Up-front costs for a 30% reduction may be minimal, since project teams will already be integrating water-saving techniques for the 20% reduction prerequisite.
Establish preliminary goals for water-use reduction. Consider setting water-reduction goals higher than the 40% reduction required by this credit, and aim for a reduction greater than 45% or higher for exemplary performance under IDc1. You are likely to need rainwater or graywater
Core and Shell projects should consider the impact of fixtures that will be used by tenants. The ability of a LEED-CI project to earn this credit for itself could be either helped or harmed by choices made for the LEED-CS project.
You can earn an Exemplary Performance point through IDc1 for a 45% reduction. To help you meet this threshold, you can include appliance and process water in the calculations, even though that’s not allowed for the standard credit calculations.
Appliance and process water uses such as clothes washers, dishwashers, cooling tower makeup, and others, need not be included in the LEED water use reduction calculations for this prerequisite and credit.
Process water use from clothes washers, dishwashers, ice machines, food steamers, and pre-rinse spray valves are addressing under WEc4: Process Water Use Reduction is not under this credit.
Outdoor water use is not part of this credit. But looking at the whole system to understand how indoor water use compares to outdoor use can help you gauge where to focus reduction efforts for the greatest benefit. Some water-saving strategies can address both indoor and outdoor water needs holistically. For example, graywater collected from interior sink fixtures can be used for landscape irrigation, benefiting WEc1: Water Efficient Landscaping.
Perform a water-balance study for the entire project to inform decisions about where to focus water-saving efforts. Understand which end uses require the most water, identify all alternative water sources available onsite—such as rainwater and graywater—and note opportunities for using that water for interior water use and/or irrigation.
Tenants should determine whether efficient water fixtures are already provided in the base building, or if water fixture upgrades can be added to the scope of the project.
