Hi,
we are working in several projects in Europe that are pursuing LEED certification. In what relates to sanitary equipments performance, in Europe all the relevant local standards consider 3 bar as the reference pressure to determine water efficiency levels. Due to this, all the manufacturers use this pressure (3 bar) in its technical documentation.
It is being really hard to find equipments / manufacturers with technical datasheets referring performance at 4 bar pressure.
Given this, and since in Europe the standard pressure used is 3 bar, can we consider water performance for our proposed equipments at 3 bar pressure?
Regards,
Pablo Jimeno
Sustainability ConsultantMeehan Green
4 thumbs up
August 30, 2018 - 5:21 am
Hi Ricardo,
The issue is common to all European LEEDv4 projects. We raised this concern with the GBCI, and their response is that reporting at 4 bar (5.5 bar for showers) is required to ensure consistency, and therefore the previous exception that applied to European projects in LEEDv3 was removed from the system.
Since then we always recommend including pressure compensating flow regulators/spray aerators in all flow fixtures. These will ensure that the flow rate is the same, regardless of the operating pressure.
Hope it helps.
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
476 thumbs up
March 8, 2019 - 1:04 am
Hey Ricardo,
Not sure if it helps any, but the language in the online version of the Guide now reads as follows:
"For fixtures that require the WaterSense label in countries where the label is unavailable, look up acceptable WaterSense substitutes at usgbc.org. Projects outside the U.S. must meet WaterSense flush and flow rates.
Projects served by water supply pressures different than specified in LEED v4 may install pressure compensating aerators in flow fixtures to achieve the desired flow rate without compromising user satisfaction."
Hope that helps.