Rating System

LEED O+M: Existing Buildings

Rating System Version

v3 - LEED 2009

Inquiry

The project team proposes to use a environmentally preferable cleaning solution, a handheld ionized tap water system, to eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of chemicals used within the project building. \n The ionized water system works as follows: \n\n 1.When the spray bottle trigger is pressed, the water flows through a water cell that applies a slight electrical charge to the tap water.\n 2.The charged water passes through an ion exchange membrane, where the ionized water is separated into an oxygenated mixture of positively and negatively electrically charged nano-bubbles.\n 3.When applied directly to a surface, the ionized water helps break apart and lift the dirt from the surface like a magnet, enabling it to be wiped away.\n 4.Before the water exits the nozzle, a slight electric field is applied, allowing the water to carry a low-level electric field to the surface where the germs may be living. When used as directed with tap water in the majority of municipalities, this low-level electric field can kill more than 99.9 percent of harmful germs.\n\n Using an ionized water cleaning system would no longer require purchase of many green cleaning chemicals; therefore, the project team has developed a new approach to documenting IEQc3.3. Rather than documenting that 30 percent of the products purchased meet the LEED sustainable cleaning criteria (by cost), the project team proposes to document the cleaning methods used during each cleaning shift. After each shift, the housekeeping personnel will document the cleaning methods and chemicals (or tap water if using the electrolyzed water system) used. Sustainable methods and chemicals that meet the LEED requirements for this alternative compliance approach will include either the use of chemicals that meet existing IEQc3.3 requirements or the use of ionized tap water.\n\n An alternative compliance table will be created by the project team to account for criteria (with regard to performance vs. purchases) in order to demonstrate compliance with the SSc3.3 requirements.