LEED Atmosphere Credits 5

Question 1

A building owner wants to reduce carbon emissions from purchased electricity. Which LEED EA strategy specifically addresses this by procuring electricity from renewable sources off-site?

Accepted Answer

Purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) through EA Credit: Green Power and Carbon Offsets

Answer

Purchasing RECs through EA Credit: Green Power and Carbon Offsets allows owners to claim that their electricity consumption is matched by renewable energy generated elsewhere on the grid.

Question 2

Under LEED v4 Enhanced Commissioning, what is the minimum required period for a 'post-occupancy commissioning review' after substantial completion?

Accepted Answer

10 months

Answer

Enhanced Commissioning requires a post-occupancy commissioning review approximately 10 months after substantial completion to verify continued performance.

Question 3

What is the primary difference between CFC, HCFC, and HFC refrigerants in terms of environmental impact?

Accepted Answer

CFCs have high ODP and high GWP; HCFCs have moderate ODP and moderate GWP; HFCs have zero ODP but high GWP

Answer

CFCs destroy ozone and have high GWP; HCFCs partially destroy ozone and have moderate GWP; HFCs do not destroy ozone but still have high GWP, making each progressively better on ODP but still concerning for climate.

Question 4

In a LEED project pursuing EA Prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance, what is the minimum percentage improvement in energy performance required over the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline for new construction?

Accepted Answer

No improvement is required—the building must simply comply with ASHRAE 90.1

Answer

EA Prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance only requires compliance with ASHRAE 90.1 as a minimum threshold; percentage improvements above baseline are rewarded through the EA Credit: Optimize Energy Performance.

Question 5

Which scenario would most likely trigger additional points under LEED EA Credit: Enhanced Commissioning's 'monitoring-based commissioning' option?

Accepted Answer

Installing automated fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) systems that continuously monitor building performance

Answer

Monitoring-based commissioning uses automated fault detection and diagnostics to continuously identify performance deviations and trigger corrective action.

LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification Practice Test

LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification Practice Test

LEED Atmosphere Credits 5