Cost Tip

Becoming a LEED AP will lead to some costs related to exam preparation, the exam registration fee of several hundred dollars, and any training manuals or classes. However, unlike other credits that may require capital investments, these expenses may be considered normal professional development, and will benefit the project building in many ways as the individual applies that green building knowledge.

Implement the survey in-house to keep costs low. See the example surveys in the Documentation Toolkit.

You can develop the survey language and occupant feedback system in-house at minimal cost, especially if you choose to use an appropriate existing survey sample as a starting point.

The CBE online survey tool is available for free to CBE Consortium members. The fee for non-members is $1,000 per building. Customizing the survey costs more, but isn’t needed to earn this credit.

Thermal comfort monitoring may uncover minor issues that require corrective action. Maintenance costs will vary from building to building depending on the mechanical systems that are in place. Tracking of system performance can be handled in-house at minimal cost.

Costs will vary depending on the level of measurement and verification work that may be completed by in-house staff. There may be costs associated with installing additional sensors and measurement equipment for air temperature and humidity. It may be cheaper in some cases to purchase handheld measuring devices for building use and perform the periodic measurements in-house.

Calibration of the energy model will add a small cost on top of the cost of the baseline as-built energy model.

M&V systems require continuous energy use and staff attention. One of the larger costs associated with this credit is the time needed by staff to read, interpret, and act on feedback provided by the M&V system. Although more expensive to install, a complex building or a building with multi-tenant spaces can benefit financially from an integrated computerized BMS that assists in day-to-day management. 

The payback period for M&V programs depends on the initial cost of additional meters and whether the program identifies inefficiencies that wouldn’t have been found otherwise. Some fixes may be substantial and will pay for the metering system. After the BMS or metering system has been installed, the true return depends on the commitment of the owner and operational staff.

Adding a M&V program to the project after mechanical and electrical systems have been designed may be cost-prohibitive due to redesign costs.