I recently had the opportunity to speak with Matt Macko who helped develop the new LEED exam and is a principal at Environmental Building Strategies about his role in the creation of the new exam.

As part of his daily work, Mr. Macko consults with clients who are interested in obtaining LEED certification for their building or who desire to use green building techniques and/or build as sustainably as possible.

Mr. Macko was selected to help develop the new LEED exam for a number of reasons, including his desire to advance the industry and his work in helping his clients understand the most important concepts and options for their projects. His commitment to the industry is obvious; he is a LEED Accredited Professional, RESNET Energy Rater, Certified Energy Plans Examiner, Certified Green Building Professional, Certified Sustainable Building Advisor and Chair of the Bay Area LEED Users Group (BAyLUG).

CleanTechies: What has changed in the new exam?

Matt Macko: The new LEED AP or LEED AP + Specialty is much different than its predecessor.  Beginning with the commitment, skill, and diverse knowledge required to pass the exam, followed with the need for project experience, as well as a commitment to 30 hours of Continuing Education, and 4 hour time slot needed to sit for the two-part 200 question exam.

CleanTechies: What about the people who already have LEED AP under the old exam?

Matt Macko: The current green building climate necessitates that there be a distinction between professionals and their certification and accreditation criteria.  As a result of these industry changes, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) are representing their stakeholders in the green building community such as architects, engineers, and construction workers, by ensuring the LEED AP is an appropriate representation today’s green building professional. It is important to note that we in the professional “green” world demanded these changes and the responses to Job Task Analysis surveys showed GBCI what was important to its stakeholders.  The USGBC and GBCI responded by making the changes listed below:

• If you do nothing and/or don’t wish to be an AP+ Specialty you retain your LEED AP.
• If you sign up for the Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) and follow the Disciplinary Policy guidelines, you will become a LEED AP+ specialty, joining the new regime.
• Once you sign up for the CMP, if you took the original AP exam under the New Construction Track you will automatically be “mapped over” to the new LEED AP BD+C (Building Design and Construction) – The same is true for Commercial Interiors; you will be automatically “mapped” over to  the LEED AP ID+C (Interior Design and Construction) designation. The same is true for Existing Buildings; you will be automatically “mapped” over and have the LEED AP O+M (Operations & Maintenance) designation.

• All of these changes were to begin August 1, 2009, at which point a LEED AP had two years to switch over.  Thereafter, a $50 fee is required to maintain your AP+ Specialty status.

CleanTechies: Why the need for a new exam?

Matt Macko: GBCI has publicly stated that the changes to the exam system reflect the rapid advances in green building technology and practice in the marketplace.  Therefore, the new exam system will help ensure that LEED professionals have the latest knowledge and understanding of green building practices AND that their proficiency is recognized.

CleanTechies: What is the style of the new exam?

Matt Macko: The new exam handbook emphasizes three hierarchical cognitive levels of questions.  They are Recognition Items, Application Items, and Analysis Items.  GBCI defines these levels as:

Recognition Items: These items assess a candidate’s ability to recall factual material that is presented in a similar context to the exam references.

Application Items: These items provide the candidate with a novel problem or scenario that the candidate can solve using familiar principles or procedures described in the exam references.

Analysis Items: These items assess a candidate’s ability to break the problem down into its components to create a solution. The candidate must not only recognize the different elements of the problem, but must also evaluate the relationship or interactions of these elements.

CleanTechies: What type of questions will show up on the new test?

Matt Macko: A test taker should expect questions that will demonstrate knowledge in relation to each of the three hierarchical levels mentioned a moment ago.  Analysis items will test the ability of a person to analyze scenarios, breaking down the LEED elements and investigating the possible synergies that exist.  This context of question breakdown did not exist in previous Candidate Handbooks.

CleanTechies: There are many new categories of LEED professionals, what material is specific to each credential?

Matt Macko: The AP+ Specialty will be a person who has an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices and specialization in a particular LEED Rating System such as Building Design and Construction (BD+C) or Operations and Maintenance (O+M).  The AP+ Specialty exam and designation is representative of an individual who has passed the exam and possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the design process, to support and encourage integrated design, and to streamline the application and certification process.

