SFP Managing Sustainable Facilities 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A facility manager is selecting products under a sustainable purchasing policy. Which ecolabel specifically certifies products with reduced environmental impact across their full lifecycle?
- UL Environment (UL 2809)
- ENERGY STAR
- EPA Safer Choice
- UL ECOLOGO (Correct answer)
Correct answer: UL ECOLOGO
UL ECOLOGO certification evaluates products across multiple environmental criteria throughout their lifecycle, covering categories from cleaning products to building materials.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a building's 'preventive maintenance' program in the context of sustainability?
- To meet OSHA compliance requirements only
- To extend equipment life, maintain efficiency, and prevent costly reactive repairs (Correct answer)
- To document capital expenditures for tax purposes
- To replace equipment before it fails on a fixed schedule
Correct answer: To extend equipment life, maintain efficiency, and prevent costly reactive repairs
Preventive maintenance sustains equipment efficiency, extends useful life, and reduces energy waste from degraded system performance.
Question 3: A facility manager is implementing a comprehensive recycling program and encounters fluorescent lamps. How must spent fluorescent lamps be handled under EPA regulations?
- Disposed in general trash since they contain minimal mercury
- Managed as universal waste under EPA's Universal Waste Rule (Correct answer)
- Treated as hazardous waste requiring full RCRA manifest
- Returned directly to the lamp manufacturer only
Correct answer: Managed as universal waste under EPA's Universal Waste Rule
Spent fluorescent lamps containing mercury are managed under EPA's Universal Waste Rule, which simplifies compliance compared to full hazardous waste regulations.
Question 4: Which metric best measures the carbon efficiency of a building's energy supply?
- Energy Use Intensity (EUI)
- Carbon Use Intensity (CUI) or carbon emissions per square foot (Correct answer)
- Peak demand (kW)
- Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)
Correct answer: Carbon Use Intensity (CUI) or carbon emissions per square foot
Carbon Use Intensity (CUI), expressed as carbon emissions per square foot, measures how much GHG is generated relative to the building's size.
Question 5: A facility manager wants to reduce potable water use for irrigation. Which source is most suitable for non-potable irrigation under most US jurisdictions?
- Blackwater from restrooms
- Collected rainwater and condensate from HVAC cooling coils (Correct answer)
- Treated wastewater effluent Class C
- Domestic hot water recirculation bleed-off
Correct answer: Collected rainwater and condensate from HVAC cooling coils
Collected rainwater and HVAC condensate are widely accepted non-potable water sources for irrigation under US building codes and green rating systems.
Question 6: Which principle of the circular economy is MOST relevant to a facility manager procuring office furniture?
- Maximizing landfill diversion through recycling only
- Selecting products designed for disassembly, reuse, or remanufacturing (Correct answer)
- Purchasing the lowest-cost option to reduce capital expenditure
- Replacing furniture on a fixed 5-year cycle
Correct answer: Selecting products designed for disassembly, reuse, or remanufacturing
Circular economy principles prioritize products designed for longevity, disassembly, and reuse to keep materials in use and out of landfills.
Question 7: A facility's water bill shows a spike in consumption over a weekend when the building was unoccupied. What is the MOST likely cause?
- Increased HVAC condensate production
- An undetected water leak in the plumbing or irrigation system (Correct answer)
- Higher municipal water pressure on weekends
- Cooling tower blowdown cycling
Correct answer: An undetected water leak in the plumbing or irrigation system
Unexplained water use during unoccupied periods is the classic indicator of a leak in the plumbing system or irrigation controls.
SFP Managing Sustainable Facilities 5
A facility manager is selecting products under a sustainable purchasing policy.
Which ecolabel specifically certifies products with reduced environmental impact across their full lifecycle?