Exempt from Indoor Water Efficiency pre-requisite?

Hi Lawrence, 

My understanding is that only the ID+C rating system allows for any exclusions if, for example, core restrooms are not part of the project scope, as is often the case with interior fit-outs. Even for those projects, you must still meet the prerequisite for any fixtures installed within the project boundary, you're just not eligible for any points under the credit.

For BD+C, you are expected to account for all fixtures that your occupants will use, regardless of scope/location of those fixtures. I would doubt that there are zero restrooms or other fixtures in the whole building for your occupants/visitors, unless maybe you have a warehouse or something along those lines. In general, if a building has at least 1 full-time equivalent employee (requirement to even pursue certification), there should typically be facilities available for use.

Can you maybe supply some more info about your project specifically so we can get a better idea of your scenario? Otherwise, you may need to contact GBCI and inquire specifically about your project and see what they say if it truly is a different circumstance.

We had a v3 NC project in which all plumbing fixtures used by the occupants were located outside of the building pursuing LEED certification. In fact the plumbing fixtures were located outside of the LEED Project Boundary. GBCI required us to include all plumbing fixtures utilized by the occupants of the LEED building within our Water Reduction calculations. We achieved a Water Use Reduction prereqs and got a few LEED points since we were at 40% reduction.  This project involved a campus type setting in which all the buildings and site were under the same ownership. GBCI may require you to confirm ownership of the plumbing fixtures; especially if you are going after Water Use Reduction points.

Also, buildings with less than 1 FTE can pursue LEED, the just can't use LEED in its entirety. Optional credits in the EQ credit category cannot be earned...per the Supplemental Guidance to the MPRs document.

Always wondered who is out there certifying buildings with 0 FTEs :)

Good Luck!

It sounds like David's approach would be very similar to what you'd need to do, Lawrence. To be safe, and save time on having to change calcs after the fact, I would summarize what you believe to be the appropriate approach based on the above feedback, and send it to GBCI so they can confirm whether your assumptions are correct. Also be sure to ask whether you would still be eligible for points, too, or just have to meet the prereq. The most direct way for most projects to do that is through this page: http://www.gbci.org/contact

You are correct that the baselines did not change a ton between v3 and v4, but document carefully to be sure. Make sure you use the most current version of the calculator, and if you have metered faucets, the big change is that you are no longer allowed to convert the GPM to GPC like with v3 projects. This change alone can change your overall savings by several percentage points, depending on the project and usage pattern, of course.

What happens when the CI: Retail v4 project doesn't have any water fixture or appliances? 

Hi Analu,

Please refer to these two posts under the CI forum page for the Prereq that should address your question:

1. https://leeduser.buildinggreen.com/forum/water-use-reduction-base-buildi...
2. https://leeduser.buildinggreen.com/forum/no-existing-and-new-fixtures

If for some reason those links don't function, just do a term search on the left side of that forum page for the word 'exempt' and these two will show in the results.