LEED AP O&M Practice Test questions
For teams using the metered water use option of WE Prerequisite Indoor Water Use Reduction how is the water consumption baseline determined?
One year's worth of data for metered fixtures and fittings Meter fixtures and fittings and record metered data for one year to establish a water-use baseline.
What is the defining characteristic of ongoing commissioning?
Ongoing commissioning activities are on a continual, 24-month cycle
A project team is working with a general contractor to develop a site-specific plan before the start of some facility upgrades. What must the construction activity plan address for SS Credit Site Management?
Restoring any eroded soils and Preventing air pollution from construction dust
A $50 plastic chair contains 10% post-consumer recycled content by weight. What value of the product contributes to credit achievement of MR Credit Purchasing - Facility Maintenance and Renovation?
$5 . Most products are weighted at 100% of cost. Some may be higher or lower (Extended producer responsibility is lower - 50%, Cradle to Cradle v2 Platinum is higher - 150%). For material assemblies or furniture, the percentage of the product that is compliant by weight determines the percentage of the product cost that contributes towards the credit. If a product contains 10% post-consumer recycled material by weight, 10% of the product cost contributes to the credit achievement.
A school project is vacant for two months during summer vacation. How should the project team address the occupancy rates varying over the performance period?
'When occupancy rates vary over the performance period, that variation should be reflected in credit calculations via a time-weighted average.'
When developing a transportation survey for regular building occupants and visitors, all of the following transportation modes must be included as an option EXCEPT:
Shuttles are not a permitted form of alternative transportation that count towards the credit.
Elements of a current facilities requirements document include all of the following EXCEPT:
Systems narrative This is part of the O+M plan
A project building with an ENERGY STAR rating of 76 would earn how many points?
The point thresholds start at 3 after the minimum ENERGY STAR rating of 75 is achieved for the prerequisite.
The maintenance plan for ventilation systems during the performance period is typically satisfied by:
The preventative maintenance plan required for EA Prerequisite Energy Efficiency Best Management Practices
Project teams pursuing points under WE Credit Indoor Water Use Reduction by calculating water use must show which requirements have been met?
The project fixtures in aggregate meet the requirements.
A 10 acre multi-building development has five buildings. How is the LEED boundary determined if each building will be a separate LEED project?
The project team determines the LEED boundary for each LEED project The LEED boundary is the portion of the project site submitted for LEED certification. For single-building developments, this is the entire project scope and is generally limited to the site boundary. For multiple building developments, the LEED project boundary may be a portion of the development as determined by the project team.
A project team is assessing existing luminaires for Light Pollution Reduction and found some fixtures emit light at a vertical angle more than 90 degrees from straight down. What statement is true regarding the project's ability to earn the credit?
The team must retrofit or replace the non-compliant fixtures to earn the credit
An office building with multiple tenants has one tenant undergoing a renovation during the performance period. What is the minimum scope of work required for products and materials to be eligible for MR Credit Purchasing - Facility Maintenance and Renovation?
There is no minimum scope of work required The credit requires no minimum scope of renovation or new construction work
Which manufacturer data, if present, would a project team use to best determine the heat island mitigation of a device used to shade cars in a parking lot?
Three-year aged SR value. The three-year aged SR value if available is the best attribute for comparing products
A project team for an office building took daylight measurements in all regularly occupied spaces in the month of June. Which action must occur for the project to achieve Daylight Measurement for EQ Credit Daylight and Quality Views?
Two measurements must be taken for the option.
A project team will earn two points for WE Credit Cooling Tower Water Use by meeting the maximum number of cycles without additional treatment. Which action can the project team take to earn additional points?
Use 20% alternative water sources
A project team is inventorying the regularly occupied spaces of an office building occupied by one tenant. Under what circumstances could any of the regular occupied spaces be excluded from the requirements of daylighting?
When tasks would be hindered by the use of daylight This is the only exception allowed.
A project team is reviewing available site derived non-potable water sources that can be used to offset a portion of the potable water use for makeup water. What are the best sources of makeup water?
1. Air-conditioning condensate 2. Rainwater collected from building roofs When considering alternative water, it is important to consider the water type. Some alternative water sources have lower concentration of solids such as rainwater and condensate, whereas graywater and ground runoff may need additional treatment.
To use your time wisely, when conducting an initial inventory of installed lamps what is the minimum information the project team needs to record in the field?
