LEED v5
Existing Buildings
Water Efficiency
Water Efficiency Performance

EBOM-v5 WEc1: Water Efficiency Performance 1-14 points

LEEDuser overview

Explore this LEED credit

Post your questions on this credit in the forum, and click on the credit language tab to review to the LEED requirements.

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To reduce potable water consumption and the associated energy consumption and carbon emissions required to treat and distribute water, and to preserve potable water resources through an efficiency-first approach. 

Requirements

Points are awarded based on total potable water consumption during a 12-month reporting period using the metric of gallons per square foot per year (or liters per meter per year). To earn 1 point, meet the baseline water use intensity threshold for the applicable space type as shown in Table 1. To earn additional points, demonstrate a percent reduction from the baseline water use intensity threshold as shown in Table 2.

Table 1. Baseline Water Use Intensity Threshold

Space Type

Water Use Intensity Threshold

(gal./sq. ft./yr)

Water Use Intensity Threshold

(L/sq. m./yr)

College/university

12

489

Hospital

53

2,160

Hospitality

49

1,997

Industrial manufacturing

14

570

K–12 school

11

448

Laboratory

53

2,160

Medical office

22

896

Office

13

530

Other

22

896

Public assembly

12

489

Public order and safety

26

1,059

Residential

44

1,793

Retail

9

367

Senior living community

57

2,323

Service

9

367

Supermarket

30

1,222

Transit

15

611

Warehouse/distribution center

2

81

 

Table 2. Points for Water Performance

Percent Reduction from 1-Point Water Use Intensity Threshold (Table 1)

Points

Meet space type baseline threshold

1

2%

2

6%

3

10%

4

14%

5

18%

6

22%

7

26%

8

30%

9

34%

10

38%

11

42%

12

46%

13

50%

14

 

See all forum discussions about this credit »

Frequently asked questions

No results found
See all forum discussions about this credit »

What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now

Checklists

Step by step to LEED certification

LEEDuser’s checklists walk you through the key action steps you need to earn a credit, including how to avoid common pitfalls and save money.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now


Addenda

This credit has no LEEDuser summary

See all forum discussions about this credit »

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To reduce potable water consumption and the associated energy consumption and carbon emissions required to treat and distribute water, and to preserve potable water resources through an efficiency-first approach. 

Requirements

Points are awarded based on total potable water consumption during a 12-month reporting period using the metric of gallons per square foot per year (or liters per meter per year). To earn 1 point, meet the baseline water use intensity threshold for the applicable space type as shown in Table 1. To earn additional points, demonstrate a percent reduction from the baseline water use intensity threshold as shown in Table 2.

Table 1. Baseline Water Use Intensity Threshold

Space Type

Water Use Intensity Threshold

(gal./sq. ft./yr)

Water Use Intensity Threshold

(L/sq. m./yr)

College/university

12

489

Hospital

53

2,160

Hospitality

49

1,997

Industrial manufacturing

14

570

K–12 school

11

448

Laboratory

53

2,160

Medical office

22

896

Office

13

530

Other

22

896

Public assembly

12

489

Public order and safety

26

1,059

Residential

44

1,793

Retail

9

367

Senior living community

57

2,323

Service

9

367

Supermarket

30

1,222

Transit

15

611

Warehouse/distribution center

2

81

 

Table 2. Points for Water Performance

Percent Reduction from 1-Point Water Use Intensity Threshold (Table 1)

Points

Meet space type baseline threshold

1

2%

2

6%

3

10%

4

14%

5

18%

6

22%

7

26%

8

30%

9

34%

10

38%

11

42%

12

46%

13

50%

14

 

See all forum discussions about this credit »