Advantages of Becoming LEED Accredited
To become LEED accredited, you must first pass the LEED Green Associate exam, which covers the basic principals of LEED certification. The process starts before the exam. Courses are offered by different institutions to help prepare people for the exams. The USGBC, the organization behind LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, offers courses as well as other educational resources. After the important first step of passing the LEED Green Associate exam, then there are choices of specialties to branch out into.
It is then possible to become LEED accredited by passing the LEED Homes exam or the LEED Green Buildings Operations & Maintenance, LEED Building Design & Construction, LEED Interior Design & Construction, or LEED Neighborhood Development exams. Once the specialty exam is passed, then you can go on to find work that relates to LEED certification of buildings. Having this accreditation qualifies a professional to inspect buildings, develop LEED products, install energy-efficient systems, and even teach related subjects.
Being LEED accredited opens the door for being able to work with the LEED credit system, which is based on specific prerequisites that a facility must have to attain a certain level. According to USGBC LEED 2009, version 3, a building must have a specific amount of points to be certified, each LEED prerequisite being assigned a certain point value. This goes up to silver, gold, and platinum levels. Being accredited, someone can work in the area of water efficiency, which involves designing water efficient landscaping, wastewater technologies, and promoting the reduction of water use. Another area is energy performance. Accredited professionals can develop, assess, and install renewable energy systems as well as provide measurement and verification of the building’s energy use. This can go toward optimizing the facility’s energy performance and reducing wasted energy.
Professionals familiar with the LEED System can monitor the use of materials, even the maintenance of existing materials in the walls, floors, and roofs of buildings. A LEED accredited professional understands the concepts behind construction waste management and most importantly, what can be recycled and how to recycle materials more efficiently. The monitoring and adjustment of indoor air quality is also a very important component of LEED protocols. It is important to monitor how air from the outside is delivered inside the building and how the ventilation system is performing. Strict monitoring of materials such as adhesives and sealants, paints, coatings, flooring system, as well as composite wood products is absolutely necessary. The method of control for lighting systems and also heating and cooling systems is a factor in LEED certification.
There are many new regulations going into effect as governments worldwide want to mitigate environmental stresses and even the effects from global warming that are being seen. Jobs related to construction, design, and management are increasingly requiring knowledge of LEED practices. To become accredited, it is necessary to invest in preparation and to pass the appropriate exams. Organizations that offer resources for this preparation provide courses as well as other materials such as online Webinars and practice exams, study sheets, and flashcards, which one site will be implementing in the near future. The tests are offered across the United States, in many major cities, as well as in other countries worldwide.
With many opportunities to become LEED accredited, the chance to jump into a possibly lucrative career is there. The principals of energy efficiency and conservation of materials, among many other things, are becoming rapidly more important, environmentally, and especially since they are being integrated into business practices across many different industries. It may also become possible to work for some of the organizations promoting LEED itself, or to work for one of many different consulting services related to LEED certification, energy, sustainability, and more.
About the Author: Andy West is a writer on a variety of topics, including construction. Earning a LEED certification can help you secure intriguing employment in the area of environmental design. Visit EverblueEnergy.com for more information.
More articles by AndyWest
Print Article | Download PDF
|
|
