Green Buildings
What the exam expects
Green-building questions focus on rating systems, prerequisites versus credits, and the metrics used to prove performance. LEED requires prerequisites before any credit can count and awards points across energy, water, materials, indoor environmental quality, and location. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager provides a 1-100 score for eligible property types and a 75 threshold for certification. WELL emphasizes occupant health; Green Globes offers an alternative assessment; ASHRAE 189.1 is a high-performance code-intended standard. Understand net-zero definitions, renewable energy procurement, commissioning prerequisites, and embodied carbon. Distinguish design-phase certification from actual performance.
Traps
A frequent error is treating a credit as mandatory or assuming renewable energy certificates erase site energy use. Another is comparing source energy with site energy, or claiming LEED certification guarantees a specific EUI. Watch boundaries: district energy, tenant sub-metering, and purchased offsets need consistent treatment.
Worked example
A 50,000 ft2 office uses 750,000 kWh and 30,000 therms per year. Site energy = (750,000 x 3.412) + (30,000 x 100,000) = 2.559 billion + 3.0 billion = 5.559 billion Btu. EUI = 5.559 billion / 50,000 = 111.2 kBtu/ft2-yr. Source energy would be higher and depends on the conversion factors used.