To earn one point under this credit you must have permanently installed water meters in place for at least two water subsystems. It’s common for projects to meet this requirement by submetering irrigation systems and cooling towers.
Reaching the two-point threshold is more difficult, however. At least four water subsystems must be metered, and it is less common for buildings to have submetering in place for the remaining water subsystem options:
- indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings,
- domestic hot water,
- reclaimed water,
- and other process water.
Team should be aware that there is a performance component to this credit. All meters contributing to credit compliance must be recorded at least weekly during the performance period. Readings can be taken manually or automatically.
What’s New in LEED v4
- Having whole building water metering earned one point under LEED 2009, but is now a prerequisite under v4.
- Under v4, projects must meter two water subsystems to earn one point. Under LEED 2009, teams earned one point for having only one water subsystem metered.
Readiness Review Questions
- Is permanently installed metering currently in place for at least two water subsystems?
- If not, can additional metering be installed?
- How frequently is water consumption data currently recorded and by whom? The prerequisite requires a weekly reading for all meters contributing to credit compliance, at minimum. Can either automatic loggers or manual readings be used to satisfy this requirement?
