LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Water Efficiency 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the primary purpose of the LEED Water Metering credit?
- To reduce overall water consumption by 20%
- To support water management and identify opportunities for additional savings (Correct answer)
- To mandate installation of low-flow fixtures
- To track rainwater harvesting volumes
Correct answer: To support water management and identify opportunities for additional savings
The Water Metering credit supports ongoing water management by tracking consumption data, enabling building operators to identify leaks and savings opportunities.
Question 2: A LEED project uses harvested rainwater for toilet flushing and irrigation. Which term best describes this water source?
- Greywater
- Blackwater
- Non-potable water (Correct answer)
- Reclaimed water
Correct answer: Non-potable water
Rainwater harvested for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing and irrigation is classified as non-potable water under LEED definitions.
Question 3: Under LEED, which fixture type has a baseline flow rate of 2.2 gpm for private applications?
- Kitchen faucets
- Showerheads (Correct answer)
- Lavatory faucets
- Service sinks
Correct answer: Showerheads
LEED v4 sets the showerhead baseline at 2.2 gpm for residential/private applications when calculating water use reduction.
Question 4: What percentage of landscape area must consist of no-irrigation-required or temporarily-irrigated plants to fully comply with LEED's no-irrigation option?
- 50%
- 75%
- 90%
- 100% (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 100%
To claim the no-irrigation pathway in LEED's Outdoor Water Use Reduction, 100% of the landscape must require no permanent irrigation after an establishment period.
Question 5: Which LEED Water Efficiency credit addresses water used in food service equipment such as commercial dishwashers?
- Indoor Water Use Reduction – Process Water (Correct answer)
- Cooling Tower Water Management
- Outdoor Water Use Reduction
- Water Metering
Correct answer: Indoor Water Use Reduction – Process Water
Process water used in food service equipment falls under the Indoor Water Use Reduction credit's process water component in applicable LEED rating systems.
Question 6: A building's cooling tower uses municipal potable water as makeup water. Which strategy would MOST directly earn the Cooling Tower Water Management credit?
- Installing a closed-loop hydronic system
- Using recycled non-potable water as makeup water (Correct answer)
- Reducing the cooling load with better insulation
- Installing variable-speed drives on cooling tower fans
Correct answer: Using recycled non-potable water as makeup water
Substituting non-potable recycled water for potable municipal water as cooling tower makeup directly addresses the credit's intent to reduce potable water consumption.
Question 7: In LEED BD+C, what is the baseline annual full-time equivalent (FTE) occupancy assumption used when no actual occupancy data is available for water calculations?
- 8 hours/day, 250 days/year (Correct answer)
- 10 hours/day, 260 days/year
- 8 hours/day, 365 days/year
- 10 hours/day, 365 days/year
Correct answer: 8 hours/day, 250 days/year
LEED uses a default of 8 hours per day and 250 working days per year to calculate annual FTE occupancy for water use calculations when actual data is unavailable.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Water Efficiency 3
Which of the following is the primary purpose of the LEED Water Metering credit?