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Start by assessing efficiency
To meet this prerequisite, you will need to assess the efficiency of your basic indoor plumbing fixtures, such as faucets, water closets, urinals, and showerheads, and determine how much 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. is consumed relative to a LEED baseline case. If your current bathroom, kitchen and janitorial closet fixtures are already highly efficient, you will probably meet the prerequisite. If your installed fixtures are older and exceed the baseline, you’ll need to modify them.
Baseline depends on when fixtures were installed
The baseline for the prerequisite is established by calculating how much water the project building fixtures would use, based on actual occupancy figures and usage patterns, if it were fully compliant with IPCInternational Plumbing Code/UPCUniform Plumbing Code 2006 plumbing codes displayed in Table 1. This baseline also takes into consideration the installation date of the relevant fixtures. For plumbing systems substantially completed before 1994, the baseline is set at 160% of the IPC/UPC-compliant figure; however, for systems substantially completed in 1994 or later, the baseline is set at 120% of the water usage with code-compliant fixtures. Buildings with a mixture of fixture installation dates will use a weighted average to determine the final baseline.
Inventory installed fixtures
To determine compliance, you will need to inventory all installed fixtures, and document their flow and flush rates and date of installation. It is very important to determine the correct baseline setting, so carefully consider whether you have completed any major renovations to your bathrooms and associated plumbing systems in 1994 or later. If you have a pre-1994 building and have simply replaced bathroom fixtures without performing a more complete renovation of the bathroom structure and plumbing system, you’re allowed to use the 160% baseline for all of your fixtures.
Installing flow or flush restrictors, such as faucet aerators or dual-flushA type of water-saving toilet that gives a choice of flushes depending on the type of waste solid or liquid. flushometers, will carry relatively low costs. Expect significantly higher costs if you must replace the existing toilets to accommodate more efficient flushometers. Depending on water and sewer rates, plumbing retrofits like these can pay off relatively fast, however.
Pay careful attention to the credit form
The key to successful documentation of this credit is proper setup of your building fixture groups in the LEED Online credit form. This part of the form can be confusing and is often misinterpreted. Carefully review the instructions on creating these fixture groups and make sure that the credit form is displaying the correct values for occupancy and number of fixtures in your building when you are finished. USGBC has provided a guide that helps clarify many common issues—be sure to review this (see Resources).
If you have a pre-1994 building, and are planning on performing a major bathroom renovation as part of the overall LEED project, be sure to register the project through LEED Online before starting any retrofitting in order to claim the less stringent 160% baseline.
Start by gathering this information
- How many different types of each fixture are installed in the building? Are fixture specs or product data sheets available for the installed fixtures?
- What is the date of substantial completion for plumbing? Was the project initially built before 1994? If so, have there been renovations since 1994 that affected plumbing fixtures?
- What opportunities exist for low-cost upgrades?
- What upgrades will have the greatest effect on reducing water consumption?
- Are there any high-intensity water uses, for example, a fitness center with showers?
- Are rebates or incentives available to offset upgrade costs?
Legend
- Best Practices
- Gotcha
- Action Steps
- Cost Tip
USGBC
Excerpted from LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance
Copyright © 2009 by the U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved
WE Prerequisite 1: Minimum Indoor Plumbing Fixture and Fitting Efficiency
Required
Intent
To reduce indoor fixture and fitting water use within buildings to reduce the burdens on 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.1 supply and wastewater systems.
Requirements
Reduce potable water use of indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings to a level equal to or below the LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance baseline, calculated assuming 100% of the building’s indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings meet the plumbing code requirements as stated in the 2006 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) or International Plumbing Code (IPC) pertaining to fixture and fitting performance. Fixtures and fittings included in the calculations for this credit are water closets, urinals, showerheads, faucets, faucet replacement aerators and metering faucets.
The LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance water use baseline is set depending on the year of substantial completion of the building’s indoor plumbing system. Substantial completion is defined as either initial building construction or the last plumbing renovation of all or part of the building that included 100% retrofit of all plumbing fixtures and fittings as part of the renovation. Set the baseline as follows:
- For a plumbing system substantially completed in 1994 or later throughout the building, the baseline is 120% of the water use that would result if all fixtures met the codes cited above.
- For a plumbing system substantially completed before 1994 throughout the building, the baseline is 160% of the water use that would result if all fixtures met the codes cited above.
If indoor plumbing systems were substantially completed at different times (because the plumbing renovations occurred at different times in different parts of the building), Set a whole-building average baseline by prorating between the above limits. Prorate based on the proportion of plumbing fixtures installed during the plumbing renovations in each date period, as explained in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition. Pre-1994 buildings that have had only minor fixture retrofits (e.g., aerators, showerheads, flushing valves) but no plumbing renovations in or after 1994 may use the 160% baseline for the whole building.
Demonstrate fixture and fitting performance through calculations to compare the water use of the as-installed fixtures and fittings with the use of UPC- or IPC-compliant fixtures and fittings, as explained in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition.
