LEED Certification for Homes – WE CREDIT: TOTAL WATER USE

Requirements

Reduce total indoor and outdoor water consumption by at least 10% over standard practices.

For indoor water savings, use the Water Reduction Calculator to determine the average flush or flow rate for each fixture type and the estimated daily usage. The baselines for indoor water consumption are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Indoor water baseline consumption (per person per day)

gpm = gallons per minute

gpf = gallons per flush WF = water factor

gpc = gallons per cycle

lpf = liters per flush

lpm = liters per minute

lpc = liters per cycle

The water pressure in single-family buildings must not exceed 60 psi (415 kPa), with no detectable water leaks. Any installed water softeners must be demand initiated.

For outdoor water savings, use the EPA WaterSense Water Budget Tool to calculate the baseline landscape water consumption and the design landscape water consumption.

Implement the following measures to further reduce landscape water consumption. Add the savings associated with each of the following strategies to the reduction from the landscape water requirement, as calculated in the Water Budget Tool:

•     Install smart scheduling technology. This strategy counts for a maximum reduction of 30% provided all landscape water use is controlled by a soil moisture sensor control system or a weather-based irrigation control system.
• Use captured rainwater.

• Use reclaimed water.

• Use water treated on site or conveyed by a public agency specifically for nonpotable uses (water from naturally occurring surface water bodies, such as streams and rivers, and groundwater, such as well water, does not count).

Points are awarded according to Table 2.

Table 2. Points for reducing indoor and outdoor water use

Projects attempting this credit are not eligible to earn points under other Water Efficiency credits.