Most of a LEED reporting cycle can be filled at no cost, and one route means the job you already do counts: working on a registered or certified LEED project earns one CE hour per credit, with no cap. Add free webinars, volunteering and writing, and a Green Associate’s 15 hours are achievable without spending anything.

What you need is 15 hours every two years, of which 3 must be LEED-specific. A LEED AP needs 30, with 6 LEED-specific in their specialty. Here is how to get there for nothing.

1. Your own project work — the one almost nobody uses

Credential holders must actively participate in the LEED project. They receive 1 CE hour per credit worked on. There is no overall limit on project-participation CE hours, but each reporting entry can contain up to 10 CE hours. 

This is the most valuable line in USGBC’s continuing education rules and the least known.If your day job involves actively participating in a registered or certified LEED project and working on eligible credits, you can earn CE hours for that project participation. 

What to do about it:

• • Note the credits you contributed to, as you contribute to them. Not at the end of the project, and certainly not at the end of the reporting period.
  • Keep evidence. Your role, the project, the credits. GBCI reviews a percentage of credential holders and you may be asked.
  • Report as you go, through your Credentials account.

For many credential holders this alone covers the requirement, and it costs nothing but the discipline of writing things down.

2. Free education from USGBC and others

Project participation can provide an unlimited number of CE hours, depending on the number of eligible credits you actively work on. Check the education catalogue in your USGBC account first, because LEED-specific hours from the organisation that runs LEED are never in doubt.

Beyond that, green building education from many sources counts towards the general portion. Manufacturers, professional institutions, industry bodies and conferences all run free sessions, and a great many are eligible. The eligibility rule is the activity’s content, not its price.

3. Webinars from manufacturers and industry bodies

Product manufacturers run free technical webinars continuously, because it is how they reach specifiers. Manufacturer and industry-body webinars can qualify for CE hours if they meet the applicable GBCI eligibility requirements. 

Treat the marketing content with the scepticism it deserves and take the technical content, which tends to be strong precisely because the presenter knows the subject deeply. Two or three of these a year covers a large share of the general portion of your requirement.

4. Volunteering

Volunteering earns 1 CE hour per hour of participation, capped at no more than 50 per cent of your total hours. For a Green Associate that is a maximum of 7.5 hours from volunteering in a cycle — half the requirement, from work you would arguably do anyway.

Green building councils, professional institutions and industry committees all rely on volunteers, and the by-product is a network of people doing what you do. Note the cap when planning: it cannot be your only route.

5.Writing

A published article earns 3 CE hours. A published book earns 10.

A published article earns 3 CE hours. For those hours to qualify as LEED-specific, the publication must contain technical content related to the applicable LEED rating system or standard.  Industry publications, professional institution journals and trade press all take contributions from practitioners, and being published is worth something on its own beyond the hours.

Putting a free cycle together

Two realistic routes to 15 hours without spending anything.

Four rules that keep this simple

1.Get the LEED-specific hours first. The 3 hours are the constrained part; the other 12 are easy. Doing them first removes the only real risk in the cycle.

2.Report as you go. No pre-approval is needed, so there is nothing to wait for. Log in, report, done.

3.Keep every certificate. One folder. GBCI reviews a percentage of credential holders at regular intervals, and documentation must be retained for the current and previous reporting periods.

4.Do not leave it to the last month. Free education is abundant and finding 15 hours of it in four weeks is not relaxing. A calendar reminder six months before your renewal date is the whole system.

When paying is the better decision

Being straight about this: free hours are worth having, and they are not the point of continuing education.

If you are moving towards LEED AP, or your work has shifted into an area you do not know well, a structured course earns the hours and teaches you something you needed. The hours are a by-product of professional development rather than the purpose of it.

Free is the right answer when the alternative is letting the credential lapse. It is the wrong answer when there is something you actually need to learn.

What happens if you fall short

There is a 12-month grace period after your renewal date. Beyond that the credential expires, and an expired credential must be re-earned by sitting the exam again — which costs the full exam fee and the preparation, and is a poor trade against a few free webinars. The full rules are in how to maintain your LEED Green Associate credential.

Frequently asked questions

Can I earn LEED CE hours for free?
Yes. Most of a cycle can be filled at no cost through project participation, free education, webinars, volunteering and writing.

Does my day job count towards LEED CE hours?
If you work on a registered or certified LEED project, yes. Project participation earns 1 CE hour per credit with no cap on hours earned this way. Keep a record of the credits you contributed to.

How many CE hours can I earn from volunteering?
1 CE hour per hour of participation, capped at no more than 50 per cent of your total hours. For a Green Associate that is a maximum of 7.5 hours per cycle.

Do free CE activities need to be approved by GBCI first?
No. Activities do not require pre-approval; they need only meet the eligibility criteria. Hours are self-reported through your Credentials account.

How many CE hours do I get for writing an article?
3 CE hours for a published article and 10 for a published book.

When you want the hours to teach you something

3FOLD TRAINING delivers LEED AP BD+C training for credential holders moving up to the specialty, and LEED Green Associate training for colleagues starting out. Ask through the course enquiry form.