1. NAED code 2. Quantity installed 3. Manufacturer
How would a project team determine the baseline data used to inform the thermal comfort zone calculation that is used to establish alarm set point?
1. Permanent monitoring equipment 2. Handheld meters
Which strategies optimize irrigation?
1. Planting a Xeriscape landscape 2. Choosing native plants 3. Using grass only for playing fields and similar activities
What type of activities would be considered renovations as they apply to the facility maintenance and renovations policy?
1. Replacing all ceiling tiles in a tenant space for better acoustics 2. Installing a new partition wall to create two separate offices
A vehicle can count as an alternative transportation strategy under what conditions?
1. The vehicle achieves a minimum green score of 45 on the ACEEE annual vehicle rating guide, Green vehicles count towards the credit. 2. Carpooling counts as an alternative transportation strategy.
What systems are eligible for Renewable Energy?
1. Tidal system 2. Biofuel used in a cogeneration plant that produces both electricity and heat 3. On-site PV array owned by a third party . This is eligible if the contract includes both the energy and RECs.
A project team has completed identifying all equipment that will be included in an energy audit. When coming up with an auditing schedule what should be taken into consideration?
1.Length of the performance period 2.The operating schedules of the equipment
Which are the primary factors a project team should consider when deciding which water subsystems to meter?
1.The highest water consumers 2. The most expensive systems to operate 3. The systems that most closely align with the goals of building management
An ongoing commissioning cycle as part of EA Credit Ongoing Commissioning must not exceed:
24 months
Views into interior atria may be used to meet up to which percentage of the required area for EQ Credit Daylight and Quality Views?
30%
Show Answer Legend A demand response sequence is acceptable for LEED except when:
A utility company sends a DR event via e-mail, and a person on-site manually adjusts thermostats.
A team is gathering to discuss the project goals. What should the project goals reflect?
A. Operational realities B. Targets to achieve for sustainability C. The values of the organization that owns the building
The project civil engineer, landscape architect, and hydrologist are meeting to confirm that the green infrastructure and low-impact development measures selected for the site are sufficient to manage the required volume of runoff for the 95th percentile of rain events. If they find the current site conditions and strategies cannot manage the required volume of runoff, which action should be taken next?
Adjust the design based on the volume each technique can manage . Adjusting the design will be necessary.
What frequency of recording data is required during the performance period for WE Credit Water Metering?
All meters, including whole-building meter, must be recorded at least weekly and used in a regular analysis of time trends
Who should be included in the project team for SS Credit Site Improvement Plan?
Anyone having to do with the land should be involved with this credit as part of the integrated team: Landscape architect Hydrologist Civil engineer Restoration ecologist Landscape designers Maintenance staff
What defines the ventilation zone?
Area with similar occupancy categories, occupant density, zone air distribution effectiveness and zone primary airflow per unit area . This is the ASHRAE 62.1-2010 definition
Project teams should coordinate the solid waste management policy and the environmentally preferred purchasing policy in what areas?
Areas such as source reduction, contract agreements, communications with building occupants overlap between the two policies.
A project team analyzed the survey results for regular occupants to calculate the alternative transportation rate and found only a 25% survey response rate. What should the project team do next?
Assume nonrespondents are commuting via single-occupancy vehicles Anything less than a 30% response rate isn't allowed to be extrapolated.
Unless otherwise noted in the credit requirements how long is the initial performance period?
At least three months but no more than 24 months
Which team member will ultimately be responsible for approving the facility maintenance and renovation policy?
Building owner or property manager
How would a project team determine the peak and off-peak hours as they apply to Demand Response?
By contacting the utilities serving the project site The utility company sets the peak and off-peak hours
A project has a cleaning vendor that is not highly engaged with the owner or building management team. The project team wants to change to a certified cleaning company to support a green cleaning policy. What approved third-party certifications are acceptable?
CIMS-GB and GS-42
What needs to be performed in an ASHRAE energy use analysis?
Determine the approximate energy use breakdown for major end-use categories The analysis is used to prepare for the audit. The energy analysis includes all fuel sources.
Which product would meet the sustainability criteria for MR Credit Purchasing - Ongoing for a hotel project?
FSC certified paper towels and Plastic binders that exceed the recycled content levels listed in the EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines.
.When documenting the existing site conditions for SS Credit Site Improvement Plan what can the results be used for?