The LEED Green Associate is a person who possesses the knowledge and skill to understand and support green design, construction, and operations. The LEED Green Associate exam is designed to measure your skills and knowledge against criteria developed by Subject Matter Experts and to assess your knowledge and skill to understand and support green design, construction, and operations.  This exam is most appropriate for anyone entering the world of green building as well as someone who supports the LEED system.

The LEED AP + Specialty exam is designed to measure and assess the candidate’s skills and knowledge of green building science, the LEED Rating System, and the certification process as set forth in the most recent Job-Task Analysis that was conducted by GBCI during the 3rd quarter of 2008. .

CleanTechies: What are some study materials a candidate should use?

Matt Macko: In addition to the study materials listed in the candidate handbooks, I would recommend studying sustainability and the principles of green building.  Understanding green building holistically will benefit a test taker greatly.  From there, you will understand how the USGBC is using LEED to assess the principles of green building.

CleanTechies: Any other advice?

Matt Macko: Yes, since many preparatory sites out there are “green” to this new exam, I would wait until they have their bugs worked out before buying into the idea that whoever wrote their sample exams knows how the new exam is different. Otherwise, my best advice is to study hard and good luck!

Related posts:

• Primer on LEED Credentialing
• LEEDing the way to a Green Collar Job, Vol. III (the Exam)
• LEED “Pledge” to Replace LEED Bond
• Star Architect Gehry: ‘A lot of LEED Is Given for Bogus Stuff’
• LEEDing the Way to a GreenTech Job?

Several interesting CleanTechies articles on LEED have covered the topic from different angles — this one will add a new perspective by giving  a commercial example (and make a strong case for going green).

What is LEED?

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The certification is given based on an exam facilitated by the Green Building Certification Institute on behalf of the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Multiple structures and projects are eligible for LEED certification and each is judged based on a set of criteria. LEED ratings are available for New Construction, Existing Buildings, Commercial Interiors, Core and Shell (total building minus interior), Homes, Neighborhood Development, Schools and Retail. Points are given in six categories including: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation & Design Process. Based on the score a structure receives, it will receive a label which allows an easy understanding for just how many of the LEED features the project incorporates.

LEED scoring was recently updated from version 2.2 which scored projects out of a total 69 points to version 3.0 which scores based on a total of 100 points. The score required to achieve different LEED levels is shown below:

LEED v2.2 – Certified 26 – 32, Silver 33 – 38, Gold 39 – 51, Platinum 52 or more
LEED v3.0 – Certified 40 – 49, Silver 50 – 59, Gold 60 – 79, Platinum 80 or more

LEED Platinum is the highest score a project can achieve and hence the most costly to obtain.

The Need for LEED

The LEED standard was introduced in response to what many felt was a lack of sustainable planning in construction. With a lack of regulation in the construction industry and devoid of a standard to try to achieve, builders had no large motivation to create low-impact, sustainable buildings. LEED allows the features of construction to be quantified which gives builders, architects and ultimately decision makers the ability to say, “I want a structure that meets a certain sustainable requirement.”  A great multimedia timeline for the history of LEED is available on the USGBC’s website and is titled, “15 Years 15 Stories.”

What can LEED do for you?

A long running debate has centered on the cost-benefit of achieving LEED certification and how much the different levels of LEED actually matter. Certainly, a simple review of the scoring system will show that the building owner can pay to install bicycle storage and changing rooms as this will result in 1 LEED point but how will that result in more revenue to the owner? Is even this minimal cost worth achieving LEED Gold over LEED Silver? Some say LEED certification and levels do not matter at all and only add to the cost of a building but others such as Chris and Amber Marie Bently who recently spent 3 years remodeling their Bently Reserve Building, a LEED certified structure, in downtown San Francisco disagree. Their remodel of floors using wood from old whiskey barrels, reuse of building materials and upgrade in HVAC’s which lowers tenant energy costs all combine to give what the Bentlys feel is a competitive advantage over nearby commercial space. This has led to a higher than average occupancy rate and a sense of pride in the Bentlys that they can promote environmental standards as a good business practice. But what type of tenants are they attracting?

