Chapter 4-Water Efficiency

14-Jun-15
Chapter : 4
Water Efficiency
© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 1
Disclaimer
LEED® and USGBC® are registered

trademarks of the U.S. Green Building
Council. The author is not affiliated to
USGBC or GBCI. The information provided in
the presentation are compiled by the author
and is not endorsed by USGBC or GBCI
1
14-Jun-15
CREDIT TITLE NC CS Sc Rt Hc Hs DC WD
WE P1 Outdoor water use reduction R
WE P2 Indoor water use reduction R
WE P3 Building – level water metering R
WE C1 Outdoor water use reduction 2 1 2
WE C2 Indoor water use reduction 6 7 6
WE C3 Cooling tower water use 2
WE C4 Water metering 1
WE P1, C1 Outdoor water use

reduction
Design
NC CS Sc Rt Hc Hs DC WD
Required
2 1 2
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Intent
• To reduce outdoor water consumption.
Option 1 – No Option 2 – Reduced

permanent Irrigation Irrigation
System – 2 Pts • Reduce 30% from
• Temporary Irrigation system
Baseline – Prerequisite
– Upto 2 years -Prerequisite
• Requires selection of • Reduce 50% - 1 Pt
appropriate species which • Reduce 100% -2 Pts
survives with rainfall (Except Health Care)
• Submit a narrative
• Projects without landscape
automatically earn the
prerequisite and credit
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US Projects: Use Interactive Water Budget

tool
• Interactive water budget tool automatically takes ETo and Precipitation data from database
based on zipcode
• International Projects to use excel version of the tool and manually feed ETo and
precipitation data © 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 7
Baseline
• Reference evapotranspiration rate (ETo) is the amount of

water lost from a specific vegetated surface. Turf grass with
height of 120 mm is the reference vegetation
• Reference Evapotranspiration is constant for a City/Town. Hot
and dry climates have higher evapotranspiration compared to
cool and humid climates
• For LEED Calculations ETo of the hottest month is considered
for calculation.
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Strategies & Implementation

Demand reduction strategies:
• Use native & adaptive species
• Avoid invasive species. Reserve grass only for playfields and lawns where turf is absolutely
necessary
• Efficient irrigation system.
• 30% reduction for prerequisite should be achieved only by demand reduction strategies
Controls:
• Additional 15% reduction is water use can be achieved by Irrigation controls that meets
water sense or equivalent criteria.
Alternate Non Potable Water Sources:
• Treated storm water, gray water, reclaimed wastewater, gray water, municipally supplied
treated wastewater, condensate drain from refrigeration and AC system or other process
water with meets the water quality requirement
• Non potable water sources should be tested for acceptable salinity levels
• Choose the water source which require lesser treatment if many sources are available
Points to remember
• Athletic fields and playgrounds (if vegetated) and

food gardens may be included or excluded at the
project team’s discretion.
• If the project has both xeriscape and irrigated
landscape, two calculations to be submitted for
each landscape.
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Documentation
Documentation Option 1 Option 2
Site plan showing vegetated areas √

Narrative for plant species and water √
requirements
Site plan showing location and size of landscape √
zones
Water Budget Tool report √
Alternative water source and controls √
calculations [Credit only]
WE P2, C2 Indoor water use

reduction
Design
Required
6 7 6
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Intent
• To reduce indoor water consumption.
Requirements- prerequisite
Plumbing fixtures Appliances Process
• No once through
• 20% water use reduction cooling with
• Energy Star or
from baseline potable water
Performance
• All eligible plumbing fixtures • Makeup water
equivalent
must be water sense meter
labeled • Conductivity
Controllers and
overflow alarms
• Efficient drift
eliminators
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Cooling Tower
• Water to air Heat exchanger used in cooling plants,
power plants etc to cool water.
• Analogous to outdoor unit in split air conditioner
Once Through System
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Plumbing fixtures 20% water use reduction
Prescriptive Path
Performance path
• Aggregate water
consumption 20% lesser
than baseline
• Use Indoor Water use
calculator to demonstrate
water use reduction
Alternative water sources not

considered as water use
• Each Plumbing fixture shall comply
reduction in prerequisite
with the above flow rates
Requirements
Path 1 – prescriptive (pre-requisite only)
• Ensure that all selected fixtures meet the following prescriptive flush or flow rate
thresholds
Fixture Baseline flush or Maximum installed Threshold below Water Sense Label
flow rate (IP units) flush or flow rate (IP code baseline Available
units)
Toilet (water closet) 1.6 gpf 1.28 gpf 20% Yes
Urinal 1.0 gpf 0.5 gpf 50% Yes

Public lavatory 0.5 gpm at 60 psi 0.4 gpm 20% No
faucet
Private lavatory 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 1.5 gpm 32% Yes

faucets
Kitchen faucet 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 1.75 gpm 20% No
Showerhead 2.5 gpm at 80 psi 2.0 gpm 20% Yes
• Compliance to be demonstrates by product cut sheets of fixture schedule

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Water Sense Available Water Sense not available

• Tank-type toilets (water • Tankless toilet
closet) • Composting toilet
• Water-using urinals • Waterless toilet
• Private lavatory faucets • Waterless urinal
• Showerheads • Public lavatory faucet
Requirements
All newly installed
toilets, urinals,
private lavatory
faucets, and
showerheads that
are eligible for
labeling must be
WaterSense
labeled (or a local
equivalent for
projects outside
the U.S.).
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Requirements- Credit (1-6 points)
FIRST – 20%
• Only with Efficient
fixtures
• Alternative water
sources can be used
for additional savings
• Janitor sinks and
fixtures regulated by
Health codes are not
considered in
calculation
Acceptable Non-potable water sources: Treated storm

water, gray water, reclaimed wastewater, municipally
supplied treated wastewater, condensate drain from
refrigeration and AC system or other process water with
meets the water quality requirement
Non-acceptable Alternate water sources: Untreated water

sources ineligible for this credit include raw water from
naturally occurring surface bodies of water, streams, rivers,
groundwater, well water, and water discharged from an
open-loop geothermal system.
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Calculations
Calculations for the design case (installed) flush and flow fixtures.
The following information is required:
• Fixture type
• Flush or flow rate
• Fixture manufacturer and model (which should match cutsheets)
• Percentage of occupants using each fixture model. The total for
all fixtures of each type must total 100% of occupants for
standard fixture types.
Calculations
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Calculations
Calculations
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Calculation
Daily water use for Fixture flush Duration Uses per
= x x Users x
each fixture type or flow rate of use person per day
Sample Calculation:
2 Women: water closet 3 uses per day
3 Men: water closet 1 use per day, urinals 2 uses per day
Faucet: 3 uses per day per FTE, 30 seconds per use
2 FTE Woman X 1.6 gallons (water closet conventional flush rate) X 3 uses per day = 3.2 gallons/day
3 FTE Men X 1.6 gallons (water closet conventional flush rate) X 1 use per day = 4.8 gallons/day
3 FTE Men X 1.0 gallon (urinal conventional flush rate) X 2 uses per day = 6.0 gallons/day
Sink Flow Rates

5 FTEs [(5 FTEs X 3 uses/day X 30 seconds)/ 60 seconds per minute] X 0.5 gallons per minute = 3.75
gallons/day
3.2 + 4.8 + 6.0 + 3.75 = 17.75 gallons

Appliance - Prerequisite
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Process - Prerequisite
Appliance and Process- Credit
SCHOOLS, RETAIL, HOSPITALITY, AND HEALTHCARE ONLY

