SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS

Asset Classes

Focus Area

Water

Topic

Benchmarking

Question #

W2.1a – Benchmark whole-building

Question

What is the calculated Water Use Intensity (WUI) for the building?

Applicability

All asset classes
Owner/landlord occupied building
Tenant occupied building – Owner has access to utility data

Answer & Scoring

  • Yes = Points as indicated below

Indicate which range is representative of your building’s most recent Water Use Intensity (WUI):

    • 60 L/ft2 and higher = 2 points
    • 40 to <60 L/ft2 = 3 points
    • 28 to <40 L/ft2 = 4 points
    • 20 to <28 L/ft2 = 5 points
    • Lower than 20 L/ft2 = 6 points

  • No = 0 points
  • Not Applicable – Tenant occupied building: Owner/Landlord does not have access to utility data OR Tenant occupied building: Pursuing W2.1b= 0/0

Max of 6 points

Requirements

To determine the whole-building water use intensity, WUI (L/ft²):

    1. Enter whole-building water-use data under the Benchmarking section of the BOMA BEST hub (bomabesthub.com) or in the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager portal
    2. Alternatively, calculate the WUI by entering the data in RealPac’s NWUI Tool
    3. If whole-building water use is calculated by adding data from different bills or sub-meters, provide a brief narrative describing the methodology applied. Show how the 12-month total use was calculated
    4. If any spaces were excluded, provide a brief narrative describing the methodology applied
    5. For any sub-meters referenced, provide details, such as make, model, location, photo and year of installation
    6. Indicate whether any water is collected and used on-site and whether that use has been sub-metered
    7. Calculate WUI for the building based on the utility data available and floor area or consumption per occupant

Water consumption data derived from landlord-installed meters, read manually each month is acceptable.

WUI is often measured on the basis of floor area but water consumption per occupant may be more appropriate if occupancy data is available.

If W2.1b is being pursued the building is not eligible for this point.

Documentation

  • Table showing the most recent 12-months of whole-building water use
  • Calculation method used to determine the WUI

OR

  • Documentation demonstrating that no systems are under the building owner/landlord’s control (e.g. lease agreement)

OR

  • Narrative indicating that W2.1b is being pursued

Suggested Lead

In-house

Value

  • Benchmarking keeps building management teams accountable for a building’s annual water usage and tracks a building’s progress toward water saving goals
  • Upload whole-building utility data to benchmarking software (such as ENERGY STAR Portfolio or RealPac’s NWUI Tool), to compare water-use data and determine the annual water use intensity (WUI)

Description

Benchmarking informs organizations about how much water they use and where they use it. It allows organizations to identify opportunities to optimize water use and reduce operating costs.

A building’s annual water consumption can be normalized to a water use intensity (WUI) on the basis of floor area or occupancy to facilitate performance comparison against similar properties, similar to energy performance benchmarking using EUI.

References

Adapted BB 3.0 Question

Question 02.02.01 — Do you benchmark water performance using either the BOMA BEST or ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager portal?