Jun, it is common to realized significant operational cost benefits from improving plumbing efficiency.

Thank you, it makes sense. So can I see all the credits that related to energy saving should consider cost-saving ahead instead of schedule/installation difficulty/long term success?

And may I further ask do all the energy saving related credits related to Energy Star certification?

Jun, I'm afraid I don't understand your questions. Could you try rephrasing them? Thank you.

Changes in FTEFull-time equivalent (FTE) represents a regular building occupant who spends 8 hours a day (40 hours a week) in the project building. Part-time or overtime occupants have FTE values based on their hours per day divided by 8 (or hours per week divided by 40). Transient Occupants can be reported as either daily totals or as part of the FTE. Residential occupancy should be estimated based on the number and size of units. Core and Shell projects should refer to the default occupancy table in the Reference Guide appendix. All occupant assumptions must be consistent across all credits in all categories. only matter if they substantially change the distribution of occupants amongst fixtures of differing flow rates. So if your fixtures are constant throughout the building, changes in FTE really shouldnt affect your performance relative to the baseline.

But if the fixtures do differ, frankly I would just use the occupancy in effect at the beginning or end of the performance period. I don't think the Reference Guide specifies and I don't think it matters enormously. I would lean towards whatever occupancy setup you intend to submit for EAp2 and the PI forms.

Dan

The current methodology compares a design baseline case (based on UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code 2006 flush and flow rates) to the actual flush and flow rates of the fixtures installed in the project building. There is no option for using metered data to verify compliance for either WEp1 or WEc2. However, if you are submeteringSubmetering is used to determine the proportion of energy use within a building attributable to specific end uses or subsystems (e.g., the heating subsystem of an HVAC system). the indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings, this would qualify you to attempt WEc1.2 for sub-metering.

Thanks Jason. I'm working with a project that has currently installed non low flow fixtures but has "turned them down" to lower the actual flow rate. How could we capture that in the LEED calculations?

By "turned them down", do you mean that they retrofitted the fixtures with a different flow restrictor or is it something that is less tangible? The easiest way to document the installed case is to have cutsheets for installed fixtures, fittings, aerators, flow restrictors, etc. However, if there is some other process that this project is using to reduce the water flow in a different way, the alternate methodology to document installed water use is to actually measure the amount of water that comes out in a flush or comes out of the faucet in a certain amount of time. Basically, you disconnect the flushometerA device that utilizes pressure from the water supply system, rather than the force of gravity, to discharge water into the bowl of a toilet or urinal. It is designed to use less water than conventional flush toilets. from the water closet or urinal, stick a bucket under the open pipe, flush the fixture and see how much water comes out. For faucets/showers, you time the flow for 15 seconds and measure the result. To get a good sample, you should measure at least 20% of each fixture type in the building and test each fixture three times to calculate an average amount of water consumed. Be sure to start your measurements with ground floor fixtures to account for variations in water pressure as you move to the upper floors of a building. If you summarize all your results in a spreadsheet and include a written description of your testing methodolgy, you can use the measured flush/flow rates in your WEp1 calculations in lieu of the standard rates that would normally be verified through manufacturer cut sheets.

I noted the phrase 'turned them down' myself and wondered if it might mean reducing the water pressure in the building? I have heard that strategy suggested in the past but my understanding is that it would not pass muster with GBCI. Would be interested if other folks have experimented with that strategy and had different feedback.

Dan

Thanks for that note Jason, we are working on a hospital project that will likely require a similar test like you outlined. I will share the results!

Noriko, yes, the water being reused after it's been through the cooling tower is graywaterGraywater is untreated household waste water which has not come into contact with toilet waste. Graywater typically includes used water from bathtubs, showers, bathroom wash basins, and water from clothes-washer and laundry tubs, though definitions may vary. Some states and local authorities also allow kitchen sink wastewater to be included in graywater. Project teams should comply with the graywater definition established by the authority having jurisdiction in the project area..

