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WATER EFFICIENCY (WE)

OVERVIEW

LEED v5 integrates water efficiency with new stewardship strategies, redefining water as a valuable and limited resource. The WE category encourages projects to conserve potable to safeguard ecosystems, reduce energy use, and boost resilience on-site and in the wider community.

In the LEED ID+C: Commercial Interiors rating system, projects are rewarded for selecting building locations that support their water stewardship plans. While global water efficiency has improved, water stress and scarcity remain pressing challenges, with approximately 2.4 billion people living in water-stressed regions as of 2020. [23] Climate change and population growth intensify these issues, emphasizing the importance of adaptable, forward-thinking resource management plans.

The connections between efficiency and stewardship are most evident within the whole project water use strategy ( WEc2: Enhanced Water Efficiency ). Rather than isolating individual components, this approach encourages comprehensive water consumption assessments. Originally piloted in LEED v4.1, this strategy has become a permanent feature in LEED v5.

This stewardship approach aligns with growing market interest in alternative water use, seen in water-limited regions like California. [24] By incorporating nontraditional water sources, projects can reduce reliance on potable supplies, alleviating strain on overburdened systems ( WEc2: Enhanced Water Efficiency) .

Decarbonization Water efficiency can significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. For example, letting your faucet run for five minutes consumes about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours. [25] LEED v5 advances decarbonization efforts by reducing the energy use linked to inefficiencies within water treatment, transportation, distribution, and heating ( WEp1: Minimum Water Efficiency, WEc1: Water Metering and Leak Detection ). Additionally, newly installed appliances must meet high performance requirements to ensure that future water use meets ambitious performance targets ( WEc2: Enhanced Water Efficiency ).

23 1. “SDG Indicators: Clean Water and Sanitation,” United Nations, accessed April 5, 2025, https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/goal-06/. 24 “Water Reuse Case Study: Los Angeles County, California | U.S. EPA”, U.S. Environental Protection Agency, January 31, 2025, https://www.epa.gov/waterreuse/water-reuse-case-study-los-angeles-county-california. 25 “Why Water Efficiency | WaterSense | U.S. EPA.” U.S. Environental Protection Agency, January 17, 2017, https://www.19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/www3/watersense/our_water/why_water_efficiency.html.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Interior Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 69