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This is the last credit in the series of low-emitting material credits.  The intent of this section of credits is to better the indoor air quality and reduce harmful and irritating emissions from common interior products.

In order to achieve this credit, you cannot use any products that contain any added urea-formaldehyde resins on the interior of the building.  The interior of the building is considered anything inside of the weatherproofing system.

This credit is the 3rd in the series of four low-emitting material credits.  The intent is to decrease the amount of fumes and chemicals released into the air from a variety of different interior building materials.

This paticular credit is making sure that you use carpeting that meets the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus requirements.

This credit is very similar to EQc4.1 in the fact that it is trying to get you to use products that meet a certain criteria.  The idea is that these products won’t pollute the interior spaces with airborne contaminants which disturb the well-being of the occupants.

This credit is for the paints and coatings, primers, etc.  There are a few VOC limits that need to be followed which are specified in the manual.

This is the first of the four low emitting materials credits.  This credit focuses on using adhesives and sealants which emit low amounts of odors and contaminants into the air.

Essentially all you need to do to achieve this credit is use adhesives and sealants that meet a certian criteria.

I think that one of the reasons why I passed this difficult exam is because I really knew exactly what to expect.  If I didn’t, I don’t know how I would have done on the thing.  A few days prior to the exam, it might have even been the day before, I sat down with my boss for about 20 minutes and went over the way the test was proctored.  He had taken the test a few weeks prior, so the format was really fresh in his mind.

The company I was working for had plenty of resources available to study.  One of the most important were the practice exams.  They were very nice because they were in a similar format to what is on the actual test: multiple-multiple choice.  This means there are multiple correct answers.  The question will say “Which 3 of the 5 are…”.  The first two are usually pretty easy, but it is the last one that always holds you up.

It was nice practicing using these practice exams.  It really helped me get used to the question format and become prepared to take the exam.  The only problem is that the writer of these exam’s wasn’t perfect, and there were a number of questions that were just wrong!  I would email the guy with my thoughts and he would say “Yup, that one is wrong!  I’ll go ahead and change it”.

So try to take a few practice exams before the test, but be careful which exams you are taking!

The intent of this credit is to help mitigate the odors, fumes, dust, particulates, etc. that remain in the building once it is turned over to the new owner.   There are a few approaches to this method:

• Flush out before occupancy but after construction:  Keep in mind the schedule impact when trying to go this route.  You need to have the building empty for quite a few days until you  push the required amount of air through it.
• Flush out after occupancy:  Very similar, but you need to do this a little slower while it is occupied.  You also have to maintain a certain humidity and temperature, so your HVAC costs might be higher.
• Air Quality Testing: Test the air in the building at specific locations for specific chemical compounds.  If the tests pass, you have basically achieved this credit.

There are no exemplary performance points available for this credit.

During the construction process, keep indoor environmental quality in mind while performing construction activities.  Keep the building ventilated and protect absorbent materials from moisture.  The idea is to lower the amount of odors and fumes that get locked into the building during construction.  This hopefully helps create a better indoor environment quality when the building is finished.

There are no exemplary performance points available for this credit.

This may seem like it has already been done, but there are a few requirements that are different which you need to achieve this credit.  Basically, you need to increase the ventilation rates by about 30% or so.

The reason that increased ventilation is considered “green” and is included in LEED is because  having a well-ventilated environment is key to sustainability.  Have you ever tried to live or work in a place that is really stale and stuffy?  It is always nicer to be in a fresher environment.

There are no exemplary performance points available for this credit.

The intent of this credit is to make buildings better ventilated by creating systems that control and monitor ventilation performance.  The systems would monitor the amount of CO2 and adjust the ventilation rate accordingly.

To achieve this credit, all you need to do is install the proper monitoring systems.  There are no calculations required and there is no exemplamentary performance point available.

The intent of this credit is to help mitigate the exposure of tobacco smoke to the occupants of the building.  There are a few options, all revolving around keeping the smoke and smokers isolated or completely away from the building.

Option 1 is to limit smoking to 25 feet away from the building.  Option 2 is to have some designated smoking areas that are specially designed to help keep the smoke from flowing to different areas of the building.  Option 3 (for residential buildings only) is to prohibit smoking in residential buildings and create more sealed rooms to prevent smoke from flowing out into the hallways.

Obviously, the easiest and cheapest way to achieve this credit would be to go with option 1 and simply prohibit smoking in your building.