On pg. 297 of the LEED v4 BD&C Reference Guide it states the general credit requirements but makes no mention of WaterSense labels being required there. However on pg. 302 there is a statement that WaterSense label requirements are now mandatory in the US for interior water fixtures.
How does this statement affect interior fixtures that are not eligible for the WaterSense label such as Metering Faucets, public bathroom sink faucets, and residential style kitchen sink faucets?
If any of those types of faucets are used in a new office building design are they effectively exempt from the LEED requirement for having the WaterSense label since there is no way they will have the label since the EPA states those faucets are ineligible to obtain WaterSense certification?
As long as the project can still meet the required total % reduction from baseline to obtain points will LEED care if the watersense label is present or not on every single fixture cut sheet?
Kristen Dotson
Senior Program Manager, Sustainable Buildings, WWSAmazon
8 thumbs up
September 9, 2019 - 6:14 pm
Hi Jason - did you ever get a response from GBCI on this? It seems to me that as long as your fixture is at or below WaterSense rated flow/flush levels it should be fine, but we just got comments back about a showerhead demanding that it also meet WaterSense labeling. Seems nuts to me since the flush/flow rate is what matters, but I didn't know if you'd gotten some feedback since last year.
Thanks!
Kristen
Jason Garvens
Energy EngineerHGA
4 thumbs up
September 10, 2019 - 1:07 pm
I never received an official response from GBCI on this topic, however I had gone forward and submitted this credit for LEED review. I had attached the cut sheets for all fixtures, even the kitchen faucet ones not eligible for water sense labeling, and the credit got approved based on the overall % reduced below baseline. So in my case I never got questioned on the fixtures without water sense labels on the cut sheets. GBCI either recognized those specific fixture types as an exception or I had a lazy reviewer.
Kristen Dotson
Senior Program Manager, Sustainable Buildings, WWSAmazon
8 thumbs up
September 10, 2019 - 1:49 pm
Thanks Jason, that lines up with what I've heard from GBCI also. Since WaterSense only covers toilets, urinals and showerheads (in a commercial setting), those are the only fixtures that MUST be WaterSense labeled. Anything not eligible for WaterSense doesn't have to comply. I think it's weird because a showerhead or toilet could have the reduced flush/flow rates that WaterSense rewards, but not actually have a WaterSense label, yet that fixture would essentially ruin the credit despite the calculated water savings.