Develop and implement a policy requiring economic assessment of conversion to high-performance plumbing fixtures and fittings as part of any future indoor plumbing renovation. The assessment must account for potential water supply and disposal cost savings and maintenance cost savings.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Potable water is defined as water that is suitable for drinking and is supplied from wells or municipal water systems.
Potential Technologies & Strategies
Reduce indoor plumbing fixture and fitting 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. usage through automatic water control systems. Install, where possible, water-conserving indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings that meet or exceed the UPCUniform Plumbing Code 2006 or IPCInternational Plumbing Code 2006 fixture and fitting requirements in combination with high-efficiency or dry fixture and control technologies.
Technical Guides
Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) 2006, Section 402.0: Water-Conserving Fixtures and Fittings
The Uniform Plumbing Code defines water-conserving fixtures and fittings for water closets, urinals and metered faucets. This ANSI-accredited code safeguards life, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction, installation, quality of materials, location, operation and maintenance or use of plumbing systems.
International Plumbing Code (IPC) 2006, Section 604: Design of Building Water Distribution System
The International Plumbing Code defines maximum flow rates and consumption for plumbing fixtures and fittings, including private lavatories, public lavatories (metering and those other than metering), showerheads, sink faucets, urinals and water closets.
EPA WaterSense
WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, certifies products that meet its water conservation thresholds.
Web Tools
How to Conserve Water and Use it Effectively
Includes information on practices for conserving water and using water efficiently for residential users, system operators, agricultural users, and for industrial/commercial users. Both engineering and behavioral practices are described.
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
This portion of RMI’s website is devoted to water conservation and efficiency. The site contains information on commercial, industrial and institutional water use, watershed management and articles on policy and implementation.
Terry Love’s Consumer Toilet Reports
This Web site offers a plumber’s perspective on many of the major low flow water efficient toilets used in commercial and residential applications.
Water Closet Performance Testing
This site provides two reports on independent test results for flush performance and reliability for a variety of different toilets.
U.S. DOE, Federal Energy Management Program
This site provides good information on basic water efficiency challenges, best practices and federal, state, and local resources.
Water: Doing More with Less
This article from Environmental Building News discusses building water efficiency.
WATERGY version 3.0
WATERGY is a spreadsheet model that uses water/energy relationship assumptions to analyze the potential of water savings and associated energy savings.
LEED 2009 Water Use Reduction: Additional Guidance
This document from USGBC offers guidelines to help you properly set up fixture usage groups in the LEED Online credit form, avoiding common mistakes associated with the water-efficiency prerequisite and credit.
Publications
Alliance for Water Efficiency
The Alliance for Water Efficiency provides information and assistance on water conservation efforts.
Plumbing Renovation Economic Assessment Policy
All Options
All options require documenting a policy that mandates economic assessment of conversion to high-performance plumbing fixtures and fittings as part of any future indoor plumbing renovations.
Water Fixture Inventory
Option 4: Plumbing Fixtures Installed Before 1993
A plumbing fixture inventory needs to include manufacturer, model number, flush or flow rate and date of installation in project building.
72 Comments
LEED Online v3 Beta Form Calculations
Seems like there may be issues with how the LEED Online v3 Form calculates water use reduction; it certainly generates diffferent numbers than the v2009 Template. Be cautious about using early versions of the Form, and stayed tuned...
Jenny Carney replied Director, YRG sustainability Aug 21 2009
An update on the LEED Online V3 Form - USGBC reports that a fixed version will be available around September 1.
Pablo Fortunato Suarez replied Principal ESD Consultant/Architect, GreenArc Sustainable Building & Architecture Jun 21 2010
This is more about 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. values (and is also related to MPR):
1) The project's occupancy is peculiar in the sense that the regular occupants have 'dependents' ~ regular visitors in terms of rights, & have access to facilities (gym, cafeteria) but don't use office space. They have a special access 'pass' therefore no need to register. does LEED have and accepted/logical way of assuming FTE values in this case?
2) The client also has 'service providers' - contractors who clean, enter data, serve as waitresses, logistics, maintenance. They come to work for longer hours in a day and more days in a week (6) compared to regular occupants. Do they fall under "part-time occupants" w/ values greater that 8 hours a day, and going to work 6 days in a week?
Actual LEED Credit Screen Captures
This is a great site with extremely helpful material (thanks!). Is there though some way of getting screen by screen images of the actual Credit templates as it appears in LEED Online. This is our first effort and it appears that we can't see the templates until the prerequisites and minimum requirements are completed and sent in. We're trying to see the actual submission requirements line by line. We've registered the project and see the prereq's but don't see a way to the credits at this point. Screen captures would be ok if there is no other way.
Thanks,
John
Jenny Carney replied Director, YRG sustainability Jan 24 2010
John, it's a really good idea to scrutinize the credit forms early in the project, so your instincts are good there.
To access the credit forms once the project is registered, a member of the project team with adequate permissions (I know "administrator" level works for this, but not sure of the other designations) will need to navigate to the "Scorecard" tab, and then click the "Add/Remove Credits" button.
