This credit requires you to document your building occupants’ commuting habits and reduce the number of conventional commuting trips made to your building. There are a lot of points at stake, so it’s worth taking a close look at the credit and assessing your building.
Because of the sheer magnitude of water used to operate a cooling tower, implementing a successful water management program and automatic controls can have a much greater overall impact on your building’s water efficiency than retrofitting indoor plumbing fixtures. Depending on your local water rates, it can also bring your project significant cost savings.
This credit encourages the use of building systems submetering to enhance the ability of operational staff to analyze specific energy loads and to pinpoint potential areas for improvement in system-level or equipment performance. This detailed analysis is not possible through data collected by regular utility meters.
Although submetering can often lead to energy use reductions, the credit does not require you to demonstrate them.
To qualify for this credit you must have facility alterations and additions take place, under the specific LEED definition, during the Performance Period. Having just one trade specialty on the job does not constitute an alteration. Be sure your project is eligible for this credit by double-checking that the work performed meets the requirements shown below under the FAQs.
Water-use reduction is a good opportunity for all projects to earn points. If you’re familiar with this credit from earlier versions of LEED, though, keep in mind that it’s gotten harder. LEED 2009 introduced the WEp1: Water Use Reduction prerequisite, which calls for a 20% reduction. In WEc1, which used to award a point for a 20% reduction, the points now start with a 30% reduction with six, and go up to eleven points for 40%.
If your site already has large areas of existing, natural, open space or a landscape with native and adapted plantings, this credit is easy to earn. Check that you have native or adapted vegetation covering at least of 25% of the total site area (excluding the building footprint) or 5% of the total site area (including the building footprint—whichever is greater.
Water-use reduction is a good opportunity for all projects to earn points. If you’re familiar with this credit from earlier versions of LEED, though, keep in mind that it’s gotten harder. LEED 2009 introduced WEp1: Water Use Reduction as a prerequisite, calling for a 20% reduction for all projects. In contrast with NC-v2.2 WEc3, which used to award one point for a 20% reduction, the points for 2009 now start with a 30% reduction with for two points, and go up to four points for a 40% reduction.
| The low energy use of the first Passivhaus in Bremen, Germany, is surprising, especially since the house has neither solar collectors, nor a PV array, nor a boiler. |
This credit encourages environmental best practices for building exterior maintenance. It’s among the most commonly pursued credits because it costs little to implement, and is relevant to all buildings, even those with zero lot lines.
The intent of this credit is to reduce the amount of potable water used for flush fixtures and to minimize the amount of wastewater conveyed to the municipal system. For credit compliance, you have two options:
Option 1: Reduce the quantity of potable water used for flush fixtures (water closet and urinals only) by 50%. You have two ways to make this reduction: