I wrote a couple weeks back, with some questions on the "v4v4 1_Indoor Water Use Reduction Calculator." I just discovered that the dwelling units will have two faucets, one for hand washing, and the other for filtered water. The original intent was to have both systems tied to a single faucet, but the compatible unit had too high a flow rate for LEED.
My question is, how do I account for this on the calculator? In the original design, the two systems could not be used simultaneously, and our guess is that would continue to be the case. My guess is that the calculator accounts for bottle, and glass filling. Do I need to modify the calculator in any other way, to account for the two systems?
David Posada
Integrated Design & LEED SpecialistSERA Architects
LEEDuser Expert
1980 thumbs up
September 24, 2019 - 2:54 pm
It's possible these may be excluded from the calculator, since they are analogous to a bottle filling station at a water fountain, or a pot filling faucet where they are used to fill a glass, water bottle, or a pot and are not "overflowing" like a faucet used for washing hands or dishes. My understanding is water fountains are not included in the credit, or the calculator, since they are not governed by the EPAct 1992 or WaterSense standards, so that makes me think the filtered water faucet may be excluded if it's clearly different from a standard faucet. The type I'm picturing is a much smaller, narrower fixture that provides only cold water, and looks more like a drinking fountain than a typical faucet. Is that what you're describing?
You'll want to confirm this with a technical customer service/ LEED coach question, but my impression is you'd include just your hand washing (lavatory) faucet and not the filtered water faucet in the calculator.
Kyle G. Pearson
3 thumbs up
September 24, 2019 - 3:39 pm
I appreciate the response, it gives me the feeling that I'm on the right track. The answer to your question about the filtered faucet is yes, it is what you'd typically see next to some kitchen sinks for filtered/RO water. I didn't realize that USGBC had technical customer service/ LEED coaches. How would I reach out to them?
David Posada
Integrated Design & LEED SpecialistSERA Architects
LEEDuser Expert
1980 thumbs up
September 24, 2019 - 4:24 pm
Questions sent to the email address leedinfo@usgbc.org usually get routed to the LEED technical customer service department, so that's a good place to start.
The LEED Coach program was announced in 2014, and has provided certification advice & support to projects that are registered for v4, so if you have a registered project you could also try leedcoach@usgbc.org.
Kyle G. Pearson
3 thumbs up
September 24, 2019 - 4:29 pm
Perfect! Thanks.