One point is awarded for meeting all applicable requirements in any one table. All
applicable equipment listed in each table must meet the standard.
Schools, Retail, and Healthcare projects can earn a second point for meeting the
requirements of two tables.
Table 2 - Compliant commercial washing machines(the project must process at least 120,000 lbs
(57 606 kg) of laundry per year)
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Table 3 - Standards for commercial kitchen equipment (the project must serve at least 100
meals per day of operation).
Table 4 - Compliant laboratory and medical equipment (the project must be a medical or
laboratory facility).
Table 5 - Compliant municipal steam systems (the project must be connected to a municipal
or district steam system that does not allow the return of steam condensate).
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Points to remember
• Private faucets - Residential, Hotel guest room, hospital patient room

• If there any confusion for choosing faucet type, should go for public
faucets.
• It is acceptable to use only water efficient aerators instead of
complete fixture
• Aerators should be WaterSense or equivalent certified
• Water efficient showers and faucets require sufficient pressure for
satisfactory operation. Especially in highrise buildings the plumbing
fixture has to be balanced to ensure sufficient pressure is available
for the fixture.
Documentation
Documentation Fixtures Appliances Process water
(Rt, HC, Hs and Sc projects only)
Alternative water source calculations √
(if applicable)
Plumbing system design drawings (if √
applicable)
Alternative water narrative √
Cutsheets, manufacturers’ information √ √ √
Indoor water use calculator √
Exemplary Performance
• Achieve 55% savings.
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Reference Standards
• Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 and as amended in EPAct 2005
• International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
Publication IAPMO / ANSI UPC 1-2006, Uniform Plumbing Code 2006,
Section 402.0, Water-Conserving Fixtures and Fittings
• International Code Council, International Plumbing Code 2006,
Section 604, Design of Building Water Distribution System
• ENERGY STAR
• Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 and as amended
• IGCC/ASHRAE 189.1
WE P3, C4 Building – water level

metering
Design
Required
1
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Intent
• To support water management and identify

opportunities for additional water savings by
tracking water consumption
Requirements(Prerequisite)
• Install permanent water meters that measure the total potable water
use for the Buildings and associated grounds
• Commit to share whole-project water usage data for a five-year(or
until building changes ownership or lessee) period beginning on the
date the project accepts LEED certification or typical occupancy,
whichever comes first.
• Data to be shared in USGBC-approved data template or Third-party
data source
• Utility meter and monthly bills can be used to track water
consumption
• Separate meters required, if more than one source of potable
water(like well water) is used in the project
• Data compiled into monthly and annual summaries for sharing it with
USGBC © 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 38
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Requirements- Credit
• Install permanent water meters for two or more of the
following water subsystems, as applicable to the project:
• Irrigation – 80% of irrigated landscape
• Indoor plumbing – 80% of indoor fixture & fittings
• Domestic hot water – 80% of capacity
• Boilers if demand exceeds 100,000 gallons or 500,000BtuH
• Reclaimed water – 100%
• Other process water - 80% of expected daily consumption
• Consider subsystems based on consumption, cost
of operation and that closely align with the goals of
the building management.
Calculation / Documentation
Documentation All projects
Water metering strategy narrative √
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WE C3 Cooling Tower Water Use
Design
2
Intent
• To conserve water used for cooling tower

makeup while controlling microbes, corrosion,
and scale in the condenser water system
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Cooling Tower
• Water to air Heat exchanger used in cooling plants,
power plants etc to cool water.
• Analogous to outdoor unit in split air conditioner
Water loss in cooling tower

• Drift: Water droplets carried from a cooling tower by
a stream of air. Drift eliminators capture these
droplets and return them to the system
• Evaporation: Evaporation is the main mode of heat
transfer through which water looses the heat to air
via latent heat
• Blowdown: As the water in cooling tower is lost by
evaporation and drift, the salinity and hardness of
recirculating water increases which may cause
scaling in cooling tower. The process of discharging
concentrated water is called blowdown.
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Cooling Tower contd.
• Makeup water: water that is fed into a cooling

tower system or evaporative condenser to
replace water lost through evaporation, drift,
bleed-off, or other causes
(Make-up = evaporation + blowdown + drift)
Once Through System
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Requirements
One-time potable water analysis

(1-2 points)
• Measure at least the following five control
parameters:
• Ca (as CaCO3)
• Total alkalinity
• SiO2
• CI
• Conductivity
Requirements
Maximum concentration for parameters in condenser water
Parameter Maximum Level

Ca (as CaCO3) 1000 ppm
Total alkalinity 1000 ppm
SiO2 100 ppm
Cl- 250 ppm
Conductivity 2000 µS/cm
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Requirements
• Calculate the number of cooling tower cycles by dividing
the maximum allowed concentration level of each
parameter by the actual concentration level of each
parameter found in the potable makeup water.
(Make-up = evaporation + blowdown + drift)
Strategies / Implementation
• Limit cooling tower cycles to avoid exceeding maximum
values for any of these parameters.
• Maximize - Cycles of concentration
• Minimize - Blowdown Make-up water
• Use alternate sources of make up water
– Air handler condensate
– Cooling system water
– Pre-treated effluent
– Recycled wastewater
– Rain water collected from roof
• Take expert advise in cooling tower design
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Calculation
𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
Cycles of concentration = 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑢𝑝 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
Example:
Parameter Maximum Level (1) Measured in No. of cycles (1/2)

makeup water (2)
Ca (as CaCO3) 1000 ppm 200 ppm 5
Total alkalinity 1000 ppm 150 ppm 6
SiO2 100 ppm 5 ppm 20
Cl- 250 ppm 20 ppm 12
Conductivity 2000 µS/cm 100 µS/cm 20
5 cycles of concentration required (choose the least one)
Documentation
Documentation 1 point 2 points
Potable water analysis results √ √

Potable water analysis narrative √ √
Cycles of concentration √ √
calculations
Non potable water calculations √
Water treatment calculations √
Nonpotable water analysis (if √
using 100% nonpotable water)
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Questions?
27

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14-Jun-15

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 1

LEED® and USGBC® are registered

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 2

WE P3 Building – level water metering R

WE C1 Outdoor water use reduction 2 1 2

WE C2 Indoor water use reduction 6 7 6

WE C3 Cooling tower water use 2

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 3

WE P1, C1 Outdoor water use

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 4

• To reduce outdoor water consumption.

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 5

Option 1 – No Option 2 – Reduced

US Projects: Use Interactive Water Budget

• Reference evapotranspiration rate (ETo) is the amount of

Strategies & Implementation

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 9

• Athletic fields and playgrounds (if vegetated) and

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 10

Documentation Option 1 Option 2

Site plan showing vegetated areas √

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 11

WE P2, C2 Indoor water use

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 12

• To reduce indoor water consumption.

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 13

Plumbing fixtures Appliances Process

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 14

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 15

Once Through System

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 16

Plumbing fixtures 20% water use reduction

Alternative water sources not

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 17

Urinal 1.0 gpf 0.5 gpf 50% Yes

Private lavatory 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 1.5 gpm 32% Yes

Kitchen faucet 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 1.75 gpm 20% No

Showerhead 2.5 gpm at 80 psi 2.0 gpm 20% Yes

• Compliance to be demonstrates by product cut sheets of fixture schedule

Water Sense Available Water Sense not available

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 19

Requirements- Credit (1-6 points)

Acceptable Non-potable water sources: Treated storm

Non-acceptable Alternate water sources: Untreated water

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 23

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 24

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 25

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 26

Sink Flow Rates

3.2 + 4.8 + 6.0 + 3.75 = 17.75 gallons

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 28

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 29

Appliance and Process- Credit

SCHOOLS, RETAIL, HOSPITALITY, AND HEALTHCARE ONLY

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 30

Appliance and Process- Credit

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 31

Appliance and Process- Credit

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 32

• Private faucets - Residential, Hotel guest room, hospital patient room

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 33

© 2015 Green Building Academy. All rights reserved. 35