LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Energy and Atmosphere 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which statement best describes the difference between Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and on-site renewable energy generation for LEED purposes?
- RECs count toward Optimize Energy Performance but on-site generation does not
- On-site generation earns Renewable Energy Production credit; RECs earn Green Power and Carbon Offsets credit (Correct answer)
- Both RECs and on-site generation earn points under the same EA credit
- RECs are not recognized under LEED v4 at all
Correct answer: On-site generation earns Renewable Energy Production credit; RECs earn Green Power and Carbon Offsets credit
LEED v4 separates on-site renewable generation (Renewable Energy Production credit) from off-site REC purchases (Green Power and Carbon Offsets credit).
Question 2: A commissioning provider reviews the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) and Basis of Design (BOD). At what project phase should this review occur for Enhanced Commissioning?
- After construction is complete and before occupancy
- During the design phase, before construction documents are finalized (Correct answer)
- During the schematic design phase only
- After the first year of occupancy
Correct answer: During the design phase, before construction documents are finalized
Enhanced Commissioning requires the CxA to review the OPR and BOD during the design phase to catch issues before they are built.
Question 3: Which of the following actions would most directly help a building earn the LEED EA Advanced Energy Metering credit?
- Installing rooftop solar panels with inverters
- Adding sub-meters for HVAC, lighting, and plug loads with data logged at hourly or more frequent intervals (Correct answer)
- Replacing all lighting with LED fixtures
- Enrolling in a utility green tariff program
Correct answer: Adding sub-meters for HVAC, lighting, and plug loads with data logged at hourly or more frequent intervals
Advanced Energy Metering requires granular, time-stamped sub-metering data for major end uses collected at intervals of one hour or less.
Question 4: How does LEED address buildings with no district energy connection that want to earn energy performance points?
- They are exempt from the Optimize Energy Performance credit
- They must use the whole-building energy simulation path or the ASHRAE prescriptive path (Correct answer)
- They automatically receive partial credit for not using district energy
- They must install on-site cogeneration to be eligible
Correct answer: They must use the whole-building energy simulation path or the ASHRAE prescriptive path
Buildings without district energy still pursue Optimize Energy Performance through energy simulation or an approved prescriptive compliance path.
Question 5: In LEED EA, what is the significance of the 'charge size' of a refrigerant system when calculating environmental impact?
- Larger charge sizes always disqualify a system from certification
- Charge size is used in the LCGWP formula to estimate total refrigerant emissions over equipment lifetime (Correct answer)
- Charge size determines the number of commissioning inspections required
- Charge size affects only the ODP calculation, not the GWP calculation
Correct answer: Charge size is used in the LCGWP formula to estimate total refrigerant emissions over equipment lifetime
The LCGWP calculation multiplies charge size by leak rate and GWP to estimate the total climate impact of the refrigerant over the equipment's life.
Question 6: Which LEED EA prerequisite requires that buildings do not use CFC-based refrigerants in new HVAC&R equipment?
- Optimize Energy Performance
- Fundamental Refrigerant Management (Correct answer)
- Enhanced Commissioning
- Demand Response
Correct answer: Fundamental Refrigerant Management
Fundamental Refrigerant Management is the prerequisite that prohibits CFC-based refrigerants in new HVAC&R systems to protect the ozone layer.
Question 7: A project team is considering ISO 50001 certification as an alternative compliance path for energy management. Which LEED EA credit recognizes ISO 50001?
- Fundamental Commissioning
- Green Power and Carbon Offsets
- Optimize Energy Performance (Correct answer)
- Advanced Energy Metering
Correct answer: Optimize Energy Performance
LEED v4 recognizes ISO 50001 certification as an alternative compliance path for earning points under Optimize Energy Performance.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Energy and Atmosphere 5
Which statement best describes the difference between Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and on-site renewable energy generation for LEED purposes?