855773644-LEED-v5-BD-C-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition - Page 201

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REQUIREMENTS EXPLAINED

The credit builds on WEp2: Minimum Water Efficiency and rewards teams for additional water conservation strategies. New Construction projects that pursue Option 1 can achieve up to eight points for the whole project’s water use reductions, and those that pursue Options 2–6 can achieve up to eight points by combining any of the strategies outlined in the Rating System. Core and Shell projects that pursue Option 1 can achieve up to seven points for whole project water use reductions, or up to seven points for any combination of Options 2–6. Projects cannot combine Option 1 with Options 2–6.

Option 1. Whole-project Water Use

Quantifying whole project water use and developing strategies to reduce consumption across the entire project can lead to significant water savings. Analyzing all water sources enables teams to identify large consumers and target both conservation and alternative water strategies.

Projects must demonstrate a minimum of 30% reduction from the project’s baseline to earn points. Using alternative water sources earns additional points for the calculated reductions.

Develop a Water Balance Model Teams must calculate the building’s water demand and develop baseline and design case water balance models. Models must account for all end uses within the project’s scope of work, including fixtures and fittings, domestic hot water, appliances, commercial kitchen and laundry equipment, laboratory and medical equipment, process water, HVAC systems, and landscape irrigation.

BASELINE REQUIREMENTS The baseline model reflects the minimum requirements and typical water use for the project type without any additional water-savings measures.

For fixtures and fittings, determine the baseline using a USGBC -approved calculator, as described in WEp2: Minimum Water Efficiency, Option 2. Performance Path — Calculated Reduction.

Baseline values for appliances, kitchen equipment, as well as laboratory and medical equipment must align with Tables 13–15 of this credit.

For cooling towers, the baseline water model represents the water use associated with the minimum number of cooling tower cycles, such that parameters do not exceed the values of Table 18.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 191