From here you'll be able to check all the credits you want to have show up in your project-specific scorecard. After you hit the update button, a list of all checked credits will be available, and you can follow the link associated with each credit to see the form.
At first, a "collapsed" version of the form will show up, and as you click through on the form which compliance option you are pursuing, submittals and verifications associated with that option will pop up. It's a good idea to warn your team that some submittal elements are hidden until you click on the applicable option, so that they don't accidentally miss information about what's need to show compliance.
Hope this helps, and let me know if you're able to navigate all this.
Water Efficiency Calculation question
HI, We are going at this LEED process ourselves here at Tufts Health Plan and I have a minor question regarding LEED baseline for shower heads. My question: We have about 1700 employees here and only about 350 employees use the gym/shower each day. When doing the baseline calculation for LEED, Do we use 100% of the employees in the calculation or do we use only the 350? When doing the calculation using the Delta's Green Project Estimator, They did 100% of the employees for both U.S. Average and LEED in the calculation. Thank you for your help.
Jenny Carney replied Director, YRG sustainability Feb 07 2010
Hi Bruce - the standard assumption is that 10% of FTEs will go ahead and get showered any given day in buildings with showers. When filling out the submittal form, this percentage is applied on the backend, so you should enter the total FTEs. The form will automatically apply the 10% assumption - for example, if you enter 100 FTEs into the initial table in the form, the table for flow fixtures will then show 10 daily uses for showers. At present, it doesn't appear that the form accommodates a custom value for the number of showers per day, though if you could justify a certain value that differs from the standard 10% usage rate you may be able to make a case.
Fixture data/spec sheets
My project building was built in 1876 (!) and has not had a major renovation since 1993 (it did have one in the 1980s). I do not have bath faucet spec sheets; however, if I add aerators to the existing faucets, can I include the spec sheets for those alone?
I found aerators that provide 0.5 GPM, which is lower than what you would get with a new faucet and much cheaper.
Dan Ackerstein replied Principal, Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC Mar 02 2010
You can indeed Janna - ultimately the aerator is what determines the flow rate of the fixture, so that is the critical element for documentation in the case of faucets. No need to dig up specs on the faucets themselves if you have them on the aerators.
Janna Nash replied May 07 2010
Now a question about flush fixtures. My building project purchased retrofit dual-flushA type of water-saving toilet that gives a choice of flushes depending on the type of waste solid or liquid. kits, so the origianl toilet is kept but the flushing mechanism is a more efficient1.6 gpf/0.8 gpf. Would this be considered a "minor fixture retrofit" and allow me to use the 160% baseline? I do have a pre-1993 building with only 0.5 aerators installed on public sinks and these retro fit dual flush kits installed on toilets, so I think I can use 160% multiplier.
If yes, I don't see how to change multiplier on the form.
Can you advise?
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability May 07 2010
You're right again, Janna. If you're just making these types of minor retrofits to existing fixtures, you can still claim that the fixtures were installed/replaced before January 1993. The LEED baseline is calculated based on the information you put into the "Fixture Group Defintions" table on page 3 of the Credit Form. The 160% baseline will be used for any fixtures installed before January 1993 (or retrofitted for LEED purposes, as you're doing here).
Efficiency calculation
We are planing on pursuing LEEDS for one of our Garment manufacturing facilities. At the moment we are trying to see the status of our water usage compared to the baseline.
We bought the factory recently and therefore, we do not have any manufacturer documents even though our fixtures are installed after 1993. In calculating the water usage is it necessary to calculate it based on the data of flow measurements of a 20% fixtures? because i was able to see a Version 2 template where they wanted us to fill the actual flow rates of fixtures enabling it to compare.Can you tell me whether Version 3 is different from that? Furthermore, we do know the total water consumption as we have used meters. Is it possible for us to use those data to establish the actual case rather than using data of fixture flow rates to arrive at the actual water usage?
Thank you.
Corinna Kester replied Consultant, Sustainable Buildings and Operations, KEMA Mar 19 2010
Hi Rashid -
You cannot use whole building water meter data to satisfy the requirements of WEp1; you must do a calculation based on flush/flow rates. The documentation path for individual fixture flush/flow rates is the same in both LEED 2008 and LEED 2009, as follows:
"For each fixture type that differs from UPCUniform Plumbing Code or IPCInternational Plumbing Code efficiency requirements (because of either lesser or greater water consumption rates), provide manufacturer cut sheets verifying flow rates for each fixture type, measured flow rates for a 20% representative sample of each fixture type, or evidence of the installation date of each fixture type for which worst-case default values were used."
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Mar 19 2010
Rashid, before you start conducting flow/flush rate testing of your building fixtures, you may want to spend a little time researching the fixtures to see if you can track down manufacturer information. Most plumbing fixtures and fittings will have manufacturer names stamped on them, and some will even include model numbers or flow/flush rates in terms of gallons per minute (gpm) or gallons per flush (gpf). Start by doing a building walkthrough and inspecting all of your fixtures. Organize them by fixture type and manufacturer and count up all of the installed fixtures. Look for manufacturer information on the fixture and carry a small mirror with you to make it easier to look at the back of flush handles or lavatory aerators. It may be much easier to try to contact manufacturers to acquire valid product information than to go through the process of testing a representative sample of 20% of your fixtures. If you're unable to track down manufacturer information, check back here to get assistance on conducting compliant flush/flow rate testing.
