Chapter 7: Water Efficiency Flashcards
Aerator
A water flow constrictor attached to the tip of an indoor water faucet to limit the amount of water that flows out of it.
Baseline Case
A standard from which a basis of change can be measured for improvement.
Blackwater
Water from toilets and urinals that is considered under all codes to be wastewater. Some states also consider water from kitchen sinks, showers, and bathtubs to be blackwater.
Cooling Tower
A structure that regulates air temperature in a facility by using water to absorb heat from air conditioning systems.
Design Case
The actual project design metrics that are compared to a baseline to show efficiency gains.
Drip Irrigation
Water delivered at a low pressure directly to the roots of a plant.
EPAct of 1992
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires that all toilets use no more that 1.6 gallons of water per flush and all urinals use no more than 1.0 gallon per flush, among other requirements. This standard is used in the LEED credits for the Water Efficiency (WE) category to calculate the baseline daily water usage of a project.
Evapotranspiration
Amount of water lost through evaporation in irrigation.
Full-Time Equivalent
The designation for a building occupant who spends 40 hours per week in the project building. Transient occupants have FTE values based on their hours per week divided by 40.
Graywater
Untreated household wastewater that has not come into contact with toilet waste. This includes wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks, and washing machines. It does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers.
Lavatory
A bathroom sink.
Native and Adapted Species
Plants that are either native to the region or have adapted to the region and require little to no irrigation.
Nonpotable Water
Water collected from a variety of sources, such as rainwater, that has not been approved for human consumption but can be used for irrigation and toilet flushing.
Potable Water
Water that is treated to a standard that makes it safe for human consumption.
Reclaimed Water
Wastewater that has been treated and purified for nonpotable uses.
Submetering
The installation of submeters on water systems to allow buildings to track water usage trends, monitor fixture performance, and identify leaks.
Water Closet
A toilet
WaterSense
A partnership program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that brings together a variety of stakeholders to provide consumers with easy ways to save water, as both a label for products and an information resource to help people use water more efficiently. In LEED v4, WaterSense-labeled fixtures are required for the WE Prerequisite - Indoor Water Use Reduction.
Xeriscaping
Landscaping designated to reduce or eliminate potable water use in irrigation through the planting of native and adapted species of vegetation and the use of other water-conserving techniques.
2 Approaches to Innovative Water Conservation
1) Water Balance Approach
2) Efficiency First Approach