LEED Green Associate Practice Test 3
1. Which of the following must be true of a LEED Green Building?
a. It is located near a source of groundwater
b. It uses solar or wind power
c. Its energy use is at least 60% of the energy use of a similar building built conventionally
d. It complies with all of the environmental laws that apply to the region within which it exists
2. What is the smallest amount of floor area that a store seeking a rating in LEED: Commercial Interiors may have?
a. 2% of the total land area of the project area
b. 250 square feet
c. 750 square feet
d. 1,000 square feet
3. Which evaluation system does LEED often use to define acceptable levels of volatile organic compounds in building materials?
a. EPA standards
b. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
standards
c. Green Seal
d. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standards
4. What program did the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy create to support energy-efficient products and practices?
a. Energy Star
b. LEED
c. Superfund
d. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
5. What is the life cycle cost of a cooling system?
a. The cost of purchasing the cooling system
b. The cost of purchasing, designing, building, maintaining, and disposing of the cooling system
c. The length of time the compounds used in the cooling system will take to fully decompose
d. The total pollution that the cooling system will emit during its life cycle
6. What does simple payback analysis estimate?
a. The tax deduction for which a green building may be eligible
b. The energy savings of a green building during its first year of operation
c. The number of years a project will take to pay for itself
d. The cost of a property
7. Using the payback period to make a decision, which project is the most likely to be chosen?
a. A project which costs $1 million and is expected to generate $15,000 per year
b. A project which costs $90 million and is expected to generate $9 million per year
c. A project which costs $6.5 million and is expected to generate $65,000 per year
d. A project which costs $30 million and is expected to generate $5 million dollars per year
8. If the LEED Steering Committee’s Management Subcommittee (MSC. denies an appeal for LEED accreditation, what further actions can a project team take to earn a rating for that project?
a. Submit documentation which explains any credits that need clarifying
b. Nothing; the MSC’s decision is final.
c. Submit an online scorecard for further review
d. Appeal to the GCBI
9. To which of the following must those seeking LEED certification agree?
a. Share revenue with the GCBI
b. Build low-income housing on at least 2% of the project boundary for housing projects
c. Build north- and south-facing windows
d. Share energy and water-use information with either the GCBI, the USGBC or both for at least 5 years
10. Which use of the USGBC logo would be acceptable for use by a LEED certified project?
a. Reducing the size of the trademark to 50% of the original size
b. Creating an animated .gif of the logo
c. Using the logo with an updated color scheme
d. Created a stretched-out version of the logo to fit precisely on a marketing document
Answers and Explanations
1. D: One of the minimum requirements for attaining a LEED certification is that the project complies with all of the environmental laws of the local, state or national area. Use of solar energy or other renewable sources can help earn credits under the LEED system, and LEED certified projects may have a significant savings of energy compared to conventional buildings. These are not program requirements, however.
2. B: 250 square feet (or 22 square meters. is the minimum gross floor area required for certification under LEED for Commercial Interiors).
3. C: Green Seal is a non-profit that sets environmental certification standards for cleaners, paints, and building materials. ASHRAE sets mechanical standards for buildings, and ASTM is a voluntary organization that works towards the development of standards worldwide. EPA regulations of volatile organic compounds that apply to projects must be met for a project to meet LEED standards.
4. A: Energy Star was a joint project of the EPA and the DOE, created for the purpose of saving businesses and homes money on energy expenditures. Energy Star creates guidelines, offers strategies for reducing energy use, and certifies household products. CERCLA (Superfun) and RCRA are laws that allow control of hazardous waste at the federal level.
5. B: Life cycle costs take all of the costs for an item, building, or device into account. Life cycle costs can be used as a way to compare potential building materials or project features and decide which is the most cost-effective and sustainable over a long period of time.
6. C: Simple payback analysis divides the initial cost of the project by the energy cost savings of the project during the course of the first year. This calculation provides the number of years that the project will take to pay itself back, in terms of energy savings.
7. D: The formula for the payback period is to divide the cost of the project by the annual revenue expected. It is usually only one of the methods used in selecting a project. Using this system for these four choices, Answer A will take about 66 years, answer B will take 10 years, answer C will take 100 years, and answer D will take 6 years. Therefore, D has the shortest payback period.
8. B: The last step in the Review and Appeals process is an appeal to the Management Subcommittee. This takes place after submission, two reviews, and an appeal. The decision of the MSC is final.
9. D: As part of a commitment to transparency and best practices, LEED projects are required to share information about their energy and water use with the USGBC and/or the GCBI for five years. While building low-income housing is a commendable goal and north- and south-facing windows may earn credits under the LEED rating system, neither are required for LEED certification.
10. A: It is considered unacceptable to change the colors in the logo, animate or stretch the logo, change the proportions of the logo, shrink the logo to smaller than 20%, or increase it to larger than 380% of the original size.
Last Updated: 04/22/2012