RASHID HAMEEN replied Mar 21 2010
Thanks Jason, Our project team member at the site will be looking in to that....We will see whether we can find data..
Link between Occupant and Water Forms
In LEED 2009 EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. Online, once the values are entered in PI Form 3 regarding "Occupant and Usage Data," shouldn't they automatically populate the corresponding fields of the WE Prereq 1 Form regarding "Minimum Indoor Plumbing Fixture and Fitting Efficiency?" Specifically, I'm not seeing the 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. entries from Table FIF3-3 and the Transient (Student / Visitor) entries from Table FIF3-4 carry over to the "Daily Occupancy" and "Fixture Groups Definition" tables in the "Performance Calculation" section of WE Prereq 1. Anyone else experiencing this too?
Corinna Kester replied Consultant, Sustainable Buildings and Operations, KEMA Mar 19 2010
Hi Douglas -
If I understand your question correctly, it is actually part of the design of the Template that the 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. entries from the Project Information Forms do not carry over to the "Fixture Group Definition" table in WEp1. This is because buildings can have complex fixture groups, depending on building space use and occupancy patterns, or depending on fixture renovation patterns.
The performance calculations need to be able to account for this complexity, so the relevant tables are not set to auto-complete; they must be filled in manually by the project team.
J Douglas Dietrich replied Mar 19 2010
Corinna,
Thank you for the quick response. So it is normal that the transient number is coming in from the PI form, but the 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. number isn't?
I have been able to verify that, as you said, in the WEp1 form the user can enter the FTE and gender ratio information.
We appreciate your help in understanding the nuances of how the new LEED Online features and navigation works.
Best regards,
Doug
Corinna Kester replied Consultant, Sustainable Buildings and Operations, KEMA Mar 24 2010
Hi Doug - Unfortunately I can't advise on the specific issue you are seeing, but if it does interfere with your ability to use the Credit Form effectively, definitely contact GBCI Customer Support. The LEED Online v3 forms are all fairly new, so not all of the bugs may have been worked out yet.
Post '93 Construction - Requirements?
Hi - My building is just over a year old. Am I correct in that all I need to do to meet this prerequisite is:
1-Verify construction date and fixture types (either through construction docs or inventory) with no calcs required; and
2-Develop a policy for conversion to high-performance fixtures that includes a simple economic/payback assessment?
Thanks for any help anyone can provide - I'm new to this and want to be sure I'm not overlooking anything.
Regards,
-Dianne
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Mar 24 2010
Dianne, the approach you've outlined is exactly right and will qualify you to meet the prerequisite for plumbing fixture and fitting efficiency. However, if your building is brand-new and has water-saving features, you may be leaving points on the table by using this streamlined approach. It may be worth the time and effort to do a quick inventory of your building fixtures in order to do a test-run of the performance calculations outlined in Option 4 of WEp1.
Once you've registered your project with LEED-Online, you'll be able to get in and download the Credit Form for WEp1 and use the embedded calculators to perform those calculations. Take a minute to also review the guidance documentation located on the WEp1 credit page in LEED-Online titled "LEED 2009 Water Use Reduction: Additional Guidance"; this will help you setup your calculations properly.
In LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. v2009, there are up to 5 additional points available for plumbing fixture/fitting efficiency under WEc2.
If your building is brand-new, chances are good that you'll be able to show that indoor water consumption is at least 10% better than the LEED baseline, which will qualify you for those additional points under WEc2.
Dianne Herrin replied Mar 24 2010
Thank you, Jason. Our project is registered, and I plan to follow your guidance. No sense leaving credits on the table. Thanks again. (This is a great site!)
Partial Retrofit
I have a 55-story building that was built in 1991. 98% of the toilets and urinals are original, however 2% have been retrofit. All of the faucets have been retrofit with aerators. I have created one group because usages should be the same on each floor. If I put two types of water closets and two types of urinals in for this group, the calculator automatically assumes a 50% split between the two types, although in reality it's really 98%/2%. The template can not delineate between a partial retrofit and seems to be aimed at complete retrofits. How can I approach this problem? Has anyone else had to deal with this? I would like to recommend the minimum it would take to get my client to meet this prerequisite, but how can I do that?
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Mar 24 2010
Great question, Tim - this comes up a lot. In principle, you've setup your fixture groups perfectly; typically, you want the groups setup by building usage patterns. However, in this case, you need to differentiate between peformance levels for different versions of the same fixtures. The best way to approach this is to create two fixture usage groups. One will be for original fixtures and the other will be for retrofitted fixtures. Once this are setup, you'll need to determine the number of building occupants and visitors that have access to each fixture usage group and setup the occupancy accordingly; maybe the retrofits have occured only on specific floors and you can easily divide up the occupancy accordingly? This way, you're still addressing water consumption from the perspective of building usage patterns, but you're accounting for different flow/flush rates for certain fixture types. Make sure that your final occupancy figures are equal to the total occupancy reported in the general Project Information submittals.
