If you work in the sustainability industry, you’ve likely come across two professional designations: LEED AP and WELL AP. The two are related, in that they both provide strategies to improve the human experience in our homes and workplaces. However, LEED AP also looks at holistic building strategies that reduce water and energy use, while WELL AP looks exclusively at human-centric design and health goals. Nevertheless, both certifications are well-known, so we’re going to compare them.

This post will compare the professional credentials by three metrics:

1. Statistics
2. Exam difficulty
3. Professional usefulness

Note: LEED Certification is technically for buildings and that I am actually writing about LEED accreditation here (which is for people).

Statistics Comparing WELL AP and LEED Certifications

Jobs near me on Indeed

1431 jobs calling for LEED AP

34 jobs calling for WELL AP

Google Searches

3,250,000 for “LEED AP”

243,000 for “WELL AP”

Professionals with Certifications

LEED Credentials Held: Over 200,000

*Estimated as of 2018

WELL APs: 985

*As of January 2020

As you can see, LEED is massively bigger than WELL AP. That makes sense, given that LEED is about 20 years older and is more firmly established. For background, WELL AP started about 5 years ago and was co-founded by Rick Fedrizzi, who also helped start the USGBC, which manages LEED.

Exam Difficulty

With tens of thousands of students trained, we have a lot of insight into the exam difficulty levels. Simply put, LEED is harder than WELL.

For you, a harder exam means it is more of a differentiator, which makes it more valuable.

But what if you are not a good test taker? Don’t worry, our LEED Green Associate training has a 99% pass rate and an exam guarantee (yes, that is a blatant plug for our training}.

Professional Usefulness

While I have my issues with the USGBC and their lack of serious progress / vision for the past decade, I believe that the LEED rating system is the single best approach to defining what it means to build a green building.

Studying the LEED rating system happens to be the best way to learn all aspects of green building. When I teach, students walk away inspired to go propose new concepts on their projects. Simply put, the process of studying for LEED will change the way you think about what is possible.

Even if you are not in the construction industry, I recommend LEED. It will open your eyes and you will learn something new.

WELL is also good, but it is still developing. I honestly think it needs about another decade to become practical and useful.  

Personally, I am passionate about both the environment and human health. At the end of the day, I would recommend LEED over WELL AP.

No, officially, you cannot become a LEED Inspector. However, I understand what you’re looking for – someone who evaluates green buildings and ensures that the systems:

This type of job does exist. It’s just not called a LEED Inspector.

There are a few concepts to break down in that title.

To clarify, companies can call their job roles whatever they want during the hiring process, so a sustainability consulting firm may want to hire for a LEED Inspector role. In their case, they are looking for someone to assist their clients with the LEED Certification process.

But LEED Inspector does not exist as an official credential, certification, etc.

The LEED Building Certification Process

In order for a building to earn a LEED certification label, the following things have to happen:

When do LEED inspections occur?

LEED inspections can occur during the new construction phase of a building project or as part of the operations/maintenance plan of an existing building.

In either case, the building will undergo two levels of LEED inspection before it gets certified:

A Commissioning Agent will verify that the building’s energy-related systems and equipment are installed and functioning as intended. Building commissioning, as it’s called, not only helps the overall performance of the building but also helps project teams earn LEED points toward certification. The commissioning process includes reviewing building plans, inspecting systems, and monitoring performance. To learn more, see our article here on the relationship between commissioning and LEED.

The Green Business Certification Inc. (or GBCI, for short) is a nonprofit organization that manages the LEED building certification process. They organize documentation, review all building features, and keep detailed records. The GBCI is the authority on determining if a building satisfies the intent of the LEED Rating System. A building’s LEED certification label is ultimately awarded by the GBCI.

Up until this point, our focus has been on commercial buildings. But inspections occur on LEED Homes too. The job title to describe this role is LEED Green Rater. LEED Green Raters provide in-the-field verification services on LEED Homes projects. They are responsible for verifying that the home was designed and built to the rigorous requirements of the LEED Rating System. It turns out that LEED Green Raters are actually more knowledgeable about the parts of a home and general energy-efficient construction practices than LEED specifically. You can learn more by reading our article on who should become a LEED Green Rater.

The U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI offer a LEED Certification Reviewer Workshop to qualified LEED APs (with a Specialty) who want to complete LEED project certification reviews. In teams, participants apply their advanced technical knowledge to the review of a real LEED project. This workshop is the first step in attaining the LEED Project Reviewer certificate. In addition to their LEED AP Specialty status, candidates must have at least two years of LEED project experience to participate in this program. Presumably, this workshop enables candidates to assist with the official LEED project review process under the employment umbrella of the GBCI.

