TECHNOLOGY & TRENDS: Taking the LEED

Water conservation in the irrigation business used to mean preventing sprinklers from spraying sidewalks and streets, running the system in the evening and morning hours, and turning the system off when the area has received a substantial amount of rain. But the concept of water conservation has come a long way from those days.

In today’s atmosphere of intense interest in sustainable living, the irrigation contractor and landscape architect must adjust. Meeting standards set by the foremost promoter of green buildings, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), enhances the market competitiveness for any irrigation professional. USBGC certifies buildings with their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system that includes points for irrigation plans. Clients are requesting designs that meet LEED standards, so it is essential for landscape professionals to know the standards and what products and designs will meet the requirements. “Last year, there were 1,183 certified projects and now, there are 1,753,” says Ashley Katz, communications manager for USGBC.

WHAT ARE THE LEED STANDARDS?

The USGBC compiled the LEED standards to give quantifiable criteria for building efficiency. For new construction, points are awarded on each section with the total leading to certification (26-32 points); silver (33-38); gold (39-52); and platinum (52-69) accreditations. LEED standards have been established for a variety of buildings, including new construction, existing buildings, schools, health care and retail facilities. Points are awarded for a variety of components of building design: materials used, efficient air handling and power, energy saving lighting, and storm water management. Two points are related to landscape irrigation.

One point is available for new construction if the plan limits or eliminates use of potable water for irrigation by at least 50 percent. Another point is added if all potable water use for irrigation is eliminated.

It is a challenge to set a baseline for the amount of water saved. According to Aaron Zahm, ASLA, LEED-AP, and landscape architect for Heads Up Landscape Contractors (HULC) in Albuquerque, N.M., the amount of water used in July is considered the highest demand level. So a site must use only 50 percent of the water from that month under normal irrigation conditions. If a system cannot provide enough captured water to meet the demand, the designer must cut back on landscaping or use more native plants.

Donn Mann, sales manager for Rain Bird, says “the math is somewhat fuzzy for calculating the baseline.” He expects standards may bring about a change in the method to more accurately determine the true water savings.

New LEED standards for homes have been in the pilot phase and was officially launched in November 2007. Design items related to residential landscaping include points for limiting turf, applying mulch and planting drought resistant plants. More points are available for installing rainwater harvesting systems or grey water re-use systems. Central shut-off valves, sub-meters and a high-efficiency or drip systems are mandatory components.

LEED standards are also in place for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance. Certification requires the following points: certified (34-42); silver (43-50); gold (51-67); and platinum (68-92).

One point is awarded for metering potable water use and another point is available for metered irrigation water use. Points are available based on the percentage of nonpotable water used for irrigation; 50 percent reduction brings one point, 75 percent gathers two points and 100 percent reduction brings three points.

Heaviland Enterprises of Vista, Calif. is a landscape maintenance company. Bob Rogers, business development manager and certified landscape professional through PLANET, says the company is seeing a tremendous focus on LEED standards. Property managers want to meet the requirements to do the right thing and to be able to advertise their properties as green buildings.

With irrigation only contributing two points out of a total possible 69 for new construction and five out of 92 for existing buildings, many might discount the impact of meeting the standards. However, more clients are requesting water efficient systems because every point counts and because sustainable buildings are becoming the norm rather than the exception. There is a possibility that LEED standards will award more points to efficient irrigation systems in the near future.

ATTAINING LEED-ACCREDITED PROFESSIONAL STATUS.

Irrigation specialists can become LEED-accredited professionals (LEED-AP). The certification requires passing an exam offered by the Green Building Certification Institute. Currently, there are no ongoing requirements for LEED-AP, but that may soon change. Katz says GBCI will also oversee the development of the maintenance program for LEED-AP credential holders. Study guides and exam schedules are available on their Web site at http://www.gbci.org/. Experience with green building technology and terminology is critical and a person must have understanding of the documentation required in the certification process. Having a LEED-AP on a project adds one point to the total for the building.

Zahm says his credentials enhance the reputation of his company. HULC’s location in the southwestern U.S. means water has long been regarded as a valuable resource by the company. “We didn’t really change what we’ve been doing,” Zahm says. Their plans have incorporated cisterns, drip irrigation and native plants to provide water efficient systems long before other parts of the country began the push for sustainable construction.