One other note, if these fixture retrofits occured for the purposes of this LEED project and just involved minor retrofits (aerators, flushing valves, etc.), you can actually use the 160% baseline for the whole building. See page. 85 of the LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. v2009 Reference Guide for details.
Industrial Site-Process Water
Hi -My building is an industrial site. They use substantial potable process waterProcess water is used for industrial processes and building systems such as cooling towers, boilers, and chillers. It can also refer to water used in operational processes, such as dishwashing, clothes washing, and ice making. to "waterproof test" assembled product. I am presuming this does not need to be included here or in WEC2? Can someone verify? (Efforts to reuse process water are underway - albeit as a separate project/possible innovation credit.) Thank you!
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Mar 26 2010
Yes, this is process waterProcess water is used for industrial processes and building systems such as cooling towers, boilers, and chillers. It can also refer to water used in operational processes, such as dishwashing, clothes washing, and ice making. that is not covered by the credit. In the words of the credit language, "Fixtures and fittings included in the calculations for this credit are
water closets, urinals, showerheads, faucets, faucet replacement
aerators and metering faucets."
I think your other efforts to reuse it sound really good, though. And perhaps they could help you with WEc3 and/or WEc4?
Private vs Public Lavatory Faucets
I am seeking clarification on the difference between "public" and "private" lavatory faucets under UPCUniform Plumbing Code 2006. My office/industrial building has 2.2 gpm faucets in both single-use and multi-stall bathrooms. The building is not open to the public; it is fairly well secured and you need a badge to get in. However, the employees all use the facility, as do visitors/contractors/customers. I am wondering two things: (1) Are all of these bathrooms considered public or private under UPC 2006 and (2) What are the specific definitions of "public" and "private"? Thank you!
Dan Ackerstein replied Principal, Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC May 03 2010
A 'private' lavatory is, as I understand it, found in a residential setting. Most lavatories owned/operated by a commercial building or institutional owner would be considered public lavatories and held to the 0.5gpm standard. The lavatories you describe are almost certainly public lavatories in this regard.
Dianne Herrin replied May 03 2010
That's what I thought. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding out there about this. Thanks for your help.
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability May 03 2010
This is absolutely correct. The only time when you may have a private lavatory in a non-residential setting is for something like an executive washroom attached to a CEO's office. Ultimately, the best rule of thumb for defining a private lavatory is if it used exclusively by a single person on a daily basis. Anything else will be a public lavatory.
ZEB Tech singapore replied ESD Consultancy, ZEB-Technology Pte Ltd Jun 25 2010
My project is a resort.Does it mean that all faucets in the resort guest room are private.What about the faucets in the common areas?Please advice.
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Jul 01 2010
Yes, in a hotel/resort setting, the faucets in guest rooms are considered private lavatory faucets and the ones in common spaces and back-of-house spaces are considered public lavatory faucets. If any of the hotel staff have access to their own private restroom, meaning they are the only employee who uses that restroom on a daily basis, those would also be considered private lavatory faucets.
ZEB Tech singapore replied ESD Consultancy, ZEB-Technology Pte Ltd Jul 01 2010
Thank You Jason.
IPC or UPC for California?
Hi, I was wondering if someone could tell me if the project is based in California do we still use IPCInternational Plumbing Code/UPCUniform Plumbing Code standards to calculate the baseline or do we use the 2007 California Building Code?
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability May 06 2010
Rachel, the UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code standards were derived from the federal Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992, so the 2007 California codes should be equivalent or better. For LEED purposes, the UPC/IPC codes have been adopted to help calculate the consumption baseline. The best thing to do would be to download a sample WEp1 credit form from LEED-Online and use the built-in calculators to help determine your LEED baseline. Custom calculations will not be accepted during your application review, so it's best to always use the materials provided by the USGBC to perform these types of calculations.
I'm thinking about this
I'm thinking about this document requiered in WEp1-1: The policy mandating an economic assessment of conversion to high-performance plumbing fixtures and fittings as part of any future indoor plumbing renovation.
In my case, the building is quite new, it's form 2006 and all the plumbing fixtures and fittings are high-efficiency ones. So, what I have to document here?
Sharron Bartulis replied May 12 2010
I know. It seems silly but it's a generic requirement. Many building are 20 years old like the one I'm working on and the policy makes sense. Just put a single sentence that says they will do the analysis in the future, date it and put in on the building manager's/ owner's letterhead.
Template questions
Besides the fact that I find this template absolutely confussing I'm totally thrown by the Flow Rate chart. Under lavatories it compares what you've got against the baseline of 0.5 gpm/gpc against what you have. We retrofit our faucets to 1.0 gpm and the template seems quite unhappy. A red lettered sentence pops up telling me that the -17% we received is atypical. I'm sure that most building's with older faucets are not metered. If I have a 1.0 gpm faucet but it only runs for 30 seconds I meet the baseline but the template doesn't account for that. What is everyone doing? Thanks!
