I'm assuming most of you received the email announcement on Tuesday from the GBCI announcing that the new credentialling maintenance program that everyone is so excited about is launching next Monday, August 3rd. Basically this means that v3 LEED APs (and Green Associates) are on the clock for their 30 (or 15) hours of continuing education starting then. For LEED APs accredited under the v2 systems, you have three options:
- "Become a LEED AP with specialty by passing one of the new specialty examinations; only the specialty part of the exam will be required if testing during your enrollment window. When applying for the exam you will need to sign the disciplinary policy and agree to Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP). Once you have passed the exam, you mayl use one of the new specialty designations (O&M, BD&C, ID&C) after your name.
- Become a LEED AP with specialty by enrolling in the new tiered system—i.e. agreeing to the CMP and signing the disciplinary policy—and completing prescriptive CMP for the initial 2-year reporting period. Once you have enrolled, you will use one of the new specialty designations (O&M, BD&C, ID&C) after your name. Enrollment must occur before during your enrollment window.
- Do nothing; you will be designated a LEED AP without specialty in the LEED Professional Directory."
For the 115,000 or so (haven't seen official reports on final v2 accreditation numbers yet... but I saw this number in a recent article) of you accredited under the v2 sessions I ask the following: Do you really need to go through the trouble of upgrading?
Previous descriptions of what would happen to 'legacy LEED APs' not enrolling in the new system stated that they would be listed under some sort of 'inactive' status, though that doesn't really seem to be the case anymore. From what I can tell, the only consequence from not switching to the new system is that you won't be able to list a "specialty" after the LEED AP on your business card.
Nothing I've read in that original email or the GBCI site indicates that anything else changes - you'll still be listed on the directory and presumably will still be able to claim the IDc2 point for being a LEED AP. I haven't been able to confirm that last point about the IDc2 point, but I've seen nothing stating it's not true either.
By holding onto your non-specialized v2 LEED AP status I see the following benefits:
- You don't have to pay the GBCI $50 every two years.
- You don't have to deal with 30 hours of continuing education every two years.
- You can tell clients you're accreditation is old school, and all these noob suckas ain't got no game no how. Yet you can still claim that you passed an exam in the associated NC, CS, or EB anyway, but can't put it on your card as a 'specialty'.

Kickin' it Old School
Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm not going to rush into switching into the new system any time soon. You've got two years to decide anyway, so it seems prudent to see how these things are going to shake out over the next few months before taking on anything more than you have to.
The above is all essentially based on the email I mentioned and FAQ for "LEED APs Without Specialty and Enrollment". It's entirely possible that I may be incorrect about the repercussions of staying a LEED AP under the old system, but I promise to update this post if I find anything to be incorrect. I've seen somewhat conflicting information (see chart) related to costs to remain a Legacy LEED AP out of Building Green, but that's a few months old... Reading this enrollment guide from the GBCI leads me to believe you must pay for enrollment in the maintenance program, not necessarily to keep your existing title.
What do you think about this? Also, any clarification would be appreciated... Please let us know by leaving a comment!