Ben Stanley
WSP - Built Ecology
Senior Sustainability Manager
Schools-EBOM-v4 WEc4: Water metering 1-2 points
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To support water management and identify opportunities for additional water savings by tracking water consumption.Requirements
Establishment
Establish permanently installed meters; 1 point for two water subsystems, 2 points for four or more water subsystems:- Irrigation. Meter water systems serving at least 80% of the irrigated landscaped area. Calculate the percentage of irrigated landscape area as the total metered irrigated landscape area divided by the total irrigated landscape area. Landscape areas fully covered with xeriscaping or native vegetation that requires no routine irrigation may be excluded from the calculation.
- Indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings. Meter water systems serving at least 80% of the indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings listed in WE Prerequisite Indoor Water-Use Reduction, either directly or by deducting all other measured water use from the measured total water consumption of the building and grounds,
- Cooling towers. Meter replacement water use of all cooling towers serving the facility.
- Domestic hot water. Meter water use of at least 80% of the installed domestic hot water heating capacity (including both tanks and on-demand heaters).
- Reclaimed water. Meter reclaimed water, regardless of rate. A reclaimed water system with a makeup water connection must also be metered so that the true reclaimed water component can be determined.
- Other process water. Meter at least 80% of expected daily water consumption for process end uses, such as humidifiers, dishwashers, clothes washers, and pools.
Performance
All meters, including whole-building meter, must be recorded at least weekly and used in a regular analysis of time trends. Meters must be calibrated within the manufacturer’s recommended interval if the building owner, management organization, or tenant owns the meter. Meters owned by third parties (e.g., utilities or governments) are exempt. Commit to sharing with USGBC the resulting water usage data for a five-year period beginning on the date the project accepts LEED certification. See all forum discussions about this credit »Frequently asked questions
We currently have metering in place for one water subsystem. We want to install metering for a second subsystem so we can earn this credit. Can we do this during the performance period?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We cannot get weekly meter data from the utility. Does this mean we cannot achieve this credit because the water is tracked monthly instead of weekly?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
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LEEDuser overview
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium
Already a premium member? Log in now
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To support water management and identify opportunities for additional water savings by tracking water consumption.Requirements
Establishment
Establish permanently installed meters; 1 point for two water subsystems, 2 points for four or more water subsystems:- Irrigation. Meter water systems serving at least 80% of the irrigated landscaped area. Calculate the percentage of irrigated landscape area as the total metered irrigated landscape area divided by the total irrigated landscape area. Landscape areas fully covered with xeriscaping or native vegetation that requires no routine irrigation may be excluded from the calculation.
- Indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings. Meter water systems serving at least 80% of the indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings listed in WE Prerequisite Indoor Water-Use Reduction, either directly or by deducting all other measured water use from the measured total water consumption of the building and grounds,
- Cooling towers. Meter replacement water use of all cooling towers serving the facility.
- Domestic hot water. Meter water use of at least 80% of the installed domestic hot water heating capacity (including both tanks and on-demand heaters).
- Reclaimed water. Meter reclaimed water, regardless of rate. A reclaimed water system with a makeup water connection must also be metered so that the true reclaimed water component can be determined.
- Other process water. Meter at least 80% of expected daily water consumption for process end uses, such as humidifiers, dishwashers, clothes washers, and pools.
Performance
All meters, including whole-building meter, must be recorded at least weekly and used in a regular analysis of time trends. Meters must be calibrated within the manufacturer’s recommended interval if the building owner, management organization, or tenant owns the meter. Meters owned by third parties (e.g., utilities or governments) are exempt. Commit to sharing with USGBC the resulting water usage data for a five-year period beginning on the date the project accepts LEED certification. See all forum discussions about this credit »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
Frequently asked questions
We currently have metering in place for one water subsystem. We want to install metering for a second subsystem so we can earn this credit. Can we do this during the performance period?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We cannot get weekly meter data from the utility. Does this mean we cannot achieve this credit because the water is tracked monthly instead of weekly?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Guest expert
Ben Stanley
WSP - Built Ecology
Senior Sustainability Manager