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability May 17 2010
Sharron, you're in good company - the WEp1 credit form is one of the more frustating aspects of LEED-Online v3 for many of us. First of all, don't worry too much about that "red-lettered pop-up" alert. Complete the Credit Form using accurate information for your building fixtures and see what it calculates as your 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. reduction amount. The LEED baseline is determined automatically by the Credit Form (based on 2006 UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code codes), but you don't necessarily need to match every one of these code flush/flow rates in order to meet WEp1. Buildings that use low-flow fixtures that meet or exceed the codes will most likely be eligible to earn additional points under WEc2; but it's not a requirement that you actually mirror the codes. Complete the Credit Form, see how well your building is doing and make sure to provide manufacturer documentation as part of your submittal for any fixtures that are higher or lower than the UPC/IPC codes.
Janitor's Sinks
I have 3 janitorial sinks and there doesn't seem to be clear guidance for determining water use. It doesn't make sense to link water use from janitorial sinks with occupancy because the sinks are used consistently for cleaning according to the cleaning schedule - not occupancy. Is there any specific guidance on how to include janitorial sinks in the water use calc?
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability May 17 2010
Dianne, it's your lucky day, because you can actually exclude janitorial sinks from all of the WEp1/WEc2 calculations. The usage pattern for those types of sinks is usually just to fill up a bucket or container, so flow rate isn't as effective a metric for that type of use.
John Beeson replied Chief Mystic in Resident, betterENVIRONMENT, LLC Jul 15 2010
Jason, janitor sinks are in UPCUniform Plumbing Code/IPCInternational Plumbing Code - page 84, table 1. So aren't they therefore included in EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. WEp1? But not in BD+C WEp1?
Jenny Carney replied Director, YRG sustainability Jul 21 2010
John,
I think the RG table is just trying to be educational, but doesn't actually mean that you need to include janitor sinks in the assessments.The EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. form doesn't accommodate janitor sinks, they are not explicitly listed in the requirements as one of the covered fixture types, and janitor water use is generally considered a process waterProcess water is used for industrial processes and building systems such as cooling towers, boilers, and chillers. It can also refer to water used in operational processes, such as dishwashing, clothes washing, and ice making. (similar to dishwashing or laundry) and therefore outside the credit scope. So, definitely no need to include them (and in fact, the form won't let you).
John Beeson replied Chief Mystic in Resident, betterENVIRONMENT, LLC Jul 21 2010
Great, thanks Jenny. I'll let the team know.
Using rainwater for toilets
Is not possible to demostrate a water reduction in this credit if the building collects water from rain and reuses it for the toilets? In my case, the gallons per flush of 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. is zero.
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability May 17 2010
Oscar, congratulations first of all on using captured water to flush your toilets! To document this appropriately, simply choose "Other" for a Fixture Type in the Flush Fixture Data Table. Enter an Installed Flush Rate amount of "0" gallons per flush and then upload a detailed narrative as supporting documentation explaining how the plumbing system is using non-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. for toilets.
retrofits
The building we are trying to certify was built pre-93 with only minor retrofits (aerators, flush valves) done to half the building after 93. There are plans to retrofit the rest of the building with high-efficiency aerators and flush valves to qualify for the Water Efficiency Prereq. and Credit 2. My question is if we have a "policy" and economic feasibility/payback summary showing the benefits and savings we would achieve after the retrofit, can we apply for WEc2 as long as we get the fixtures/fittings in place before the end of the performance period?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Jun 21 2010
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you plan to fully comply with the credit through fixture retrofits, before your LEED submittal is complete. This seems completely consistent with the credit and I don't see any issue.
Grant Cherrington replied Jun 22 2010
Thanks for the quick and helpful reponse. I just wanted to make sure of this prior to moving forward.
FTE definition for other occupants
This is more about 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. values (and is also related to MPR):
1) The project's occupancy is peculiar in the sense that the regular occupants have 'dependents' ~ regular visitors in terms of rights, & have access to facilities (gym, cafeteria) but don't use office space. They have a special access 'pass' therefore no need to register. does LEED have and accepted/logical way of assuming FTE values in this case?
2) The client also has 'service providers' - contractors who clean, enter data, serve as waitresses, logistics, maintenance. They come to work for longer hours in a day and more days in a week (6) compared to regular occupants. Do they fall under "part-time occupants" w/ values greater that 8 hours a day, and going to work 6 days in a week or "regular occupants" who don't really have 'desks'? Or will they even be counted at all?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Jun 22 2010
To answer your questions:
1) LEED does not have a rigid rule for this situation. You need to use some common sense in making sure that these visitors are factored into the water calculations, in some way.
2) They need to be counted—I think you have some leeway in deciding what method works best. Either of your solutions could work, as long as the calculations are relatively accurate in reflecting their usage.
Pablo Fortunato Suarez replied Principal ESD Consultant/Architect, GreenArc Sustainable Building & Architecture Jun 22 2010
thanks Tristan. regards.
