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Leed and Water Efficiency Credits LEED AND WATER EFFICIENCY CREDITS LEED (Leadership in Energy and • Promote sustainable and Environmental Design) is one of the regenerative material resources more well-known green building cycles, certifications in the United States. A • Reverse contribution to global LEED-certified building meets climate change, stringent sustainability requirements in several different categories. As • Build a greener economy, expressed in the tagline, “Better • Enhance social equity, buildings are our legacy,” the LEED environmental justice, and program seeks to encourage community quality of life. sustainable practices in the way that buildings are planned, constructed, maintained and Why would you want a LEED- operated. LEED certification is certified building or project? overseen by the U.S. Green Building Businesses and homeowners have Council (USGBC). various reasons for seeking LEED certification. A few of the popular reasons include: LEED GOALS According to the USGBC, the goals Sustainability – Many companies for any LEED project are to: are making sustainability a core part • Enhance individual human health of their business plan or long-term and well-being, goals. A green building is a way to demonstrate progress towards those • Protect and restore water goals. resources, • Protect, enhance and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services, LEED Certification Overview & Credits for Water Usage June 2016 Government Incentives – Some cities LEED certification demonstrates your or states offer incentives for green organization’s commitment to being a building practices. For example, leader in sustainability and declares Fannie Mae offers lower interest rates your commitment to excellence in to multifamily properties with a LEED operations, maintenance and certification. construction. Understanding how LEED certification works involves calculating and weighting points Long-Term Savings – More efficient across nine different categories. buildings and homes reduce operating costs: lower energy bills, lower water bills. Long-term savings often offset NINE CATEGORIES OF the costs of initial investments. LEED POINTS The U.S. Green Building Council has Public Relations – The ability of created a point system to measure companies to report on positive whether a building meets goals for a environmental practices to the press LEED project. To receive certification, or in annual reports can be very a building has to meet minimum powerful. Adobe, for example, has requirements in a variety of areas; received positive press coverage for then gain points in categories that are its LEED certifications in multiple in line with that project’s needs. buildings. Points are awarded for specific achievements in the following areas. (All definitions courtesy of the Real Estate Profitability – A business USGBC’s LEED Credit Library). case study examining the San Diego real estate market showed that the overall vacancy rate for green NINE CATEGORIES OF LEED buildings was four percent lower than CREDITS: for non-green properties—11.7 percent, compared to 15.7 percent. The analysis also showed that LEED-certified 1. Location & Transportation buildings also routinely commanded This category rewards thoughtful the highest rents. (USGBC, The decisions about building location, with Business Case for Green Building). credits that encourage compact development, alternative transportation, and connection with Happier Employees – LEED-certified amenities such as restaurants and buildings are often built with features parks. that enhance the comfort of humans in the building, such as more open spaces, large windows and 2. Sustainable Sites thoughtfully located sites. As study The Sustainable Sites category after study has shown, happy focuses on the environment employees are more productive surrounding the building, employees. LEED Certification Overview & Credits for Water Usage June 2016 awarding credits for projects that project teams about indoor air quality emphasize the vital relationships and thermal, visual, and acoustic among buildings, ecosystems, and comfort. Green buildings with good ecosystem services. It focuses on indoor environmental quality protect restoring project site elements, the health and comfort of building integrating the site with local and occupants. regional ecosystems, and preserving the biodiversity that natural systems rely on. 7. Innovation Sustainable design strategies and measures are constantly evolving and 3. Water Efficiency improving. New technologies are The Water Efficiency section continually introduced to the addresses water holistically, looking at marketplace, and up-to-date scientific indoor use, outdoor use, specialized research influences building design uses, and metering. The section is strategies. The purpose of this LEED based on an “efficiency first” category is to recognize projects for approach to water conservation. innovative building features and sustainable building practices and strategies. 4. Energy & Atmosphere The Energy and Atmosphere category approaches energy from a holistic 8. Regional Priority perspective, addressing energy use Because some environmental issues reduction, energy-efficient design are particular to a locale, volunteers strategies, and renewable energy from USGBC chapters and the LEED sources. International Roundtable have identified distinct environmental priorities within their areas and the 5. Material & Resources credits that address those issues. The Materials and Resources credit These Regional Priority credits category focuses on minimizing the encourage project teams to focus on embodied energy and other impacts their local environmental priorities. associated with the extraction, processing, transport, maintenance, and disposal of building materials. The 9. Integrative Process requirements are designed to support Beginning in pre-design and a life-cycle approach that improves continuing throughout the design performance and promotes resource phases, identify and use opportunities efficiency. to achieve synergies across disciplines and building systems 6. Indoor Environmental Quality The Indoor Environmental Quality Depending on the type of project category rewards decisions made by that you are looking to certify, LEED Certification Overview & Credits for Water Usage June 2016 different options are available for The USGBC is looking at a building’s gaining points in each of these areas. overall water efficiency. It encourages water conservation, water quality protection, and the protection or WEIGHTING OF LEED POINTS restoration of water regimes and natural hydrological cycles. Depending on the type of building that you 35% Climate Change 10% manage, up to 12 LEED Water 20% Human Health 5% 5% 35% Efficiency points are available, with 15% Water Resources possible additional points if water 10% Biodiversity 10% issues are considered a priority in 5% Green Economy your region. 5% Community 15% 10% Natural Resources 20% Following are the areas that LEED takes into consideration and some basic information about each section*. In addition to categories, LEED points Buildings must first fulfill certain are weighted according to area of prerequisites – basic levels of impact. The top three weightings are efficiency that USGBC expects for any climate change, human health, and green building (reasonably efficient water resources. The U.S. Green fixtures and appliances, for example). Building Council has more details on Points are then awarded for water use the weightings. The prominence of the efficiency over and above those water weighting shows the importance prerequisites. of having a water plan as a part of your LEED certification. Indoor Water Use Earning LEED Credit for Points related to indoor Water Efficiency water use are allocated for efficiency in fixtures, In their overview of the Water appliances, and processes. Efficiency (WE) credit, the USGBC Examples of items that offers the following description: contribute to the indoor water use credit include: decreasing overall indoor water use beyond a The Water Efficiency (WE) given baseline, efficient cooling section addresses water towers, effective metering (and holistically, looking at indoor therefore effective monitoring) of use, outdoor use, specialized water systems. uses, and metering. The section is based on an “efficiency first” approach to water conservation. *Note that various types of buildings are eligible for different points in the LEED system. This overview does not cover all of the ways in which LEED WE credits can be earned. For more detailed information related to your project, visit usgbc.org/LEED. LEED Certification Overview & Credits for Water Usage June 2016 Irrigation Water EPA’s WaterSense Water Budget Tool, and reducing use beyond the Many facilities use baseline that the EPA provides, significantly more water than they need outdoors. • Metering outdoor water use and Banyan Water often sees demonstrating significant reduction properties where landscape from an established baseline. health can easily be maintained with less than half of the irrigation water The number of points available in currently being used. Recognizing each area and the level of importance this, the USGBC focuses credits for of each of these efforts vary outdoor water use on intelligent ways significantly depending on the type of to calculate and maintain reasonable building that is being certified. An levels of water use for irrigation. existing retail building, for example, may be eligible to earn Water Some of the methods that
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