LEED v4
Healthcare
Water Efficiency
Indoor water use reduction

Healthcare-v4 WEp2: Indoor water use reduction Required

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Credit language

USGBC logo

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

Intent

To reduce indoor potable water consumption and preserve no and low-cost potable water resources.

Requirements

Building Water Use
For the fixtures and fittings listed in Table 1, as applicable to the project scope, reduce aggregate water consumption by 20% from the baseline. Base calculations on the volumes and flow rates shown in Table 1. 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.).
Table 1. Baseline water consumption of fixtures and fittings
Commercial Fixtures, Fittings, and Appliances Current Baseline (IP Units) Current Baseline (SI units)
Water closets (toilets)* 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) 6 liters per flush (lpf)
Urinal* 1.0 (gpf) 3.8 lpf
Public lavatory (restroom) faucet 0.5 gpm at 60 psi all others except private applications 1.9 lpm at 415 kPa, all others except private applications
Private lavatory faucet* 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 8.3 lpm at 415 kPa
Kitchen faucet (excluding faucets used exclusively for filling operations) 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 8.3 lpm at 415 kPa
Showerhead* 2.5 gpm at 80 psi per shower stall 9.5 lpm at 550 kPa per shower stall
* WaterSense label available for this product type gpf = gallons per flush gpm = gallons per minute psi = pounds per square inch lpf = liters per flush lpm = liters per minute kPa = kilopascals
Appliance and process water use
Install appliances, equipment, and processes within the project scope that meet the requirements listed in the tables below .
Table 2. Standards for appliances
Appliance Requirement
Residential clothes washers ENERGY STAR or performance equivalent
Commercial clothes washers CEE Tier 3A
Residential dishwashers (standard and compact) ENERGY STAR or performance equivalent
Prerinse spray valves ≤ 1.3 gpm (4.9 lpm)
Ice machine ENERGY STAR or performance equivalent and use either air-cooled or closed-loop cooling, such as chilled or condenser water system
gpm = gallons per minute
lpm = liters per minute
Table 3. Standards for processes
Process Requirement
Heat rejection and cooling No once-through cooling with potable water for any equipment or appliances that reject heat
Cooling towers and evaporative condensers Equip with:
  • makeup water meters
  • conductivity controllers and overflow alarms
  • efficient drift eliminators that reduce drift to maximum of 0.002% of recirculated water volume for counterflow towers and 0.005% of recirculated water flow for cross-flow towers
In addition, water-consuming appliances, equipment, and processes must meet the requirements listed in Tables 4 and 5.
Table 4. Standards for appliances
Kitchen equipment Requirement (IP units) Requirement (SI units)
Dishwasher Undercounter ≤ 1.6 gal/rack ≤ 6.0 liters/rack
Stationary, single tank, door ≤ 1.4 gal/rack ≤ 5.3 liters/rack
Single tank, conveyor ≤ 1.0 gal/rack ≤ 3.8 liters/rack
Multiple tank, conveyor ≤ 0.9 gal/rack ≤ 3.4liters/rack
Flight machine ≤ 180 gal/hour ≤ 680 liters/hour
Food steamer Batch ≤ 6 gal/hour/pan ≤ 23 liters/hour/pan
Cook-to-order ≤ 10 gal/hour/pan ≤ 38 liters/hour/pan
Combination oven Countertop or stand ≤ 3.5 gal/hour/pan ≤ 13 liters/hour/pan
Roll-in ≤ 3.5 gal/hour/pan ≤ 13 liters/hour/pan
Table 5. Standards for processes
Process Requirement
Discharge water temperature tempering Where local requirements limit discharge temperature of fluids into drainage system, use tempering device that runs water only when equipment discharges hot water OR Provide thermal recovery heat exchanger that cools drained discharge water below code-required maximum discharge temperatures while simultaneously preheating inlet makeup water OR If fluid is steam condensate, return it to boiler
Venturi-type flow-through vacuum generators or aspirators Use no device that generates vacuum by means of water flow through device into drain
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Frequently asked questions

How does the CEE Tier 3A criteria for commercial clothes washers compare to ENERGY STAR certified washers?

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.)

Is the WaterSense label really required, even if a non-labeled fixture has a comparable flush or flow rate?

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.)

Not all fixture types can get the WaterSense label. Which fixtures do we need to ensure have the WaterSense label for our project?

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.)

See all forum discussions about this credit »

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Addenda

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Guest expert

emily reese moody

LEED AP BD+C, LFA, EcoDistricts AP, ENV SP, Fitwel Ambassador, WEDG Professional, ActiveScore AP, GGP, GPCP, GCP

Jacobs
Sustainability Director, Certifications & Compliance

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

USGBC logo

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

Intent

To reduce indoor potable water consumption and preserve no and low-cost potable water resources.

