Indoor Environmental Quality Credit: Quality Views, page 7061

Daylight and Quality Views

The heat island effect is the phenomenon of urban areas having higher air temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to the absorption and emission of heat by human-made surfaces, such as buildings, roads, and pavements. The heat island effect can have negative impacts on the environment, human health, and energy consumption. One of the strategies to reduce the heat island effect is to use highly reflective paving materials that have a high solar reflectance index (SRI), which measures the ability of a surface to reflect solar radiation and stay cool. However, over time, the paving materials can accumulate dirt and dust, which can lower their reflectance and increase their heat absorption. Therefore, a facility manager cleaning highly reflective paving material is reducing the heat island effect by restoring the reflectance and cooling potential of the surface12.

References:

•Heat Island Reduction | U.S. Green Building Council1

•SpecTopics: Heat Island Reduction Credit and LEED V4/V4.1 - Carlisle SynTec

For the Water Efficiency (WE) Prerequisite: Outdoor Water Use Reduction, athletic fields and playgrounds are considered special landscape areas and can be optionally included in landscape area calculations. This flexibility (D) allows teams to decide based on the unique water needs of these areas, as athletic fields often require extensive watering for maintenance. LEED recognizes these areas’ high water demand and provides an exception, acknowledging the potential challenges in reducing water for such intensive-use spaces.