Finding lower-cost opportunities to divert rainwater flows from impervious areas to existing landscape areas. This is one of the synergies between the credit and SS Credit Rainwater Management.
A hotel project team is documenting an EPP plan. What does the plan need to include in the ongoing purchases?
Food Food is one of the ongoing consumables that must be addressed by Schools and Hospitality projects.
The groundskeeper for a project has determined a new building will not require long-term irrigation for the property. Which pieces of information will need to be documented in the plant species and water requirement narrative for WE Credit Outdoor Water Use Reduction?
For this credit, a description of the plants and where they are located within the site plan is needed. An indication of why average rainfall will be sufficient
What provides guidance on diagnosing and solving common IAQ issues?
I-BEAM provides guidance on IAQ issues in commercial buildings.
Which systems need to be metered for individual energy use for EA Credit Advanced Energy Metering?
If a project is pursuing the EA Credit Advanced Energy Metering, all energy end-uses that contribute at least 20% of the total building energy use must be submetered.
A project has many leased spaces. Under what conditions can the project take an additional 10% exemption for a credit?
If the applicant does not have control over the required element . If the project team can't gather the necessary tenant data for the credit
Under what conditions are the requirements of SS Credit Light Pollution Reduction considered fulfilled?
If the project building was certified under the LEED BD+C rating system and earned the Light Pollution Reduction credit This is correct and helps streamline the O+M documentation.
A school project is located in an area the does not provide composting services. What can the project team do during the performance period to earn MR Credit Solid Waste Management - Ongoing?
Implement an awareness program that encourages occupants to reduce food waste An education program has to be in place for the credit during the performance period
An office building has six individual workstations, two private offices, and a conference room. What lighting control configuration would meet the requirements of EQ Credit Interior Lighting?
Individual lighting controls for four workstations and multizone control for the conference room. There are 8 individual occupant spaces, so any combination that equals 50% of the individual spaces would count as meeting the requirements.
The entire water supply for a building is provided by a public water supply and uses a single water meter. The meter is not accessible for reporting to achieve WE Prerequisite Building-Level Water Metering. Which action can the project team take to track water usage?
Install a second private water meter downstream of the public water supply meter
A school project has both naturally and mechanically ventilated spaces. To provide enhanced IAQ for the students what strategy can the project team select that would earn the project credit?
Install an outdoor air measuring device for use whenever the space was operating in natural ventilation mode Projects with mix-mode ventilation systems only need to pick one total strategy.
What must occur for air temperature monitoring for Thermal Comfort?
Install at least one sensor for each occupied thermal zone
As an alternative refrigerant to HCFC a project team is considering HFC-410A. What is the trade-off to when using HFC-410A in the HVAC&R system?
It has a lower GWP but require more energy to achieve the same level of cooling.
Qualified resources for EA Credit Renewable Energy and Carbon Offsets must have come online since which date?
January 1st, 2005
What type of lamps should be purchased to achieve targeted mercury reductions in lamps?
Lamps with high light output and Lamps with long life
Which action could make a renewable energy system more economically viable for a project?
Leasing part of a system belonging to a community solar garden. A community garden can count as on-site renewable energy if the project owns the system or signs a ten- year lease. If the system is leased, the project owner doesn't have to pay the up-front costs of the system, making it more economically viable.
A school project has mixed-mode ventilation. During the performance period what does the project need to do for EQ Prerequisite Minimum IAQ?
Measure outdoor airflow to demonstrate sufficient ventilation is being supplied to the building. This is part of the performance period
Under what circumstances would tracking the content of waste containers by the project team before collection be necessary?
Measuring the volume of containers may be necessary if waste haulers can't provide the data for MR Credit Solid Waste Management - Ongoing?
A project team wants to include occupancy sensors to turn-off the lights when the occupants have left a space. What multi-occupant spaces would benefit from having the sensors installed?
Meeting rooms. Further, pay attention to the differences between regularly occupied spaces and nonregularly occupied spaces. The question asks about multi-occupant spaces. For LEED a shared multi-occupant space is 'a place of congregation, or where occupants pursue overlapping or collaborative tasks.
What statement is true regarding the inclusion of lamps in the calculations for MR Credit Purchasing - Lamps?
Mercury-free LEDs can be included if they have high enough energy efficiency levels
What must a project team do for EA Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance?
