Log in
LEED Pilot Credits
LEED Pilot Credit Library
Water-Related Pilot Credits
WaterSense for new homes

LEED CREDIT

Pilot-Credits WEpc32: WaterSense for New Homes 1 point

LEEDuser’s viewpoint

Explore this LEED credit

Post your questions on this credit in the forum, and click on the credit language tab to review to the LEED requirements.

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To improve the overall water efficiency of the home by completing an approved bundle of water efficiency measures that are third-party verified by a water efficiency expert.

Pilot Credit Closed
This pilot credit was closed to new pilot credit registrations on 3/1/2015. It is now available in the LEED Innovation Catalog for ongoing use by project teams as an innovation point rather than a pilot credit.

Requirements

Case 1. Single family
Complete all of the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Specification for Single-Family New Homes.
Case 2: Multi-Family & mid-rise
Meet all of the following:
  • All fixtures and fittings must meet the Water-Efficiency Criteria of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Specification for Single-Family New Homes
  • Hot Water Delivery System – To minimize water wasted while waiting for hot water, the hot water distribution system shall be field tested to store no more than 0.5 gallons (1.9 liters) of water in any piping/manifold between the hot water source and any hot water fixture. For projects with central water heating systems that serve multiple units, store no more than 0.5 gallons of water in any piping/manifold between the common hot water line and any hot water fixture.
  • Meet the Outdoor Water-Efficiency Criteria of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Specification for Single-Family New Homes
  • Meet the performance testing requirements of WaterSense for New Homes, which include field verifying that all faucets and shower heads are performing at or below their rated volume, building water pressure is below 60 psi, no leaks are detectable in the plumbing supply system, and toilets are not leaking

General Pilot Documentation Requirements

Register for the pilot credit Credits 1-14 Credits 15-27 Credits 28-42 Credits 43-56 Credits 57-67 Credits 68-82 Credits 83--96 See all forum discussions about this credit »

What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To improve the overall water efficiency of the home by completing an approved bundle of water efficiency measures that are third-party verified by a water efficiency expert.

Pilot Credit Closed
This pilot credit was closed to new pilot credit registrations on 3/1/2015. It is now available in the LEED Innovation Catalog for ongoing use by project teams as an innovation point rather than a pilot credit.

Requirements

Case 1. Single family
Complete all of the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Specification for Single-Family New Homes.
Case 2: Multi-Family & mid-rise
Meet all of the following:
  • All fixtures and fittings must meet the Water-Efficiency Criteria of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Specification for Single-Family New Homes
  • Hot Water Delivery System – To minimize water wasted while waiting for hot water, the hot water distribution system shall be field tested to store no more than 0.5 gallons (1.9 liters) of water in any piping/manifold between the hot water source and any hot water fixture. For projects with central water heating systems that serve multiple units, store no more than 0.5 gallons of water in any piping/manifold between the common hot water line and any hot water fixture.
  • Meet the Outdoor Water-Efficiency Criteria of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Specification for Single-Family New Homes
  • Meet the performance testing requirements of WaterSense for New Homes, which include field verifying that all faucets and shower heads are performing at or below their rated volume, building water pressure is below 60 psi, no leaks are detectable in the plumbing supply system, and toilets are not leaking

General Pilot Documentation Requirements

Register for the pilot credit Credits 1-14 Credits 15-27 Credits 28-42 Credits 43-56 Credits 57-67 Credits 68-82 Credits 83--96
See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about Pilot-Credits WEpc32