LEED NC 2.2 Vs LEED NC 2009

Down load the file here which compares LEED NC 2.2 and LEED NC 2009 from here comparision LEED NC 2.2 and LEED NC 2009
Any comments and insight into rating systems shall be greatly appreciated especially in regional credits

How do I prepare for LEED Exam?

1. Register with http://www.usgbc.org/- browse the contents of the site on day today basis most of the information required for the exam taker is free, official and authentic.
2. Schedule your exam. 2-3 months of regular study and 2-3 days of intensive study should be enough in my experience.
3. Download LEED NC summary book which lists the intent, requirements, submittals and technologies/strategies for each credit and includes the Credit Checklist from here.
4. Obtain LEED NC manual for the detailed explanations of above. This requires payment, your employer may provide it.
5. As you prepare for the exam tabulate each credit intent. requirements, statergies,standards refered, submital phase(design/construction), submital documents, requirements for exemplary performance and any key points which you feel is important for that credit.You can download a similar table from here.
6. Go through the registration process in http://www.usgbc.org/
7. Go through the certification process in http://www.usgbc.org/
8. Go through the CIR process in http://www.usgbc.org/
9. Go through the following quizes from university of florida

Sustainable Site

Water Efficiecy

Energy and Atmosphere

Material Resources

Indoor Environmental Quality

Innovative Design

Standards and References

Verify your answers here

Try this practice exam once you are prepared

Write to me on any clarifications

What are the benifits getting a building certified?

• Certification process enables third party to verification that your buildings are as per the required green building standard.
• Lower Operating cost of building.
• There are also other benefits of selling or renting the property at premium price, getting the market attracted towards the property or facility etc.

Which exam should I take to become LEED AP?

To become LEED AP any of the LEED Exams can be qualified. You should select the LEED Rating system which you want to appear based on your profession.

90% of LEED APs have qualified in LEED NC as major projects come under this category.

My recomedations are as below

If u r a Consultant, Designer you can go for LEED NC

If u r a Interior Designer go for LEED CI

If u r a facilities manager go for LEED EB

If u r a group from same company different people can take different rating system so that you ll have diversified knowledge and can compliment each other.

What are the various LEED Rating Systems?

1. LEED for New Construction (LEED NC) and Major Renovation- Applicable for Residential buildings of 4 or more habitable stories, Commercial buildings, retail areas, hotels etc. Major renovation means the renovation in which the building envelope, HVAC System and Major interior Rehabilitation are done

2. LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED EB)- Applicable for Existing buildings which are 2 years or older. Focuses on sustainable operation and maintenance of the building.

3. LEED for Core & Shell Building(LEED CS)- Applicable for buildings where the building owner develops only the exterior structure and the interiors will be done by the tenants

4. LEED for Commercial Interiors(LEED CI) – This is applicable for the tenants of core & shell building

5. LEED Home- Individual Homes, multifamily homes (3 or less habitable stories)

6. LEED Schools- Self explanatory

7. LEED Neighbourhood Development- Applicable for township development

What is LEED?

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. A leading certification process by the U.S. Green Building Council that evaluates new buildings constructed to common green standards.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building assessment tool. It evaluates buildings in five areas:

Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy & Atmosphere
Materials & Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality

Points are available for achieving LEED credits. The more points a project gets, the higher the certification.

The highest rating is "platinum" and the least rating is "certification", In between the ratings shall be gold or silver.

So the Hirarchy of the rating system is Platinum, Gold, Silver and Certified.

There are also other certification process like BREAM in UK, GRIHA in India (developed by TERI)etc

What is Green Building?

• A green building is designed to conserve resources and reduce negative impacts on the environment - whether it is energy, water, building materials or land. Compared to conventional construction, green buildings may use one or more renewable energy systems for heating and cooling, such as solar electric, solar hot water, geothermal, bio mass, or any combination of these.
• Inother words, A green building is a building which uses less energy, water, recycled material for construction without compromising on comfort of the occupants
• In short green building makes less impact on the environment compared to conventional buildings