A LEED Gold certified building project requires 30% water use reduction compared to baseline. The baseline water use is calculated at 120,000 gallons per year. What is the maximum allowable annual water use?
Correct Answer
A) 84,000 gallons
A 30% reduction means the building can use only 70% of baseline consumption. 120,000 × 0.70 = 84,000 gallons per year maximum allowable use.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
When LEED requires a 30% water use reduction, this means the building must use 30% LESS water than the baseline, not 30% of the baseline. Therefore, the maximum allowable use is 70% of the original baseline consumption. The calculation is straightforward: 120,000 gallons × 0.70 = 84,000 gallons per year. This represents a 36,000 gallon reduction from the baseline, which equals exactly 30% of 120,000 gallons.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B: 96,000 gallons
This represents only a 20% reduction (120,000 - 96,000 = 24,000, which is 20% of 120,000), falling short of the 30% requirement.
Option C: 90,000 gallons
This represents a 25% reduction (120,000 - 90,000 = 30,000, which is 25% of 120,000), not the required 30% reduction for LEED Gold certification.
Memory Technique
Think 'REDUCE and REMAINDER': If you reduce by 30%, the remainder is 70%. Always calculate what remains, not what's removed.
Reference Hint
Florida Building Code, Chapter 13 - Energy Efficiency, and LEED reference materials in the green building sections
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