On the other hand, similar workshops only offer the knowledge to provide context so that LEED APs can understand the responsibility that real GBCI Reviewers have.

GreenCon 2018: What Your LEED Reviewer is Looking For

Think Like a Reviewer: Best Practices for LEED Projects

LEED Reviewer Experts Are Available to You

So, how do I start?

The first step for anyone interested in working with LEED building projects is to learn the LEED standards.

LEED covers 100+ green building concepts, touching areas in the design, construction, and operations phases. As you can imagine, someone who is responsible for inspecting LEED buildings should be familiar with the LEED Certification process and what’s required.

The best way to learn the LEED requirements is to participate in one of our LEED Green Associate training courses. During this class, you’ll become exposed to LEED requirements concerning building materials, location and transportation, indoor air quality, water efficiency, and more. When you walk away from the LEED Green Associate course, you’ll have the foundational knowledge to understand how a building can pursue LEED Certification.

As you become more invested in LEED building inspections, you may choose to upgrade your LEED Green Associate knowledge by becoming a LEED AP with a Specialty. LEED AP is the second-tier credential for people interested in LEED. This title represents an advanced understanding of the strategies that can be used to help a building get LEED certified. Since commissioning agents and LEED Green Raters work exclusively on LEED certified buildings, it might make sense that they take the extra step to become a LEED AP.

Note – you cannot jump straight to a LEED AP with a Specialty. You have to pass the LEED Green Associate exam first. Honestly, you’ll want to devote just as much time and attention toward the LEED Green Associate level as the LEED AP level; LEED Green Associate teaches you the fundamental principles that LEED AP will ultimately build on. However, if you are looking for the fastest path to LEED AP, you might consider studying for both exams at the same time. We offer LEED Training Bundles, which let you make custom combinations of our popular LEED exam prep courses.

For any other questions about careers involving LEED or how to earn a LEED credential, give us a call at (800) 460-2575.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards are predominantly meant for the construction industry. However, construction encompasses a wide variety of occupations and sub-industries, from sustainable product sourcing, waste removal, marketing/sales, HVAC to the actual builders, architects, and engineers. LEED certified professionals can come from a variety of backgrounds (and honestly, they’re not called “certified” – in the LEED world, people become “accredited”).

Therefore, if you’re interested in LEED, you have to be cognizant of the fact that LEED is a holistic system for environmental design. That means it takes into account all the moving parts that go into the design, construction, and operations of buildings – and not just one type of building, but all types of buildings (new construction, existing, retail, schools, healthcare, etc.)

Once you’ve recognized that LEED will teach you the A to Z characteristics of green building, then you can focus in on your specific niche. This is where the LEED credit categories come into play.

LEED Credit Categories

As we mentioned above, LEED refers to a spectrum of strategies related to sustainability and green building. The spectrum is literally outlined in the LEED Rating System and is known as a LEED Credit.

There are 9 LEED credit categories. They are:

• Integrative Process
• Location & Transportation
• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy & Atmosphere
• Materials & Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Innovation
• Regional Priority

As you can see, there may be a credit that applies more to your specific industry/occupation than another.

In order to become well-versed in LEED (and especially if you want to earn a LEED credential), you will have to be proficient in all LEED credit categories. However, depending on your role in an organization or building project, it may be perfectly appropriate for you to hone in on a specific category.

For example, if you work for a commercial cleaning company, you will definitely want to spend time reviewing the Materials & Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality credit categories because that’s where most of the information about green cleaning comes into play.

Which LEED Credential is Right for You?

The answer to this question is an easy one, and it doesn’t matter what your occupation is, your work experience, or your educational background.

The first step for ALL candidates interested in LEED is the LEED Green Associate credential. This is the entry-level credential that introduces the LEED Rating System and LEED credit categories. It’s during the process of studying for the LEED Green Associate exam that you become more familiar with the requirements, and intentions behind, each of the LEED credit categories.

After you’ve passed the LEED Green Associate exam, you’ll have a much better understanding of how LEED works as well as how you can apply LEED concepts to your specific job role.

Your Job is NOT a LEED Specialty

LEED certified professionals, as you may still be tempted to call them, regularly work on green building projects in a supervisory role as what’s called a LEED AP with a Specialty. This specialty means that you are focusing your efforts on a specific track of green building. Note here that specialty does not refer to your occupation/industry. If you decide to upgrade to a LEED AP with a Specialty, you will have to choose from the five specialties offered by the U.S. Green Building Council (the creators of LEED).

The 5 LEED AP Specialty credentials that exist are:

• Building Design + Construction (new construction & major retrofits)
• Operations + Maintenance (existing buildings)
• Interior Design + Construction
• Neighborhood Development
• Homes

You’ll see that each specialty refers more to a building type than an industry, per se. Remember, after all, that LEED is a green building rating system for buildings. So when you choose to become a LEED AP, you are choosing to specialize in a specific type of green building projects.

