USGBC LEED Accredited Professional Exam (O&M) Preparation

About LEED O+M:
LEED O+M (Operations and Maintenance) provides a path to improve the sustainability of existing buildings that are fully operational and have been occupied for at least a year. The environmental impact of demolishing an existing building and constructing a new one is severe. As a result, it is often a better choice to improve an existing structure or space when possible.

LEED Operations and Maintenance can refer to both the LEED rating system for certification of building projects as well as the LEED AP O+M speciality credential. Buildings are certified, and members of project teams can earn the professional credential. Certification of buildings and professional credentials are overseen by the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). GBCI is the “credentialing subsidiary” of the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council).

Studying and Mastering the Course Syllabus:

 

You Will Receive a Complete Self-Paced Exam Study Materials Bundle as per the Exam Specifications / Exam Outline

LEED AP®  O+M Exam Specifications

The following outline provides a general description of exam content areas for the LEED AP O+M exam.

Knowledge Domains reflect the rating systems credit categories and what one needs to know. The LEED AP O+M specialty exam tests 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.

KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS

LEED Process (12 Questions)

  • LEED interpretations
  • LEED system synergies (e.g., energy and EQ; waste management; building operation plan and ventilation
  • calculations)
  • Project boundary; LEED boundary; property boundary; master site boundary
  • Prerequisites and/or minimum program requirements for LEED certification
  • Occupancy requirements (e.g., existing building [building must be fully occupied for 12 continuous months as described in minimum program requirements]; reduced occupancy guidance; 10% exemptions)
  • Recertification (e.g., initial vs. recertification; performance period; ongoing performance; data tracking)
  • Review process (e.g., Establishment vs. Performance review; credit statuses; credit responses; review report)
  • Integrative process (e.g., roles of responsibilities; facilitating collaboration)
  • Adaptations (e.g., unique compliance paths and/or separate credits for different project types)

Ways to earn innovation credits:

  • Innovation option (e.g., criteria for new innovative method; using credit that has been used before)
  • Exemplary performance option (e.g., which credits have exemplary performance paths; what are the thresholds of exemplary performance)
  • Pilot option

Location and Transportation (5 Questions)

  • Alternative transportation
  • Access and quality (e.g., accessibility to multimodal transportation choices; quality transit; transportation patterns)
  • Survey methodology (e.g., timing; sample size; sampling vs. extrapolation; alternative transportation programs)

Sustainable Sites (9 Questions)

  • Site design and development
  • Habitat conservation and restoration (e.g., on-site restoration or preservation; off-site habitat restoration; off-site habitat conservation; native or adaptive vegetation; disturbed or compacted soils)
  • Site improvement plan (e.g., vegetated outdoor space; maintenance activities; exterior strategies; watershed quality; soil quality)
  • Exterior lighting (e.g., exterior light trespass and uplight; fixture shielding; lighting zone; impact on wildlife and people)
  • Rainwater management (e.g., historical rainfall conditions; natural hydrology; low- impact development; maintenance needs)
  • Heat island reduction (e.g., heat island effect; green roofs; solar reflectance; roof and non-roof strategies)
  • Site management practices (e.g., impacts of site management decisions; planning for future site management; site equipment and maintenance materials)

Water Efficiency (13 Questions)

  • Outdoor water use reduction: irrigation demand (e.g., landscape water requirement; irrigation system efficiency; calculated water budget; native and adaptive species)
  • Indoor water use reduction
  • Fixture and fittings (e.g., water use reduction through fixtures such as toilets; urinals; faucets [kitchen, lavatory]; showerhead; determining performance through metering)
  • Appliance and process water (e.g., equipment types [dishwasher, washing machines, vehicle wash bays])
  • Cooling tower water use: water conservation techniques (e.g., cycles of concentration; total dissolved solids; potable water treatment; non-potable water use)
  • Water performance management
  • Water use measurement (e.g., water meter(s); submeters; types of water sources to measure; data management and analysis)
  • Types and quality of water (e.g., potable; nonpotable; alternative water sources)

Energy and Atmosphere (21 Questions)

Building loads

  • Building components (e.g., building orientation; glazing selection; climate appropriate building materials regional considerations)
  • Space usage (e.g., space types [private office, individual space, shared multi-occupant spaces]; equipment and systems; occupant-driven loads [plug loads])

Energy efficiency

  • Operational energy efficiency (e.g., schedules; set points; interactions between systems; influencing occupant behavior) Commissioning (e.g., commissioning authority (CxA); existing building commissioning; ongoing commissioning; identification of issues; differentiate from energy auditing)
  • Audit (e.g., ASHRAE Level 1 and 2; identification of opportunities and improvements; differentiate from commissioning)