Requirements

Building Water Use
For the fixtures and fittings listed in Table 1, as applicable to the project scope, reduce aggregate water consumption by 20% from the baseline. Base calculations on the volumes and flow rates shown in Table 1. 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.).
Table 1. Baseline water consumption of fixtures and fittings
Commercial Fixtures, Fittings, and Appliances Current Baseline (IP Units) Current Baseline (SI units)
Water closets (toilets)* 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) 6 liters per flush (lpf)
Urinal* 1.0 (gpf) 3.8 lpf
Public lavatory (restroom) faucet 0.5 gpm at 60 psi all others except private applications 1.9 lpm at 415 kPa, all others except private applications
Private lavatory faucet* 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 8.3 lpm at 415 kPa
Kitchen faucet (excluding faucets used exclusively for filling operations) 2.2 gpm at 60 psi 8.3 lpm at 415 kPa
Showerhead* 2.5 gpm at 80 psi per shower stall 9.5 lpm at 550 kPa per shower stall
* WaterSense label available for this product type gpf = gallons per flush gpm = gallons per minute psi = pounds per square inch lpf = liters per flush lpm = liters per minute kPa = kilopascals
Appliance and process water use
Install appliances, equipment, and processes within the project scope that meet the requirements listed in the tables below .
Table 2. Standards for appliances
Appliance Requirement
Residential clothes washers ENERGY STAR or performance equivalent
Commercial clothes washers CEE Tier 3A
Residential dishwashers (standard and compact) ENERGY STAR or performance equivalent
Prerinse spray valves ≤ 1.3 gpm (4.9 lpm)
Ice machine ENERGY STAR or performance equivalent and use either air-cooled or closed-loop cooling, such as chilled or condenser water system
gpm = gallons per minute
lpm = liters per minute
Table 3. Standards for processes
Process Requirement
Heat rejection and cooling No once-through cooling with potable water for any equipment or appliances that reject heat
Cooling towers and evaporative condensers Equip with:
  • makeup water meters
  • conductivity controllers and overflow alarms
  • efficient drift eliminators that reduce drift to maximum of 0.002% of recirculated water volume for counterflow towers and 0.005% of recirculated water flow for cross-flow towers
In addition, water-consuming appliances, equipment, and processes must meet the requirements listed in Tables 4 and 5.
Table 4. Standards for appliances
Kitchen equipment Requirement (IP units) Requirement (SI units)
Dishwasher Undercounter ≤ 1.6 gal/rack ≤ 6.0 liters/rack
Stationary, single tank, door ≤ 1.4 gal/rack ≤ 5.3 liters/rack
Single tank, conveyor ≤ 1.0 gal/rack ≤ 3.8 liters/rack
Multiple tank, conveyor ≤ 0.9 gal/rack ≤ 3.4liters/rack
Flight machine ≤ 180 gal/hour ≤ 680 liters/hour
Food steamer Batch ≤ 6 gal/hour/pan ≤ 23 liters/hour/pan
Cook-to-order ≤ 10 gal/hour/pan ≤ 38 liters/hour/pan
Combination oven Countertop or stand ≤ 3.5 gal/hour/pan ≤ 13 liters/hour/pan
Roll-in ≤ 3.5 gal/hour/pan ≤ 13 liters/hour/pan
Table 5. Standards for processes
Process Requirement
Discharge water temperature tempering Where local requirements limit discharge temperature of fluids into drainage system, use tempering device that runs water only when equipment discharges hot water OR Provide thermal recovery heat exchanger that cools drained discharge water below code-required maximum discharge temperatures while simultaneously preheating inlet makeup water OR If fluid is steam condensate, return it to boiler
Venturi-type flow-through vacuum generators or aspirators Use no device that generates vacuum by means of water flow through device into drain
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Frequently asked questions

How does the CEE Tier 3A criteria for commercial clothes washers compare to ENERGY STAR certified washers?

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.)

Is the WaterSense label really required, even if a non-labeled fixture has a comparable flush or flow rate?

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.)

Not all fixture types can get the WaterSense label. Which fixtures do we need to ensure have the WaterSense label for our project?

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.)

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

How does the CEE Tier 3A criteria for commercial clothes washers compare to ENERGY STAR certified washers?

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.)

Is the WaterSense label really required, even if a non-labeled fixture has a comparable flush or flow rate?

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.)

Not all fixture types can get the WaterSense label. Which fixtures do we need to ensure have the WaterSense label for our project?

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.)

See all forum discussions about this credit »
Guest expert

emily reese moody

LEED AP BD+C, LFA, EcoDistricts AP, ENV SP, Fitwel Ambassador, WEDG Professional, ActiveScore AP, GGP, GPCP, GCP

Jacobs
Sustainability Director, Certifications & Compliance