is it necessary to read both MEEB and Heating cooling and lighting ?
for PPD and PDD, is it necessary to read both MEEB and Heat cooling and lighting? HCLS seems very comprehensive and many diagrams explaining thing well, the contents also looks similar.
any advice?
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MEEB is a double-edge sword:
It can be very helpful, and it can be the most dangerous study materials for you.
The easiest way to fail an ARE exam is to get stuck with MEEB and get lost there.
Do NOT even think about reading MEEB line by line or from cover to cover, that will consume too much of your time, and you may NOT gain anything. Skim through it a few times, jump back and forth if you need to, and focus on the portions that you do not know or are not familiar with. Try to take as much critical information as possible from the book WITHOUT reading it line by line or from cover to cover. Focus on the images, diagrams and charts.
You goal is NOT to read MEEB line by line or from cover to cover, you goal is to prepare and pass the ARE exams with your LIMITED time and effort.
Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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MEEB is a bible, you should become familiar with its contents. It has literally all the contents you need to study. For me the main issue with the book is the size. It is too small and becomes tedious to read. Heating Cooling and Lighting is like MEEB but better designed and the size of the book helps to better skim through the different topics. It does not cover as much topics as MEEB but it is really good for sustainability and passive strategies. HCL does not cover conveying equipment and has no electrical either.
I would recommend getting both.
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Far be it from me to suggest not to bother with MEEB at all. But I used the ARCHITECTS STUDIO COMPANION. Read it cover to cover, and sketched the systems out, labeled them, and then tried to explain them to my friends - and I learned everything I needed to pass the exams.
EXCEPT for Elevators. I ended up reading the whole chapter about elevators in MEEB because I wanted to know all the information I could about them based on my previous testing experience.
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^^^I took this same exact approach to PPD and PDD and found it sufficient. I will say however that I had 14 years of work under my belt when taking the tests, much of that dealing with MEP engineers. So, if you feel that you are weak in MEP systems and your understanding of them, definitely start with Architect's Studio Companion, and then anything you feel you need further info on - check out those specific sections in MEEB.
FYI - I bought MEEB, took one look at it, said hell no.
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