It's misleading that the janitorial sinks are included in the Fixture drop-down list on the LEED Credit Form. The "unofficial" guidance is that janitorial sinks may be excluded from calculations. The reason is that when you're using a slop sink, you're not necessarily concerned with a flow rate because it's not being run for a certain period of time repeatedly throughout the day, it's being used for a specific purpose like filling up a mop bucket. USGBC gives you the option to include those sinks, but you would have to use some creative accounting to figure out the appropriate way to include the usage in the calculations. Bottom line, I've worked on plenty of v2009 projects that excluded janitorial sinks and never had any problems.

Jason, would that be true for commercial kitchen sinks for food preparation as well? I know that LEEDuser as some guidance above on kitchen sinks but wondering if they can be omitted?

Yes, you can replace/retrofit your existing hardware with a dual-flushA type of water-saving toilet that gives a choice of flushes depending on the type of waste — solid or liquid. flushometerA device that utilizes pressure from the water supply system, rather than the force of gravity, to discharge water into the bowl of a toilet or urinal. It is designed to use less water than conventional flush toilets.. There are two things to keep in mind:
1) Since you are replacing the flushometer for the purposes of your LEED project, and since the retrofit is not considered a major plumbing renovation (i.e. no pipes or tile replaced), you are still allowed to count these retrofitted fixture as pre-1993 fixtures in your calculations.
2) Make sure to do a little research to ensure that your existing toilet bowls will still be able to flush properly with a reduced volume of water. Some older toilets that are designed to use 3.5 gpf will not function properly when only 1.6 gpf or lower is used.

Ben, perhaps this question has an obvious answer that I am not thinking of (SSc4?), but why do you feel you need to include telecommuters in the occupant figures for the building? Are they ever there? If they only show up occasionally, would they be better represented as transients/guests?

I agree with Tristan.
Telecommuters who don't go to the building should not be classified as part time employees.

Determine how many weekly hours each individual will plan to be in the building. A person in the building 10 hours per week counts as .25 FTEFull-time equivalent (FTE) represents a regular building occupant who spends 8 hours a day (40 hours a week) in the project building. Part-time or overtime occupants have FTE values based on their hours per day divided by 8 (or hours per week divided by 40). Transient Occupants can be reported as either daily totals or as part of the FTE. Residential occupancy should be estimated based on the number and size of units. Core and Shell projects should refer to the default occupancy table in the Reference Guide appendix. All occupant assumptions must be consistent across all credits in all categories. (10 hours / 40 hours). Add everyone up. If you don't get to a total of 1 FTE you are not allowed to achieve optional IEQ credits - per the LEED MPR Supplemental guidance.

Hope this helps.

Ah, yes that is a rather painfully obvious answer. Thanks for the help!

Avkash, the requirements and documentation for LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. are different from LEED-NC. You need to follow the EBOM requirements and see how it goes!

Tristan, Thanks for the words; I figured this credit out a few weeks ago and I appreciate all of
your help. In order to achieve this credit, we collected all of the original cut sheets and compared them to each bathroom to see whether or not any upgrades were done. We then had a 3rd party come in to formally authenticate the reduction and create a narrative for LEEDonline. I am hopeful that this is
enough to be compliant for this credit.

Thank you again for all of your help.

With any LEED Online glitch like this I would always first check to make sure that you're not using a BETA form? (Marked on the bottom.) If so, ask GBCI to update it via the "feedback" link.

Yes, I don't see any reason this can't work. Is there any concern that you have about this strategy?

My concern is that though the water source is 'harvested rain water' which is 100% non-potable .However,when it has to be used 20% of it is still used in the same form for irrigation etc. but 80% of it is treated to be potable and then it is used.The credit requirement says that 'to maximize indoor plumbing fixture and fitting efficiency within buildings' .The reduction is not due to efficient fittings but 'rain water harvesting 'strategy.Can I claim exemplary performanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. for this credit?Sorry about so may confusing questions.But I am really not sure how to approach it.

The credit is focused on efficiency, but harvested rainwater is an allowable way of earning the credit. You should be able to earn an EP point if you meet the threshold.

