Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) LEED-Green-Associate USGBC Study Notes

Graywater refers to relatively clean wastewater from domestic activities such as washing dishes, laundry, and bathing. Water from lavatory faucets falls into this category. Graywater can be treated and reused for non-potable purposes such as toilet flushing or irrigation, which can help conserve water. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, U.S. Green Building Council resources

Conserving the Earth’s potable water supply is a green building objective that can be achieved by utilizing high efficiency water fixtures. High efficiency water fixtures reduce the amount of water used for indoor plumbing, which reduces the demand on municipal water supply and wastewater systems. This also saves energy and money for the building owners and occupants. The LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook states that one of the intents of the Water Efficiency category is to “reduce potable water use within buildings and for landscape irrigation” [1, p. 13]. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, [Water Efficiency | U.S. Green Building Council]

The LEED credit weightings are based on the impact categories defined and established by the USGBC, which is the organization that developed and administers the LEED rating system. The impact categories are aligned with the USGBC’s mission and vision of transforming the built environment to enhance environmental and human health. The impact categories are also informed by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Tools for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI) methodology, which provides a framework for assessing environmental impacts across different categories. References: LEED Link: Impact categories, section “LEED v4 impact categories”; LEED v4 Impact Category and Point Allocation Process Overview, page 1; LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, page 14

Building-Level Water Metering is a prerequisite in LEED v4 Water Efficiency category. Building-Level Water Metering means that the project must install permanent water meters that measure the total potable water use for the building and associated grounds. The project must also commit to sharing the water usage data with USGBC for at least five years after occupancy or certification. The LEEDGreen Associate Candidate Handbook states that this is one of the two prerequisites in the Water Efficiency category [1, p. 14]. References: [LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook], [Building-Level Water Metering | U.S. Green Building Council]