Zahm says as familiarity with LEED standards spreads, HULC gets more questions from clients about water efficient systems. The desire for LEED certification comes up for three reasons: to meet a municipality requirement, to receive LEED certification, and to do what’s right for the environment.

Aqua Engineering principal Douglas Macdonald agrees. Although based in Fort Collins, Colo., Macdonald does a lot of work in the Phoenix and Las Vegas areas. He is registered to take the LEED-AP test in October 2008 and says, “there is definitely a strong movement in favor of this program.”

MEETING STANDARDS.

Landscape professionals must meet the demand for LEED certification to stay competitive. As Olsen says, “More of our customers have questions about LEED certification and we have to be able to answer them.” But how do you design a system or retrofit an existing one to meet the standards? What products will get you to the goal?

Irrigation contractors have found clients do not care for the landscape plans that come from no irrigation. Mann of Rain Bird says in some areas, such as New Mexico and Arizona, people have gotten accustomed to xeriscaping, but most of the rest of the country does not have a favorable view of the techniques. So a client may design a new building with zero irrigation to bring those LEED points and then later have the site retrofitted with an irrigation system. The result is not as efficient as it could have been with some irrigation in the first plan. “We need a different approach,” Mann says. He recommends customers try to achieve the goal of 50 percent reduction of potable water and work harder to achieve LEED points in other parts of the building.

Some of the most common irrigation products that emphasize water efficiency are drip irrigation, cisterns or other systems to harvest water, moisture and rain sensors, and smart controllers.

Drip irrigation has been around for about 25 years. Placing water right at the plant roots saves water that would be lost to evaporation and so, a smaller amount of water is required. Plants receive the advantage of exactly the amount of water they need, without roots being waterlogged. Drip systems have been rated at 75 to 90 percent efficient, a substantial step above the efficiency rating of sprinklers. “Drip irrigation makes sense in any climate,” Zahm says.

Cisterns and other water collection designs are another component of a water efficient building. Zahm says in Santa Fe, N.M., water harvesting is now a municipal requirement for new construction. Cisterns can be placed above ground or underground, depending on the site. Some sites do not have the space for an above ground set up or the aesthetics of the cistern may not be acceptable. Underground systems will cost more for installation.

Using cisterns means that other irrigation components must be able to work with the reclaimed water. Filters to catch particulates and drip systems and sprinkler heads that can handle small amounts of grit are required. Some systems are designed to flush themselves after use to prevent clogging.

In Colorado, capturing rainwater is not allowed. But, Macdonald says that some designs have collected condensate from cooling towers and applied that water to landscape irrigation.

Moisture sensors provide information about soil conditions that can be used to start or cancel an irrigation cycle, even by remote sensing. Used in conjunction with smart controllers, moisture sensors reduce unnecessary water use.

Smart controllers are based on microchips and will water a property based on evapotranspiration (ET), temperature, moisture content, wind, and plant types. The controllers can be used to manage a variety of systems, from drip irrigation to spray and a combination of both. If a property received rainfall, the controller will cancel a scheduled irrigation time, while a landscape down the street may need to be watered because the rain amount was less. Smart controllers can reduce irrigation costs by as much as 20 to 30 percent, even on a small site.

In California, “water is like gold,” Chris Olsen of the Resource Management Group at Horizon says. His company has seen an increase in customers wanting to install smart controllers. California has a bill in the state legislature that would require a rating and labeling system for irrigation components such as smart controllers.

Bringing a building into compliance with LEED for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance is a big part of business for Heaviland Enterprises. They start a retrofit design of irrigation systems with a client meeting to review property and to ensure the client clearly understands the commitment required for such a project. Rogers said the company performs a complete irrigation evaluation, ensuring that the system capability is adequate.

The customer also must understand this contract is not like the traditional irrigation contract. It will require more hands and eyes on each property to keep the system running as efficiently as possible.

Maintenance is a critical part of any irrigation contract. Including system maintenance as part of a landscape contract ensures it is carried out. Lack of maintenance can not only wipe out water savings, but may destroy expensive equipment. Monthly or weekly checks of filters, electronic components and sprinkler or drip systems is needed. In some areas, winterizing of the system protects the water efficiency for the next year.

As irrigation equipment becomes more water efficient, clients will routinely achieve the available points for LEED certification. It is possible that more points will be awarded for water efficient irrigation. Olsen says, “We are definitely making advances.” Rogers agrees, saying: “This is the real future of our business. We need to make decisions that don’t compromise the future.”