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Things have gotten harder
Water-use reduction is a good opportunity for all projects to earn points. If you’re familiar with this credit from earlier versions of LEED, though, keep in mind that it’s gotten harder. LEED 2009 introduced the WEp1: Water Use Reduction prerequisite, which calls for a 20% reduction. In WEc1, which used to award a point for a 20% reduction, the points now start with a 30% reduction with six, and go up to eleven points for 40%.
The baseline for measuring water savings has also become more demanding. The LEED 2009 baseline for commercial lavatory faucets is 0.5 gallons per minute (gpm), whereas the previous baseline was 2.5 gpm.
Special considerations for Commercial Interiors projects
This credit can be more difficult for CI projects that...
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2 Comments
Metering Faucets
The credit guidelines indicate that metering faucets are limited to .25 gallons per use. This is the typical use of a metered faucets less than that would typically not wash your hands, to be specific - does this mean that metered faucets- and by that I mean faucets operated by electronic eye for a single pre-set flow: are not a valid strategy for achieving this credit?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Jul 18 2010
Metered faucets can be used on a project pursuing this credit, but the LEED baseline for faucets is so stringent it will be tough to contribute much to the credit threshold in this way. Using toilets, urinals, and showers to earn the credit will be more important, as well as possible water reuse.
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