Pablo Fortunato Suarez replied Principal ESD Consultant/Architect, GreenArc Sustainable Building & Architecture Jun 28 2010
one more related inquiry:
The offices have been hiring over the past several months (before and after the LEED project application) so the number of occupants has been increasing. We made the LEED application in May. I just wanted to confirm: Is it safe to assume that the number of occupants to be declared should be the number of occupants during application? If not when should be base this number on?
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Jul 01 2010
That's a good question, Pablo. The key point is that you'll want to make sure that you're using consistent figures for occupancy throughout your entire LEED application. So, while it is best to assume that the number of occupants is the total number at the time of your application, you'll need to cross-reference the values that you use for any credits that depend on occupancy to ensure that the application data is consistent; if the values are not consistent because you completed certain tasks at different points in your performance period, you'll just need to be very thorough in your narratives to explain why there are discrepancies in your data. For instance, if your occupancy was 200 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 50 visitors in May when you completed your WEp1 calculations, but was only 150 FTE and 25 visitors when you conducted an Alternative Commuting survey for SSc4 back in March, you don't need to conduct a new survey, but should provide a detailed narrative explaining why two different values for occupancy are applicable to the two different credits. Ideally, these values would be consistent across all credits, but it will not invalidate your application if there are discrepancies as long as you have a reasonable explanation for the differences.
ZEB Tech singapore replied ESD Consultancy, ZEB-Technology Pte Ltd Jul 29 2010
With Regard to Pabs' Q No 2, I have a question. I have 120 number of part time employees who work for 2 hrs per day..So My calculation had resulted in a 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. of 30. I hope my calc is right. Pl advice. Thanks
Dual flush WC
Hi, I am confused about the value to be input in case its a dual flush system with 3/6 l per flush.Which would be the appropriate value to be added to the WE calculator.Please help.
Ashu Gupta replied Project Engineer Jun 25 2010
Shilpi,
Go through the below link to understand the dual flush calculation.
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6493
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Jul 01 2010
That's a great resource to understand the WEp1 calculations. In short, whenever you have a dual flush fixture, you should use a weighted average flush rate for the installed rate in your calculations. Be sure to account for the differences in frequency of use between male and female occupants.
no manufacturer or model #s - testing flush rates?
Our building is historic, and in Canada. Flush fixtures (toilets and urinals) do not have any indication as to manufacturer, model, OR flush rate. For the purposes of our calculation we've assumed 3.5 GPM for toilets and 1.6 GPM for urinals. Our question is - where does LEED provide guidance as to appropriate measurement of flush rates? We implemented our own methodology, but I want to ensure it's acceptable. In the absence of any guidance in the reference guide or elsewhere, I assume that it is? Also, in lieu of sampling 20% of toilets to test their flush rate, is their a default value that LEED would find acceptable for old pre-1993 toilets? I'm surprised at how meager the reference guide is on this, but perhaps I'm overlooking something. Thanks for any information!
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Jul 01 2010
Daycia, you're not missing anything - the reference guide does not do a very good job of explaining how to handle this situation. There are a couple of best practices that have been established by capable project teams and GBCI review teams that should be observed:
1) You must sample at least 20% of the fixtures in the building - sorry, there's no way of getting around that one
2) You should test each fixture at least three separate times and use the average flush rate of your three tests for the installed rate in your calculations
3) Depending on the size of your building, you should start your flush rate testing on the ground floor and move up floor-by-floor until you've tested at least 20% of the fixtures. The water pressure in your building will vary with the height of the floor, so it's important to make sure that your sample includes those floors that are expected to have the highest water pressure.
4) Make sure to track all of your testing data in a well-organized spreadsheet and make sure to upload that data, along with a detailed narrative describing your testing methodology, as part of your WEp1 supporting documentation.
private vs. public lavatories
My question is regarding private vs. public lavatories which I know has been addressed to some extent already in this forum. However, on another LEED forum I came across the following which I will post here. We are working on a number of office buildings where lavatories have keyed entry for personnel only. My first inclination was to call this a 'private' lavatory. Sorry for the length, but I would be curious as to your response. I'm digging into CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide's to see if this perhaps was addressed recently. Prior to submitting our own CIR, it would be wonderful to hear thoughts on the following which I pulled from another LEED Forum:
The definition of Private and Public is where your attention should be directed. It doesn't matter what LEED or the USGBC suggests as "types of private uses" - the fact is that they are saying be 20%(or 30, 40, etc) better than code.
So we dig into code...
The definition of public and private was set resulting from concerns about the classic "general public" using a lavatory faucet and burning themselves with hot water. They separated the two to protect the "general public" - the definition was set to guide the temperature at which hot water is allowed to be distributed to the faucet. It has nothing to do with usage, consumption or being eco.
So, knowing that information the facts guides the intent. The definition of "public" faucets are "lavatory faucets are those intended for the unrestricted use of more than one individual."
The 9th floor French Consulate bathroom in a building that has key-card access and a guard is not a facility intended for unrestricted use. Nor is an office space where the approximate water use based on 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. calcs is known on a daily basis. Furthermore, a school where students have to ask for a hall pass to go the bathroom is certainly not "unrestricted."
