Water Efficiency Rating Score

WERS® through BUILT GREEN® Programs

The BUILT GREEN® certification programs take a holistic approach that includes energy efficiency as a key focus and goes on to other critical aspects of sustainable building—including water conservation. Our builders are making green building choices that go beyond energy, and we provide ways to verify their great work and guide them through their sustainability goals.

Partnering with Green Builder® Coalition, we integrated the Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS®) assessment tool into our single family program, as an optional compliance pathway to achieve points in section 6: Water Conservation. This is the first performance-based water rating to come to Canada.

While energy efficiency is now addressed by building code, other key areas of green building are increasingly on the radar of industry, government, and consumers. And with global water shortages, exacerbated by climate change, water conservation has become a critical sustainability goal.

This tool is another innovative option through our programs, as we continue to progress affordable, sustainable building practices; improve and highlight water conservation; provide ways to preserve natural resources; and offer builders another competitive advantage, enabling them to show leadership and pass-along the associated benefits to their customers: like water system education, improved home efficiency, reduced energy costs, and more.

About WERS®

Available through the BUILT GREEN® Single Family new construction and renovation programs, the Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS®) assessment tool calculates indoor and outdoor water usage and is based on measurable parameters, with a scoring scale of zero to 100, zero being the most desirable.

Indoor water use considers plumbing fixtures of toilets, showers, lavatory and kitchen sinks, clothes washers, and structural waste; those who run the shower before getting hot water are familiar with structural waste: it refers to the amount of water wasted before usable hot water arrives at the furthest fixture.

Outdoor water fixtures are also included in the score, as well as reuse via rainwater, greywater, and blackwater catchment—and, if applicable, irrigation systems, permeable materials, and landscaping. Depending on the verified filtration methods for rainwater and greywater, they can be used to offset indoor water use. Additionally, any remaining unused rainwater, greywater and / or blackwater (if applicable) can be credited to potential outdoor use. Learn more.

WERS Can Help

Measure and improve your build’s water efficiency—and your homebuyer’s utility bills.

Improve home efficiency: water & energy
Homebuyers understand & reduce usage
Verify performance to customers & the municipality you build within
Show environmental leadership in water conservation
Get ahead of the curve

WERS Verifiers

To use the WERS® assessment tool, builders work with a BUILT GREEN® WERS Verifier, who:

Calculates indoor & outdoor water usage
Guides builders & homeowners toward better water conservation practices
Provides home water efficiency score (0 – 100) & certification label

Please contact Built Green for more information.

As a homeowner, what can I do to contribute to water conservation?

Ask your builder / renovator for a BUILT GREEN® certified home / renovation. Built Green's programs take a holistic approach to sustainable building that addresses energy efficiency, integrating Natural Resources Canada’s EnerGuide, and then go beyond to include materials and methods, indoor air quality, ventilation, waste management, water conservation, occupant wellness, and business practices. WERS is an option to choose from, as part of the water conservation portion of Built Green's third-party certification programs.

WERS works similarly along the same lines as EnerGuide (water performance vs. energy performance) and takes into consideration water usage and waste, addressing flow rates—both inside and outside—examining features like faucets, shower heads, water devices, a recirculating line if applicable, irrigation systems, permeable materials, and landscaping. While some of this is based on the builder, there are things the homeowner can do. For example, xeriscaping: landscaping or gardening that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation. And, if a faucet replacement is required, replace with low-flow! Plus your builder / renovator and their WERS Verifier will have more options for your consideration.