US Green Building Council LEED-AP-BD+C Exam - Topic 1 Question 17 Discussion

Actual exam question for US Green Building Council's LEED-AP-BD+C exam

Question #: 17
Topic #: 1

[All LEED-AP-BD+C Questions]

A facility manager cleaning highly reflective paving material is

Aunnecessarily wasting water

Breducing the heat island effect

Cincreasing the heat island effect

Dlowering the Solar Reflectance Index (SRI)

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: B

The heat island effect is the phenomenon of urban areas having higher air temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to the absorption and emission of heat by human-made surfaces, such as buildings, roads, and pavements. The heat island effect can have negative impacts on the environment, human health, and energy consumption. One of the strategies to reduce the heat island effect is to use highly reflective paving materials that have a high solar reflectance index (SRI), which measures the ability of a surface to reflect solar radiation and stay cool. However, over time, the paving materials can accumulate dirt and dust, which can lower their reflectance and increase their heat absorption. Therefore, a facility manager cleaning highly reflective paving material is reducing the heat island effect by restoring the reflectance and cooling potential of the surface12.

* Heat Island Reduction | U.S. Green Building Council1

* SpecTopics: Heat Island Reduction Credit and LEED V4/V4.1 - Carlisle SynTec

by Cyril at Jul 09, 2025, 08:57 AM

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Stefany

3 months ago

Lowering the SRI sounds off; reflective surfaces should stay high!

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Kendra

3 months ago

Wait, how does cleaning increase the heat island effect?

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Willetta

3 months ago

Isn't it a waste of water though?

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Alida

3 months ago

Totally agree, cleaning them is actually beneficial!

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Hermila

3 months ago

I read that reflective materials can help reduce heat.

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Cecily

4 months ago

I'm a bit confused about the impact of cleaning on the heat island effect. Does it really increase it, or is that just a misconception?

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Audria

4 months ago

This question feels familiar; I think we had a practice question about heat islands and reflective surfaces. I might lean towards B.

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Malika

4 months ago

I think we discussed how cleaning can sometimes waste water, but I can't recall if it really lowers the SRI.

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Graham

4 months ago

I remember something about reflective materials helping with heat, but I'm not sure if cleaning them actually affects that.

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Rikki

4 months ago

I got this! Cleaning the reflective paving reduces the heat absorption, so it must be reducing the heat island effect. B is the answer.

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Glenna

5 months ago

Okay, let me break this down. Highly reflective paving material would increase the Solar Reflectance Index, so the answer can't be D. I'm leaning towards B, but I'll double-check the other options.

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Margarett

5 months ago

Hmm, I'm not sure about this one. The options are a bit confusing. I'll need to think it through carefully.

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Bernadine

5 months ago

This question seems straightforward. I think the answer is B - reducing the heat island effect.

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Leoma

7 months ago

Option A - unnecessarily wasting water? Nah, the facility manager's just trying to keep their cool, literally!

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Justine

7 months ago

It may use water, but the benefits of reducing heat outweigh the water usage.

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Paulene

7 months ago

D, lowering the Solar Reflectance Index (SRI). Gotta keep those pavements shining bright to beat the heat!

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Soledad

7 months ago

I'm voting for C - increasing the heat island effect. What's the point of having reflective paving if you're just going to dull it down with all that cleaning?

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