The concerned project building is a five star hotel. Table3 in WE p1 mentions the default fixture usage for FTEFull-time equivalent (FTE) represents a regular building occupant who spends 8 hours a day (40 hours a week) in the project building. Part-time or overtime occupants have FTE values based on their hours per day divided by 8 (or hours per week divided by 40). Transient Occupants can be reported as either daily totals or as part of the FTE. Residential occupancy should be estimated based on the number and size of units. Core and Shell projects should refer to the default occupancy table in the Reference Guide appendix. All occupant assumptions must be consistent across all credits in all categories. and residents separately. In which category, shall we include hotel guests?

I would put hotel guests in a resident category, but you'd want to make sure this is appropriate for the type of use you see in the hotel.

Yes, according to page 83 of the LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. Reference Guide, graywaterGraywater is untreated household waste water which has not come into contact with toilet waste. Graywater typically includes used water from bathtubs, showers, bathroom wash basins, and water from clothes-washer and laundry tubs, though definitions may vary. Some states and local authorities also allow kitchen sink wastewater to be included in graywater. Project teams should comply with the graywater definition established by the authority having jurisdiction in the project area. is an implementation option for this credit.

Yes, but until the last time I checked, the submittal form on LEEDonline did not accommidate this, so you can expect to submit additional information to support your claim.

we are looking at exactly the same issue and to account for this in the LEED online form, we are assigning a 0 value to the flush rate for the toilets and urinals, which use only graywaterGraywater is untreated household waste water which has not come into contact with toilet waste. Graywater typically includes used water from bathtubs, showers, bathroom wash basins, and water from clothes-washer and laundry tubs, though definitions may vary. Some states and local authorities also allow kitchen sink wastewater to be included in graywater. Project teams should comply with the graywater definition established by the authority having jurisdiction in the project area.. I read somewhere that this is an acceptable way of approaching this, provided this claim is supplemented with additional information, which confirm this. Am I correct?

In LEED-NC, you have to submit greywater or rainwater reuse as an alternative compliance path—the calculator won't accommodate them. I would guess that this is the same in EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems., and that jerry-rigging the calculator to make it do what you want will not be acceptable. But I am just guessing. Might be worth a note to GBCI via the "feedback" form.

thank you, Tristan. Have sent a message to LEED online and will provide feedback to LEEDUser, once clarified.

further to the discussion on accounting for graywaterGraywater is untreated household waste water which has not come into contact with toilet waste. Graywater typically includes used water from bathtubs, showers, bathroom wash basins, and water from clothes-washer and laundry tubs, though definitions may vary. Some states and local authorities also allow kitchen sink wastewater to be included in graywater. Project teams should comply with the graywater definition established by the authority having jurisdiction in the project area. in WEP1 and WE2 I sent a query to LEED online. For the benefit of others, i have included below our query and the response from LEED online, which clarifies the matter:

Inquiry: around 50% of the total flush fixtures installed in the building use only non-potable reclaimed cooling tower water. Can we account for this by assigning a 0 value in the column "installed flush rate" or do we have to use an alternative compliance path?

Response: The current WE Prerequisite 1 form does not take into account the use of nonpotable waterNonpotable water: does not meet EPA's drinking water quality standards and is not approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction. Water that is unsafe or unpalatable to drink because it contains pollutants, contaminants, minerals, or infective agents.. To account for nonpotable water use, in addition to completing the tables with the occupancy, fixture, and fitting data, please use the Alternative Compliance path section of the forms (WEp1 and WEc3 if applicable) to provide additional documentation/calculations to support the additional savings claimed from non-potable water use (including but not limited to system capacity to show that the nonpotable water is sufficient to meet demand and the final water use savings percentage). By using the Alternative Compliance path section, the points documented indicated on the form will update according to the number of attempted points.

Yep, that's exactly right. The USGBC will not accept any sort of custom calculations for WEp1 so they really want to ensure that everyone uses the calculators they provide in the credit form to show that the prerequisite is met before attempting WEc2.

My building was completed after 1993 which in WEp1 I selected option 2, then when I go to WEc2, I cannot adjust the numbers that are set at zero, does this mean I would have to adjust WEp1 to use option 4 to then use WEc2?