Alternative and renewable energy practices

  • Renewable energy (e.g., on-site and off-site renewable energy; photovoltaic; solar thermal; wind; low impact hydroelectricity; wave and tidal energy; non-qualifying sources)
  • Green power and carbon offsets (e.g., off-site generated; renewable energy certificates (RECs); Green-e Energy certified or the equivalent; benefits of RECs; measurement [carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e)];
  • Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions; Green-e Climate certified or the equivalent; benefits of carbon offsets)
  • Demand response (e.g., grid efficiency and reliability; demand response programs; load shifting)

Energy performance management:

  • Energy use measurement (e.g., building-level energy meter(s); submeters; types of energy sources to measure; data management and analysis)
  • Building automation controls/advanced energy metering (e.g., support energy management; data
  • storage; support demand response participation)
  • Operations and management (e.g., training of staff; operations and maintenance plan; current facilities requirements; preventive maintenance plan)
  • Benchmarking (e.g., metrics used; determining baseline building performance; comparing building energy performance against similar buildings or historical data; tools and standards [ASHRAE, CBECS, Energy Star® Portfolio Manager])
  • Environmental concerns: upstream and downstream impacts (e.g., sources and energy resources [oil, coal, and natural gas]; renewable and nonrenewable resources; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other refrigerants; stratospheric ozone layer depletion)

Materials and Resources (10 Questions)

Life-cycle impacts

  • Material attributes (e.g., recycled content; material reuse; extended use; sustainable agriculture; local sourcing of food and beverages; bio-based; paper and wood products; electric-powered equipment)
  • Human and ecological health impacts (e.g., mercury in lighting; maintenance and renovation purchasing policy)

Waste

  • Maintenance and renovation (e.g., maintenance and renovation waste management policy)
  • Operations and ongoing (e.g., waste management policy; waste audit; storage and collection of recyclable materials [mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals]; safe storage areas for batteries and mercury-containing lamps; durable goods waste)
  • Purchasing policies (e.g., environmental preferable purchasing (EPP) policy; ongoing consumables; durable goods; maintenance and renovations; lighting purchases)

Indoor Environmental Quality (15 Questions)

  • Indoor environmental quality Ventilation levels (e.g., natural vs. mechanical; outdoor air; regional climate conditions)
  • Tobacco smoke control (e.g., prohibiting smoking; environmental tobacco smoke transfer)
  • Management of and improvements to indoor air quality (e.g., source control; filtration and dilution; air testing; ongoing monitoring; management program/ I-BEAM)
  • Low-emitting materials (e.g., product categories [paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, flooring, etc.]; volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and content; evaluating environmental claims; comparing to published standards)
  • Green cleaning (e.g., products, materials and equipment; frequency of cleaning; relationship between cleaning products and ongoing indoor air quality management; effectiveness assessment/APPA audits)
  • Lighting: electric lighting quality (e.g., tradeoffs [color, efficiency]; surface reflectance; types of fixtures; project-specific considerations)
  • Daylight (e.g., building massing and orientation; glare; illuminance) Occupant comfort, health, and satisfaction:
  • Controllability of systems (e.g., thermal; lighting; daylight)
  • Thermal comfort (e.g., permanent monitoring; periodic measurement; responding to thermal comfort issues; strategies to promote occupants’ productivity and comfort)
  • Quality views (e.g., connection to outdoor environment; direct line of sight to outdoors)
  • Integrated pest management (e.g., pest preventive and control measures; nonchemical approaches; communication to building occupants; responsible parties)
  • Assessment/survey (e.g., occupant satisfaction with acoustics, building cleanliness, indoor air quality, lighting, thermal comfort, and overall satisfaction; corrective action plan)

Practice Tests:

 

You will receive 500 Practice Questions and Answers while purchasing the full package

One of the most valuable resources to prepare for these exams is practice questions and practice tests. Practice questions also serve as a form of active learning and are highly effective as an actual study method too.

While self-paced study materials may seem more appealing, there’s no better way to familiarize yourself with an exam than the proper use of practice questions and practice tests. It helps you build stamina to get through a multi-hour exam.

There is something called the “Testing Effect” – when you take a test under testing (or test-like) conditions, you have to retrieve information from your memory, making it easier to recall at a later time. Taking practice tests is retrieval practice because you are actively recalling information, which leads to an improved ability to recall later on (on the exam!).

Practice Tests are a great revision aid. They are developed to the same quality standards as live exams and will provide you with:

  • A realistic reflection of your performance
  • A personalized feedback diagram to help you plan and focus your final revision activity
  • Experience in the exam environment, so you know what to expect in advance of a live exam.

Practice Tests are available with you, right now and should be used once you’ve studied the full syllabus.