Again reiterating my piece that I agree with the intent of LEED, sadly the devil is in the details on this one.
Most recently it was for one of our projects - they were a defense contractor that mandated a passport and finger scanning for individuals entering the campus. I'll let you know what the LEED reviewer says...
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Jul 01 2010
Daycia, there is always a lot of confusion around this issue, so it's good to see it supported in yet another forum. To answer your specific question, a restroom in a commercial office building is considered a "private lavatory" if it is used on a daily, exclusive basis by the same occupant (i.e. an executive with their own private restroom). The scenario that you're describing for your project where "lavatories have keyed entry for personnel only" would not be considered private lavatories because any building occupant with access to the entry code is able to use those restrooms on a regular basis. Yes, it's true that they are not accessible to the general public off the street; however, they are being used by multiple occupants throughout the project building so they are considered "public lavatories" for LEED purposes.
Daycia Bowman replied Jul 06 2010
Jason, Thanks for your response. What is the source for your information on this issue of public vs. private? Is their a CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide on this? By what process within the USGBC was this decision made on public vs. private? Why is this information not available on the USGBC website or in errata to the reference guides? Perhaps it is and I missed it? Thanks!
Jason Franken replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Jul 13 2010
This information is located at the top of page 88 in the LEED for Green Building: Operations and Maintenance Reference Guide (2009 Edition). Creation of the the LEED Rating System and Reference Guide language is a consensus-based process whereby multiple subject matter experts collaborate on, review and revise the language before publication. USGBC also makes draft versions of future editions available for public review/comment - check with the USGBC or your local Chapter to find out when balloting will take place for the 2012 edition.
blow-out fixtures
Blow-out fixtures normally have higher consumption in terms of gallons per flush. My queries:
1) Are these types of fixtures covered by UPCUniform Plumbing Code and IPCInternational Plumbing Code standards?
2) What flow rate shall we use as a baseline for blow-out fixtures installed pre-1993 and post 1993?
3) The template for this pre-requisite gives a default value of 3.5 gallons per flush. Does this mean that we won't meet this pre-requisite?
Pressure of water supply for faucets/showerheads
Does the flow rate to be specified in the online template for all the kitchen/public and private lavatory faucets/showerheads to be at a specific PSI? For. eg. the showerhead used in the building works at say 40 PSI with a flow rate of 2 GPM (which is our design case) but the flow rate changes to 4 GPM at 80 PSI.The UPCUniform Plumbing Code AND IPCInternational Plumbing Code are stated at 60/80 PSI.So which value do I input ,the actual onsite faucet usage at 40 PSI or matching it with the base case at 80 PSI?In case I can use the actual design case at 40 PSI ,is there any requirement to provide the pressure testing report to USGBC? Please help!
Thank You.
Dan Ackerstein replied Principal, Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC Jul 27 2010
Fascinating question Shilpi. I think that ultimately the intent of the USGBC is to measure the amount of water your fixture uses relative to a standard fixture. If an IPCInternational Plumbing Code-compliant faucet uses 0.5 gallons for a 15-second handwash, the bottom line is how much water your faucet uses for the same wash. If the reality of your building is that you operate the building with low water pressure (intentionally and permanently) and therefore use X gallons of water for that handwash, you should accurately depict your building in the template and explain your situation in detail. I think it makes sense, but, as always when you're working outside the box, the burden of proof will be on you to make a convincing argument.
ZEB Tech singapore replied ESD Consultancy, ZEB-Technology Pte Ltd Jul 29 2010
Sorry, Can I again Check with you and please kindly correct me if I am Wrong. So, is it like I am definitely required to consider the gpm corresponding to the PSi as specified by LEED. My manufacturer data has a PSi different from the one suggested by IPCInternational Plumbing Code.
Thanks
Tankless toilets, etc.
Our team is working through compliance option 4. Our building does not have any manufacturer cutsheets for the water closets or faucets. We need flow/flush rates for a 20% representative sample of each fixture type.
Our building has tankless toilets. How can we measure GPF? We need an accurate and inexpensive method, if possible...
David Posada replied Sustainability Manager, GBD Architects Jul 30 2010
Can you find a model or serial number on the flush valves and contact the manufacturer for the product specifications? Do you know the date when they were installed? You might be able to use the standard flow rate for that type of fixture made at that time.
Nadine Kotlarz replied Jul 30 2010
Unfortunately, no. Our building engineerA qualified engineering professional with relevant and sufficient expertise who oversees and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in the project building. was not able to identify any markings to suggest the model, etc. I'm going to visit the building later today to be sure. Also, this is a school with poor management of documentation and we don't have verification of dates of installation of any fixtures (although the assumption is pre-1994)...
Jenny Carney replied Director, YRG sustainability Jul 30 2010
We've had our project teams do the measurements on tankless toilets. You just need to 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 bowl, flush into a bucket, and measure the water in the bucket. Folks on the maintenance/facilities staff can usually deal with figuring out the best way to disconnect the flushometer.
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