Rachel, the diagram has been revised recently, so please take a look and see if it makes more sense now. The previous diagram did not accurately explain the distinction between the different baselines. You only need to think about this issue with the baseline if you're using the Option 4 compliance path and doing performance calculations and even then, the LEED credit form does all the work for you.

Buildings that were built before the Energy Policy Act of 1992 had different building codes to follow. It's assumed that they have fixtures that use more water, so LEED uses the higher baseline (160%) when performing calculations to allow them more breathing room. So, if your building is pre-1993, the higher baseline is used and if it is post-1993, the lower baseline is used. Another common scenario is a pre-1993 building that has some of the original fixtures and others that have been retrofitted in the last 15 years; in this case, the baseline is pro-rated to be somewhere between 160% and 120%, based on the relevant number of fixtures and when they were installed.

The language for this credit is notoriously confusing, so thank you for helping us to fine-tune our explanation! There are several options to document compliance with this credit depending on the age of the project building and/or plumbing system.

If your building was completed after 1/1/1993, it is assumed that it meets all relevant UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code codes and you can earn one point without performing additional calculations.

The same situation applies if all relevant building fixtures/fittings were replaced after 1/1/1993.

If your building was completed before 1993, you need to use Option 4 to analyze all of your building fixtures and use the data to calculate the potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. consumption and compare it to the LEED baseline.

As you've pointed out, the baseline is calculated at 160% of UPC/IPC codes for pre-1993 fixtures and 120% for post-1993 fixtures; if your building has fixtures from before and after 1993, a weighted average is used to determine the LEED baseline.

So, the credit option is designed to help you account for older and newer fixtures and develop a comprehensive picture of potable water consumption, regardless of whether your building was completed prior to 1993.

...mmm...different countries have different codes also at different times. just food for thought.

Our project building was built in 2000, therefore if I can provide an inventory of all fixtures meeting or exceeding the UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code standards I achieve the WEp1. Above Jason stated in 2nd paragraph you can earn one point w/o performing additional calculations, does he mean you can earn the pre-req, not one point?

Prerequisite and one point as I understand it Paul. If your fixtures are UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code compliant, you will be able to document a reduction of greater than 10% of the EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. baseline (which is UPC/IPC + 20%).

Are there any more recent understandings regarding this topic? We are experiencing the same questions as addressed above. In the WEp1 form we found the following note:

"Note: To earn WE Credit 2, complete either the LEED Design & Construction Streamlined Path option OR the Performance Calculation option. The other streamlined paths are not applicable to WE Credit 2."

Based on this note, it is our understanding that projects using options 2 and 3 are not eligible to earn points in WEc2. Is this your interpretation?

If so, the language within the checklists tab of WEp1 stating "Project buildings built in 1993 or later will automatically earn additional points under WEc2...." is misleading. Your input or feedback is appreciated!

Leah, the language is a bit confusing, but what we tried to express was that buildings that are built to current code will have water consumption performance levels that are good enough to earn at least one point under Option 4 without any type of retrofits required. If your building meets all current UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code standards, you technically qualify to use either Option 2, Option 3 or Option 4. However, if you pick one of the streamlined paths (Option 2 or Option 3), you give up the opportunity to try to earn additional points under WEc2.

So, in theory, a project building built in 2005 could demonstrate a reduction in potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. consumption of 45% below the LEED baseline, but if the project team didn't feel like doing all the legwork to conduct the fixture inventory and perform the calculations, they could just use Option 2 to show that they meet the prerequisite. In doing so, they would leave a lot of points on the table, but even though it's a good idea, there's no requirement to show exactly how well your building is performing for WEp1 if you meet the criteria to use Option 2 or Option 3.

My understanding of that notation in the Reference Guide is that it allows for the consideration of exceptionally low-volume appliances in the context of an Exemplary PerformanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. credit.

However, it should not be read to *require* the inclusion of those appliances or similar in the calculations for WEp1, WEc2, or an Exemplary Performance credit. A building can certainly earn any of the above without addressing such appliances; the standard suite of fixtures are what dictate performance.