Tenancy in a LEED certified building

As with every other commercial structure, The Bently Reserve Building (Core & Shell) and the tenants (Commercial Interior) are LEED rated separately. However, the Bently’s require that each tenant in the Bently Reserve Building outfits their office space at a minimum of LEED Certified. Current tenants fall along the LEED spectrum but one firm, The Energy Foundation, whose mission is to assist in the transition to a sustainable energy future by promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, would not settle for less than LEED Platinum. In fact, The Energy Foundation is the first commercial space in San Francisco, and one of only thirteen worldwide, to receive LEED-CI Platinum Certification from the US Green Building Council. A walk through The Energy Foundation rewards the visitor with a naturally bright, open space where almost everything used from the furniture, flooring and ceiling panels to the fixtures is made of recycled or renewable materials and is meant to minimize energy use and easily recycle or biodegrade at the end of its useful life. The conference table built of alternating wood and retired solar panels was particularly striking.

Turning “Green” into Greenbacks

While the Bentlys feel strongly about the environment and enjoy a considerable level of satisfaction over their triple-bottom-line building. Does the reward outweigh the risk? According to Mrs. Bently, the answer is, yes. “We feel owning a LEED-Certified building gives us a competitive advantage in the market even during such an economically difficult time.” Not only does the building draw environmentally conscious tenants, the commitment to sustainability also entices many organizers of conferences, seminars and retreats to utilize the Bently Reserve meeting rooms. Time will tell if their competitive advantage remains strong or dissipates as more commercial owners seek LEED certification but in the mean time their determination to go green is helping these commercial owners to feel good about their building, their tenants and their future prospects.

Related posts:

• LEED “Pledge” to Replace LEED Bond
• Green Building Code Recruited for U.S. Army
• Empire State Building Becomes Tallest LEED Structure in U.S.
• Primer on LEED Credentialing
• Maybe We Should Rethink LEED Laws

During the past weekend a team of CleanTechies made up of our staff members, friends and blog readers like yourself put our “Think Globally, Act Locally” philosophy into practice during Solarthon 2009. Our team of 15 people spent a partially rain-soaked Saturday to install a solar electric system on a low-income home in a Habitat for Humanity neighborhood located in Oakland, California. The team was organized by CleanTechies over the last month and its members were given the goal of raising almost $5,000 for the privilege of taking part in the event. All this effort was to support the ongoing efforts of a company we’ve raved about many times; GRID Alternatives.

GRID Alternatives is a non-profit organization making solar electric systems a reality for low-income homeowners who otherwise could not afford the systems. GRID does this through an innovative business model where they train volunteers to do everything from designing a system on a sheet of paper to mounting the final panel on a roof. With drastically reduced labor costs, a team of 10-15 volunteers can work slowly and steadily under the guidance of a GRID employee to deliver a complete system at almost half the cost of a typical solar system.

Solarthon 2009 was GRID Alternatives largest fundraiser of the year and their biggest event ever! Over the course of one day, three hundred volunteers, each of whom raised at least $250, got their hands dirty by installing solar electric systems on 16 homes in a Habitat for Humanity community which, when completed, will have 56 units. In total more than $100,000 was raised and we are proud to say that a founding member of CleanTechies, Ian Thomson, had the second largest amount of donations.

Our team sponsored one of the homes and worked alongside two volunteer solar professionals who gave us direction and made sure the work was done to professional standards. The future homeowner joined us also and worked on everything from mounting the inverter to bending conduit to running the wiring and clamping down the panels. She couldn’t have been more thrilled with the fanfare and excitement generated by the event and no doubt she was equally happy to know that her electric bills will be drastically reduced for the next several generations.

The system we installed was made up of an array of 9 solar panels. Each panel is rated at 230 watts meaning that the complete system (9 panels X 230 watts each) will generate 2.07Kilowatts (kw). This should support most or all of the energy needs of the homeowner since the home will also be outfitted with energy efficient appliances. Between solar, efficient appliances and proper energy efficiency measures, this home should have no problem receiving its LEED certification.

This event was a success for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it shows that even during tough economic times, there are many still willing to help one another and support the use of clean technologies to lower our carbon footprint. In fact, the systems installed during Solarthon 2009 will generate over $270,000 worth of clean, renewable power for low-income families over their lifespans while eliminating over 800 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Reduced bills and less pollution? That is truly something to celebrate.

Some more pictures from the event:

Related posts:

• California to Get another 250 MW of Solar Power
• Grid Alternatives Solarthon 2010 – The Gift That Keeps On Giving
• Ontario Bets on Alternative Energy For Sustainability and Job Creation
• Solar Panels Cool Buildings
• Solar-Powered Window Shutters – As Seen at West Coast Green