USGBC Updated LEED-AP-BD+C Exam Questions and Answers by winston

Massing and orientation are important factors that affect the energy performance of a building. Massing refers to the shape and size of the building, and orientation refers to the direction that the building faces. By rotating the building 90 degrees, the project team can evaluate how the change in orientation affects the energy loads of the building, such as heating, cooling, and lighting. For example, a building that faces south may receive more solar heat gain and daylight than a building that faces north, which may reduce the need for artificial lighting and heating, but increase the need for cooling and shading. The project team can use the results of the analysis to optimize the massing and orientation of the building to achieve the best energy performance.

References:

LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, Integrative Process Credit: Integrative Process, page 811

Integrative Process Worksheet2

The system boundary that a building life cycle analysis must be defined to account for is the cradle-to-grave stage, which includes the production, construction, use, and end-of-life stages of the building. This stage covers all the inputs and outputs of the building system, such as materials, energy, water, emissions, waste, and maintenance.

References:

•Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings: Technical Guidance

•Life-cycle assessment - Wikipedia

•Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment - GSA Sustainable … - SFTool

The correct answer is D, provide qualifying electrical vehicle supply equipment in 2% of all parking spaces. According to the LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, the Location and Transportation Credit, Green Vehicles, requires that projects provide preferred parking for green vehicles for 5% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site. Green vehicles are defined as vehicles that achieve a minimum green score of 40 on the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) annual vehicle rating guide1 In addition, projects must provide one of the following:

Install alternative-fuel fueling stations for 3% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site. Alternative fuels are defined by the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992 and include biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane.

Install electrical vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for 2% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site. EVSE must be Level 2 or higher as defined by SAE International’s J1772 standard.

Provide a discounted parking rate of at least 20% for green vehicles. The discounted rate must be available to all customers (not limited by time of day or user groups), publicly posted at the entrance of the parking area, and included in all marketing materials for the parking facility1

In this case, the project team has provided preferred parking for green vehicles for 20% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site (4 out of 20 spaces), which exceeds the minimum requirement of 5%. However, they still need to provide one of the additional options listed above to achieve the credit. The most feasible option for a school project with a small parking lot would be to install EVSE for 2% of all parking spaces, which would be equivalent to one space. Therefore, answer D is correct.

The other answers are incorrect because they do not meet the credit requirements. Answer A is incorrect because providing preferred parking alone is not sufficient to achieve the credit; one of the additional options must also be provided. Answer B is incorrect because providing bike racks is not relevant to this credit, which focuses on green vehicles; bike racks are part of another credit, Location and Transportation Credit, Bicycle Facilities. Answer C is incorrect because providing an additional parking space for a low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicle would not increase the percentage of preferred parking above 20%, which is already more than enough; moreover, low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles are defined differently from green vehicles in LEED v4 and have their own credit, Location and Transportation Credit, Reduced Parking Footprint1 References: 1: LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, Location and Transportation Credit: Green Vehicles, page 467.

To achieve the Energy and Atmosphere (EA) Credit: Demand Response, a project must create a comprehensive plan for responding to a demand response event (D). This includes a strategy for reducing electrical load when a demand response event is triggered by the utility provider. The plan should outline actions for shifting or reducing energy use during peak demand times to support grid stability. Permanent reductions (A), submetering (B), and specific load shift reductions (C) are not required for this credit.