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Credit language straight from USGBC
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NC 2009 WEc3: Water Use Reduction
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13 Comments
USGBC provides additional guidance
The USGBC just posted a new document providing additional guidance on WEp1 and WEc3. This document covers fixture groups, daily use calcs, dual flush flow rates, and autocontrol faucets. Link here: http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6493
Hospital water use?
In the credit language, hospital patient rooms are allowed to have faucets with 2.2 gpm. Does this hold true for operating rooms and doc offices? It seems it should, as in those areas you don't want to have water flow restricted....
And how does that fit into the template, if at all? Its very challenging to quantify how often those are used and for how long....
Ben Stanley replied LEED Consultant, YRG sustainability Jan 29 2010
Tommy,
The operating room water use should be considered 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. and excluded from the calculations.
Faucets in the doctor's office could be considered private, normal, or process depending on the use. If it's used in the course of providing medical treatment then probably process. If it's like a typical commercial bathroom then would follow the 0.5 baseline. Private is usually reserved for residential/hospitality or executive suite type bathrooms but maybe there is a case for private in a doctor's office.
Lauren Glasscock replied Green Building Consultant, KEMA Services, Inc. Feb 01 2010
It is my understanding that only "kitchen sinks" and "lavatory faucets" should be included under WEc3 in terms of sinks. Lab sinks would be excluded as well as operating room water use as Ben mentioned. I guess I would ask how one should define a "kitchen sink" to determine inclusion in the calculations.
Calculating FTE/Transients for Hospital environments
I was wondering if the USGBC has provided any guidance regarding calculating 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./Transients/Visitors, etc for a hospital. Should patients be partial FTEs or visitors? Does it depend on the kind of patient that they are (outpatient vs inpatient)? Do any of the hospital FTE, such as inpatients have to be residential FTE? Is there guidance in LEED for Healthcare? Our project is registered under LEEDv2.2.
Mara: perhaps you have a good idea from your hospital experience?
Thank you!
Mara Baum replied Sustainability Coordinator, Anshen + Allen Architects Feb 03 2010
There is limited guidance from the USGBC on this matter. Inpatients are considered to be residents; outpatients are transients.
Calculating transients is often an exercise in estimation, and this is especially true for healthcare, because so many of the staff are mobile -- e.g. doctors on rounds who may pop into a building for just a few minutes or maintenance personnel who work in one building periodically but may have a permanent home in a different building. This type of occupant is usually a transient, although you should use common sense to determine your approach. You should work with your client to estimate these numbers, as well as outpatients and typical visitors per inpatient. They will probably hate this! Start with everything you know about the building, then and ask questions as specific as possible. For example, a desk in an office building often represents 1 FTE... but it could represent 3 in a hospital nurse station... even if the desk is used only two individuals, because shifts are often 12 hours.
I have not found the LEED for Healthcare draft (now quite old) to be useful on this topic, as it's something that is more likely to be addressed in a reference guide.
Lauren Glasscock replied Green Building Consultant, KEMA Services, Inc. Feb 08 2010
thanks!
Hotels (w/ conference space), FTE, & water usage rates - SSc4.2?
Many CIRs address the issue of 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. to an extent, but it seems there might be multiple strategies for accounting for various occupancies. (Hotels near transit can exclude guest occupants- v2.2 SSc4.2 1/23/09, modifying the FTE to place guests in the transients category - v2.1 SSc4.2 6/20/2008, etc). And many of the referenced CIRs are built up from College Campuses, then Airports, but Hotels still seem a little mysterious.
For FTE it is clear: CIR v2.1 SSc4.2 6/20/2008 and the guest belong in transient calculations.
But would guests count toward a Residential occupancy (same usage rate essentially as a home, i.g. there at morning and night)?
Based on this CIR, guest would only be transient in the correct FTE, right? Whereby certain transient populations can be excluded from the calculations in determining the number of required bike storage spaces and showers.
Ssc4.2 is really about making biking more convenient for full time users, however, in this credit, FTE numbers have an impact on usage and occupancy numbers effect overall end water use (and water reduction).
It seems awkward then to place hotel guests in transient for WEc3.1 as guests are more likely to shower and use water fixtures.
I'm posting this same inquiry in SSc4.2 in regards to FTE numbers for hotel guests.
John Beeson replied Feb 11 2010
This should have a preview option. I forget some things.
I'd like to add the question about usage rates as well to this.
The LRG has water use calculations which indicate fixture usage rates based on residential standard calculation methodology presented in the LEED-NC v2.2 Reference Guide, Third Edition on page 142.
So, would guests count toward a Residential occupancy (same usage rate essentially as a home, i.g. there at morning and night)? Unless special conditions exist, projects should assume a 50/50 male/female ratio and an average of 5 fixture uses per day for residential usage.
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Mara Baum replied Sustainability Coordinator, Anshen + Allen Architects Feb 15 2010
I would calculate hotel guests as residents, and yes, they should definitely have an assumed 50/50 male/female usage. This is always true unless there is a very specific and provable reason otherwise, which I can't really foresee for a hotel. You would also have FTEs (hotel employees) and transients (visitors + those who come for events, conferences, etc.) These would all be calculated separately in the WEc3 template. You will have to work with your client and design team to determine how many transients are appropriate based on event spaces and other hotel practices.
John Beeson replied Feb 17 2010
Thanks Mara, that's what we suspected after looking thru LRG BD+C (we are analyzing this for NCv2.2). But, still, for SS4.2 should different FTE be applied vs WEc3? As 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 v2.1 SSc4.2 6/20/2008 where the guests belong in transient calculations.
Detention facilities
Another 24/7 facility. I assume every 24 hours will constitute 3 FTEs for a given staff position? Inmates are "residents." Just confirming.
When will USGBC get LEED Health Care out any way????
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Mar 11 2010
Yep, sounds like you got it right with the three 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.'s. No word on LEED for Healthcare—waiting on the next public comment period.
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