Every five years, the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) updates the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program. Typically, these updates examine new environmental, social, health, and cultural concerns.
Following some changes spurred by feedback from the cleaning industry, LEED version five (v5) is currently under review, with the final version to be released in 2025. In the interim, facility managers have a chance to explore provisions regarding water use, water reduction strategies, and the need for greater water efficiency.
Support water management by tracking consumption
Some new provisions regarding water efficiency are carried over from LEED v4, but with greater emphasis. While this section of v5 has yet to be finalized, the gist of what the USGBC is proposing is found under a section entitled LEED BD+C (Building Design + Construction) Water Efficiency. According to the USGBC, the intent of this section in LEED v5 is:
To conserve potable (drinkable) water, support water management, and identify opportunities for additional water savings by tracking water consumption.
The key words here are “tracking water consumption.” The USGBC appears to be following business management expert Peter Drucker who said, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” To measure water, we need meters.
Accordingly, LEED is requiring or providing credits for facilities with the following water-conservation features:
- Access to the facility’s main water meter. Water metering and reporting are prerequisites for a facility to become LEED-certified.
- Alternative meters (not provided by the local water utility) that monitor alternative water sources and consumption. These meters give facility managers a more complete picture of how much water is being used.
- Submeters that provide critical data about where water is consumed in a facility. These submeters, which may be manually read systems or continuously monitoring “smart” meters, report on the facility’s water consumption, help identify leaks should they occur, and detect opportunities for water savings.
- The primary use of captured rainwater (or recycled gray water) for toilet flushing. This, too, must be metered.
- Installation of a metering subsystem in a food-service area. As much as 50% of the water consumption in a facility such as a school takes place in the cafeteria or food-service areas, requiring the installation of submeters. This includes food preparation sinks, dishwashers, and even ice machines.
The role of facility management in water efficiency
Facility managers have the power to make a difference in water consumption. The metering steps mentioned above equip managers with the necessary information needed to benchmark and monitor water usage. Beyond metering, facility managers also must learn to use water more efficiently.
Water efficiency involves the use of water-saving and water-eliminating technologies that deliver long-term reductions in water consumption, thereby shrinking a facility’s water footprint. A prime example of this is the replacement of old air-cooling units, which are not only inefficient and expensive to operate, but allow substantial amounts of water to evaporate as they are operating. Newer air-cooling systems have reduced the amount of water used along with the amount that is evaporated.
Other examples of water efficiency are found in restrooms, such as water-saving faucets. All new or renovated restrooms now have low-flow toilets, also known as high-efficiency toilets (HET). Facilities are also installing low-flow urinals and—for added water and cost savings—no-water urinals. These waterless urinals are becoming more popular in renovated properties and are required for new construction in some areas of the country.
The USGBC encourages facility managers to view water efficiency measures as investments, not costs. These investments will not only reduce water consumption, but also lower overall facility and business costs. With water-related expenses expected to rise in the future, water efficiency measures can ensure that these increases have minimal impact on building operations.