Now if you don’t work on green building projects regularly and/or just need to have a basic understanding of how LEED works, then the LEED Green Associate credential would be sufficient.

But the fact remains, all candidates have to start at the LEED Green Associate level. After you’ve educated yourself on LEED during the Green Associate phase, you’ll have a much better understanding of where to go from there.

Start today with LEED Green Associate Exam Prep training to get the LEED fundamental principles out of the way. You’ll learn all the proper terminology, including why “LEED certified professionals” is not technically correct. You’ll also gain insight into 100+ areas of green building!

I wonder what the next level of sustainability and green building will be now that LEED Certification has become more the norm.

In 2010, LEED Certification was a notable distinction for the best-of-the-best in building design, construction, and operations.

Now, it’s a fairly common strategy for buildings, resulting in lower energy use, lower water use, improved occupant health, and more.

It’s still impressive, especially when you take into account how innovative design-thinking helped to achieve a particular LEED Certification level for the project or that LEED standards can now be applied to homes and communities (not just commercial buildings).

All in all, if you’re not working toward LEED Certification, you’re lagging behind everyone else.

Sustainable Building Programs: Then & Now

For almost 30 years, organizations have been trying to revolutionize the building industry and seize on the available sustainability opportunities.

For example…

Despite the competition, LEED has emerged as the clear frontrunner.

LEED Certification impacts all types of buildings and has been used in 160 countries and territories.

LEED standards have been applied to approximately 83,452 registered and certified LEED projects worldwide, covering around 13.8 billion square feet.

Branching Out from Green Buildings

Since “green” offers such a vast landscape of opportunity, there are many ways to approach it (beyond buildings) and bring our work and daily lives up to modern standards.

Even the Green Business Certification Institute (GBCI), who administers the LEED Certification program, has tried to branch out. With LEED’s success in mind, GBCI has launched ancillary sustainability certification paths for specific components of green building (such as SITES for sustainable landscaping and Parksmart for garages).

Beyond the traditional methods of sustainable building certification, what are other forward-thinking sustainable strategies we can implement?

To get the ball rolling, here are some ideas:

• Zero Lawn
• Zero Gas
• Solar-Ready Home Building
• City-wide mandates to eliminate plastic bags
• Retail policies to eliminate plastic straws

For the sake of conversation, what do you think will be the next program or standard that we can aspire to achieve for the most sustainable lifestyle?

If you’ve got ideas for what’s next in sustainability, drop us a line on Twitter. Just tweet us at @everblue_edu

First, you should know that LEED Certification is a label for buildings.

Additionally, LEED Accreditation is a label for people.

Which are you looking for?

(yes, there are levels to both pathways)

• LEED Certification – Get your building LEED certified.
• LEED Accreditation – Earn your professional credential.

LEED Certification Levels

Buildings incorporate a variety of green techniques into the planning, construction, and operations phases.

Each of these strategies has a point value in the LEED world. The more points earned, the more sustainable the building is.

Depending on the number of points received, the project can then earn LEED Certification in one of these four levels:

How to Earn LEED Certification for a Building:

The LEED Rating System, as it’s called, is not one-size-fits-all.

You will have to understand the LEED Credits and choose which ones to pursue, as appropriate for your building, geography, budget, and timeframe.

For a better understanding of the LEED credits, you should take the LEED Green Associate Exam Prep to manage the process yourself or hire a LEED/Sustainability Consultant to do it for you.

LEED Accreditation Levels

The LEED credentialing process has three levels of individual accreditation.

1. LEED Green Associate – the required first step for ALL candidates

2. LEED AP with Specialty – for those who work regularly on LEED projects in a leadership role and therefore need to specialize in a certain track. There are 5 LEED AP Specialty tracks available:

• Building Design + Construction (BD+C) – new construction & major renovations
• Operations + Maintenance (O+M) – existing buildings
• Interior Design + Construction (ID+C)
• Neighborhood Development (ND)
• Homes

To Become a LEED Green Associate:

1. 1. Take Everblue’s LEED Green Associate Exam Prep
   2. Buy the LEED Green Associate exam from U.S. Green Building Council
   3. Schedule your 2-hour LEED Green Associate exam through Prometric
   4. Pass with a score of 170 out of 200

To Become a LEED AP Specialty:

The most common LEED AP Specialties ate LEED BD+C (Building Design & Construction) and LEED O+M (Operations & Maintenance).  We only recommend those two credentials.

1. 1. Complete the steps above for LEED Green Associate
   2. Choose a LEED specialty to focus on
   3. Complete the steps above, but for your desired LEED AP Specialty