Metering for a full 12 months of continuous operation is required.
In an existing building retrofit how much CFC-based refrigerant can be used?
None
A project has achieved one pilot credit, has earned exemplary performance in three credits, and has used a strategy for innovation. How many points would this project earn?
4. Innovation earns up to 4 points. The example earned 1. Pilot credits earn up to 4 points. Exemplary performance earns up to 2 points. The maximum for the Innovation credit is 5 points. One additional point can be earned for LEED AP.
A project building has a total 100 regular building occupants and visitors. What minimum response rate is needed for a valid transportation survey?
5 total regular building occupants and visitors The minimum response rate needed overall accounting for both regular occupants and transient occupants is 5% and extrapolations of results can begin at 30%.
A team is pursuing the nonroof option of SS Credit Heat Island Reduction and is evaluating compliance of the current site. What minimum portion of the site must meet the nonroof requirements?
50% of the hardscape must have heat island reduction strategies.
What minimum amount products must be purchased that meet the standards for EQ Credit Green Cleaning - Products and Materials?
75%, by cost, of the total annual purchases
For mechanically ventilated spaces which design factor must the project team verify are included in order to meet outdoor airflow requirements?
A 10-cfm minimum per person for all occupied spaces
A hotel project in a historic district requests that the walkoff mats in the primary direction of travel for the main building's entrance be less than 10 feet (3 meters) long due to the constraints of the historic building porch depths. Who should address this request?
A GBCI certification reviewer If a project team needs guidance on an issue before submitting for certification review, the project CIR process is available to them. The project CIR will be determined by a GBCI Certification Reviewer familiar with the project's specific circumstances
Which space would require CO2 sensors for EQ Credit Enhanced IAQ strategies?
A densely occupied hospital waiting room Carbon dioxide monitoring requires projects with mechanically ventilated spaces to monitor CO2 in all densely occupied spaces. Densely occupied spaces have an occupant density greater than 25 people/1,000 SF (92 m2).
Which of the following would be a good candidate for a Pilot Credit?
A green building topic not found in the rating system. The LEED Pilot Credit Library is a rating system development tool designed to test new and revised LEED credit language, alternative compliance paths, and new or innovative green building technologies and concepts.
A project team is working with school authorities, neighborhood agencies, and outside companies to identify eligible facilities owned by other organizations that could be made accessible to students. Which space would count toward SS Credit Joint Use of Facilities?
A parking lot across the street from the school accessible via a continuous sidewalk. The space must include direct pedestrian access from the school.
When occupancy data is entered into the indoor water use calculator, it is split by default to a 50/50 gender ratio. Under which circumstance should this be ratio changed?
A project can alter the default ratio if it is justified. Same-sex schools are one example.
A project can meet the performance requirements of EQ Credit IPM if the IPM service is provided by a certified member of what programs?
A project meets the requirements if the IPM service is provided by a certified member in good standing of GreenPro, EcoWise, or GreenShield, or a program with equivalent IPM standards, who complies with the program's standards.
By managing rainwater on site a project team is trying to mimic natural hydrologic function. This includes all of the following
Capture and reuse, Infiltration and Evapotranspiration
For SS Credit Site Management how frequently must an irrigation system be checked during the operating season for leaks, breaks, irregularities in water usage, and system time settings?
Check the system at least every two weeks.
The classification of a sink in a mixed-use project is unclear. Which action should the LEED AP take when performing the indoor water-use calculations?
Classify the sink as public If the classification for public or private use is unclear, default to public use flow rates when performing the calculations
What do APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines evaluate?
Cleaning performance using visual inspections
A project team is retrofitting a 50-story high-rise residential building in an urban area. WaterSense labeled fixtures and fittings are being reviewed for WE Prerequisite Indoor Water Use Reduction. Which action should occur to ensure building occupants are satisfied with the fixtures and fittings?
Determining that fixtures will not have performance problems . In high-rises and in different areas where water pressure can vary, it is important for the MEP engineer to address the delivery pressure of the water. By working with the MEP engineer and architect at the project kickoff meeting, specifications can be set so no water pressure issues occur.
What credit requires developing a five-year plan for equipment replacement and major modifications or upgrades?
EA Credit Existing Building Commissioning - Implementation . Return to the list of building upgrades identified in the analysis phase that have capital costs and create a five year plan for equipment replacement or major modifications or upgrades.
