LEED AP??? Worth it? The future….
bladesburn
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
Hi all,
New, young contractor here.
I’m thinking about getting LEED AP certified. Seems like it will become more and more important as the green fad/trend grows.
Please let tell me your thoughts and, if possible, recommend a school in New England?
Sincerely,
bb
Replies
We've had a bunch of threads on this topic - you might want to look at them.
Personally, I see zero benefit in getting the rating.
I took the study courses and the exam for new construction, failed by 7 points. Talking with friends who have passed, they agree that, if it's not required by the employer, there's no benefit in taking it a second time. Here's an abbreviated quote from the USGBC literature:
Benefits of Leed professional accreditation
Individual benefits: a marketable credential to employers; list your name on the leed website; leed certificate; receive recognition form involvement in the leed process.
Employer benefits: elegible for projects requiring leed staff; strengthen qualifications when responding to leed projects; encourage gfrowth of leed knowledge.
Industry benefits: encourage higher understanding of leed; supports and faciltates transformation of the built environment.
Now, i am very much in favor of being environmentally responsible, conserving resources, etc, but do you see any "beneifts" in that list that have any tangible benefits? We did a study that estimated the cost to make one of our 3500 sf branches leed certified, and it was about $40-$50k. There's no payback, no tax credits, no benefits at all. It's all smoke & mirrors.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
were the courses online? free?
I took an all-day seminar at UVa. It was well worth the time and money, I just didn't study hard enough before the test. There are some on-line study guides. Part of my problem was that they changed the book 8-1 (or was it 7-1?) and I took one of the last exam dates, and I think they had dropped the on-line guides a couple of weeks eaerlier.
You pretty much have to memorize the f'in book, which is only available from the leed company. There is very little common sense to the exam."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
<There's no payback, no tax credits, no benefits at all. It's all smoke & mirrors.>No cost of ownership, or operation reductions if you build to their standards over your present specs?... just askin'?http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
No tax benefits? Weird. It's marketed as giving tax breaks and big payoffs in the long run for owners.
BB
Minimal operating expense benefits. You have to get points in several categories to earn the certification, and some of the categories are odd. Site selection is one. I can't quote the requirements, but here's what I remember. Half the site needs to be grass. Multistory buildings get more points because the have smaller footprints. The site needs to be within a half mile radius of 8 community services, which include at least two different mass transit stops (can't be two bus stops), a library, post office, chiurch, c-store, etc. It really encourages high density urban devfelopment.You need to provide a lot of natural ight and views of the outdoors from all points inside the building, but that means a lot of solar heat gain. "Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt