Becoming a LEED Accredited Professional
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island 
on 08.26.08
Passing the LEED Exam
Last Thursday I took--and passed--the LEED accreditation exam. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is a performance-based rating system for green buildings established by the U.S Green Building Council. It has come to be accepted as the benchmark for green building, and covers all aspects of a building, from materials, to energy, water and building operation. LEED is on the minds of many people in the building industry these days, and employers are looking to bolster their green credentials any way possible, including having employees that are LEED accredited. Becoming a LEED accredited professional (LEED AP) gets your name listed on a directory of LEED APs and gives you more credibility to employers or clients. Another benefit is that I can now sign my name Andy Posner, LEED AP. (Okay, it's not like having a PhD, but it's not bad!)
How LEED Works
I studied for about a month to pass the exam, which consists of 80 questions covering all aspects of the rating system. The way LEED works is that the points are broken down into 5 topic areas: Sustainable Sites; Energy & Atmosphere; Water Efficiency; Materials and Resources; and Indoor Air Quality. A final category rewards efforts that don't fall under the other topic areas. Within each category, points are awarded for achieving environmental performance. For instance, 1-10 points can be earned under Energy & Atmosphere, depending on the energy-efficiency of the building. Each category has pre-requisites that must be met, and depending on how many points the project is awarded a building can be rated anywhere from LEED certified to LEED platinum. (Learn more about how LEED works here.)
Anyone can become a LEED AP. Definitely don't think it's limited to architects and engineers! For instance, I majored in Spanish Language and Culture, yet with a solid amount of studying I was able to understand the material without too much difficulty. I took the LEED for Existing Buildings exam (LEED has different rating systems, including LEED for Neighborhood Development, LEED for New Construction, etc.) and I read through the entire 400 page study manual twice in order to gain a solid understanding of the credits and the synergies between them.
Taking the Exam
On the day of the exam, I rode my bike 10 miles to the testing site, which is located just across from the main airport serving Rhode Island. I had actually never ridden to the airport, but fortunately my GPS unit got me there with no problems. Since the exam is computerized you get your results immediately after; I was very relieved to have passed!
I'm glad that I went through the entire process. I now have an excellent understanding of how LEED works as well as what it means for a building to be green. For instance, one might think that efficient light bulbs, solar panels and some insulation is enough, but LEED points out that buildings require a lot of energy, water and resources to build, maintain and operate, and every aspect of the building presents opportunities for saving money, reducing negative impacts and improving the health, comfort and safety of building occupants. That said, getting the LEED accreditation isn't exactly cheap: for non-USGBC members, the cost for the exam is $400, and the reference guide needed to study for the exam is $200. However, given that I am planning to start an environmental consulting company after I complete my masters degree, I feel the money was well worth it.
For more information about becoming a LEED AP, check out the LEED AP candidate handbook, LEED AP exam preparation, and the Green Building Certification Institute web site .
More on LEED
Ambrose Hotel First to Earn LEED for Existing Buildings
Adobe Achieves LEED Platinum
U.S. Green Building Council
Boston's Logan Airport Gets LEED Certification
Big Steps in Building: Make LEED Mandatory for Condos
Return on Green: LEED Proves Its Worth in Resale
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Congratulations on your success! Don't lose momentum - 'start' your business now, get a corporate membership to the USGBC, take advantage of the hard work they've already put into marketing materials, take advantage of the discounts offered to members, try to get to GreenBuild in Boston this November. Your closest local chapter is Boston - but maybe you can help start an RI chapter with local profesionals and students from the design schools.
Our architecture/engineering firm has many LEED APs, but we're still learning. Your accreditation is a great result, but it should be just the beginning of your effort.
Hey Andrew, living in RI I do see a lack of movement with green building and sustainablility issues, but the rehab of the mill buildings I believe are great. Congrats on your LEED! Start that company and maybe I'll hopefully join the team!
Congratulations and thank you for the information! I am planning to pursue a career in environmental / green consulting and always looking for what qualifications and education might best aid me in this field.
Timely article -- I hope to take the test within the next 3 weeks, and am getting nervous! It's good to hear that you passed on the first try. If you're a member of the USGBC (which you can do through a firm or as an individual), it brings the cost of the book down to $150, and the test to $300.
I hate to be a naysayer, but I think this points out one of the flaws of the LEED AP designation--someone with no background and only a month of studying can call themselves a LEED AP if they just pass a test.
Plus, LEED buildings aren't always that energy efficient. A study commissioned by the USGBC shows that to be the case. If you read it, you'll see that they omitted a whole group of LEED building from their charts because they were high energy users. Also, performing ~30% better than the commercial building stock isn't really that great. Commercial building stock includes all buildings, including really old, less energy efficient ones. Likely, a building built to code standards would be showing the same performance levels as a LEED building.
Andrew, congrats on passing your test and your enthusiasm. If you haven't already, pick up some building science books. That will help to give you an even better idea as to how to make buildings energy efficient and durable, which is the greenest thing you can do.
Congratulations Andrew on passing. I'm glad you don't have to retake the $400 exam. I know it is a little too late to change anything but if you are a student (like I am) you can get the reference guide for $100.
I've read the guide 1ce and I'm going through it for the 2nd and 3rd time right now (reading each section twice in a row). I'm glad to hear that just going through it twice was enough as classes are about to start again so I won't have as much time.
I have been blogging about the process as well at http://indianhillmediaworks.typepad.com/energy_matters/
congrats once again
Congratulations Andrew on passing. I'm glad you don't have to retake the $400 exam. I know it is a little too late to change anything but if you are a student (like I am) you can get the reference guide for $100.
I've read the guide 1ce and I'm going through it for the 2nd and 3rd time right now (reading each section twice in a row). I'm glad to hear that just going through it twice was enough as classes are about to start again so I won't have as much time.
I have been blogging about the process as well at http://indianhillmediaworks.typepad.com/energy_matters/
congrats once again
If you want to take the test but are worried about whether or not you will pass (The test costs $400 to take!!!), I suggest you take a exam preparation class. I did it and it worked out great even though I don't have much experience in green building. It saved me a ton of time and I didn't have to worry about failing the test. It was from a company called Everblue Energy. They did a great job of breaking everything down so that I knew exactly what I needed to know to pass.
The link to their LEED Test Prep webpage:
http://www.everblueenergy.com/leedtestprep.html
Toby
I too took Everblue Energy LEED Course and it was great. I passed my exam about three weeks after the class. My instructor, Chris, did a great job and their credit summary sheets were a big help. On a side note, their catering was phenomenal. They hold their New York classes at a facility that also houses a culinary institute and I’ve never eaten so well at any other training event.
If you're just starting out with LEED, take their class.
Two new credentials, "Green Associate" and "LEED AP+", are replacing the legacy LEED AP credential in spring 2009.
The Green Associate credential is meant or people who want a good understanding of LEED but won't necessarily be involved its implementation.The LEED AP+ is meant for design professionals and builders who need more in depth knowledge of LEED and its implementation.
It seems like a good idea to differentiate between the different levels of experience that people may have with green building. But I wonder how it will effect the exams? I was hoping to take the LEED exam soon.
LEED is not perfect and there are many job-specific situations that require interpretation.
Since submitting Credit Interpretation Requests (CIRs) come at a cost, I use www.LEEDloop.com to have my questions answered by other green building professionals.
Good luck on your LEED journey, find me on LEED loop and we will get your questions answered!