The WaterSense Water Budget tool uses which variables to determine how much water a project needs?
Each location's rainfall . Evapotranspiration levels . The tool uses the location's ZIP code to estimate the evapotranspiration rate for the peak watering month. The tool uses historical data to determine rainfall. This information, along with the landscape area entered, is used to determine a landscape water allowance.
What is a best practice for the handling of mercury-containing lamps?
Ensure that employees charged with handling the mercury-containing lamps are adequately trained or use outside experts as contractors to do this work.
An 5-story office building has one story that is vacant. Each floor has the same gross area. How should the vacant area be accounted for by the project team in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager?
Enter the vacant space separately from the occupied space. Enter zero workers, zero operation hours, and zero personal computers for the vacant space.
When developing an alternative transportation program all of the following education elements must be tracked for documentation EXCEPT:
Explanation of how elements are supported by the building owner How the organization supports education does not have to be documented for the credit.
How frequently should occupant surveys be performed to achieve IEQ Credit Occupant Comfort Survey?
Perform at least one survey and implement corrective actions. At a minimum, perform one new survey at least once every 2 years.
A project team is documenting the various site areas of a school for SS Credit Site Management. When calculating the total vegetated area what areas would be included?
Planter boxes and Vegetated roofs count as vegetated areas.
Typical end uses for a commercial office building that may require advanced metering for EA Credit Advanced Energy Metering include all of the following except:
Projects must sub-meter all energy end uses that are at least 20% of the total building energy use excluding plug loads.
A project's total site area is 280,000 SF (26,000 m2). A landscape architect has categorized all areas of a site as either greenfield (180,000 SF/16,700 m2) or developed (100,000 SF/9,290 m2). Which strategy could the project team use to earn SS Credit Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat?
Protect or restore 56,000 SF (5,202 m2) of the total site area. For the credit remember: Restore 20% (including building footprint) of the total site area (including the building footprint). OR Provide financial support (donated land does not count). Restore 280,000 X 20% = 56,000
Smoking cannot be prohibited for the full 25 feet (7.5 m) near a building's front entrance due to local code and the presence of a public sidewalk. Which action should the project team take for EQ Prerequisite ETS Control?
Provide documentation of the code If there is a code limitation, document it when submitting documentation for the prerequisite. Remember that public sidewalks are not considered used by businesses, so the no-smoking requirement doesn't apply
Having the right structures for internal and external personnel to make sure the project team is keeping on top of tracking is important for:
Recertification Continuous tracking is critical to the success of recertification
All LEED O+M projects must have an environmental preferable purchasing policy for products purchased during:
Regular building operations. MR Prerequisite Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy is required of all projects. The EPP policy addresses regular building operations.
A project team is working with landscape contractors to identify areas to be restored. What strategies would NOT contribute to SS Credit Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat?
Replacing invasive species with mulch Mulching is not a type of restoration.
A project team has an existing building commissioning plan resulting from the analysis of the building. What can this document serve as the foundation of?
The Ongoing Commissioning credit can use existing building commissioning plan to create the ongoing commissioning plan.
What does a custodial effectiveness audit NOT include?
The audit of the cleaning company's certification for the prerequisite is not part of the custodial effectiveness audit. The audit for the prerequisite does not count as the audit for the audit that is part of EQ Green Cleaning - Custodial Effectiveness Assessment.
At a minimum what should an I-BEAM audit be based on?
The baseline I-BEAM IAQ audit forms Use the I-BEAM forms provided by the EPA to support the IAQ audit. Teams are required to structure the audit with the baseline IAQ forms found under Section A of the EPA I-BEAM forms Web site.
For project teams benchmarking buildings that are not eligible for ENERGY STAR ratings using national average data, what information is being compared to determine if the energy performance is 25% better than the median energy performance of similar buildings?
The building's weather normalized source EUI
What best describes the performance period?
The continuous implementation of the strategies set during the establishment period
A project team is reviewing a project's goals. What type of analysis would be appropriate for existing building commissioning?
The focus is on proper system operations The Existing Building Commissioning option focuses more on controls, proper system operations and efficiency improvements. The other choices would benefit from an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Survey and Analysis.
For recertification how long can the irrigation water usage baseline be used before a new baseline must be established?
The original baseline can be used for 10 years. To promote continued improvement after 10 years the baseline must be reset
