Advanced Water Management - Energy Exchange · • 0.125 gpf in drought-stricken California....

Tampa Convention Center • Tampa, Florida

Understanding Regulatory Compliance for Water Efficiency in Commercial Plumbing

Advanced Water Management

Dave Woodworth SLOAN

August 15, 2017

Energy Exchange: Connect • Collaborate • Conserve

Learning Objective One

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Review the history and current status of codes and standards for interior commercial

plumbing water efficiency and the water-energy nexus.


Energy efficiency codes and standards have multiple paths to achieving efficiency:• Many ways to efficiently light a space, for

example

Water use is very different than energy use:• Only one way to remove human waste from a

building – a toilet and drain system

Energy is converted to light or heat and once used, the waste product is of little value.

Water is not consumed, but changes form and can be recovered for reuse.

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Energy vs. Water Efficiency Conundrum

All the water that is on this earth is all the water that we will ever have. It is continually used and reused in an

endless cycle.


Energy efficiency and water efficiency must be handled differently in codes and standards:

• Flexibility provided for energy efficiency• Clearer mandates needed to achieve water efficiency• Every high-efficiency indoor water fixture saves energy

13% of U.S. electrical energy goes to heat, treat and pump water supply.

U.S. water facilities consume 50 billion kW hours/day, which

is enough to power 4.5+ million homes for a year.

19% of California’s electrical energy output is providing water for population.

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Energy vs. Water Efficiency Conundrum


• Aging and insufficient infrastructure

• Dwindling potable water supply

• Increasing demand• Shrinking supplies• Reduced quality and

reliability• Pervasive droughts

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Importance of Reducing Water Consumption

Standards, plumbing and building codes,

municipalities, and plumbing manufacturers must answer the call for tighter regulation

on water consumption, products that can meet such

thresholds, and using reclaimed water for non-

potable uses.

Energy Exchange: Connect • Collaborate • Conserve6

Water Consumption by Water-Using Plumbing Products and Appliances 1980-2015

Chart courtesy of Koeller & Gauley


High efficiency innovations:• HETs and HEUs• Electronic sensor faucets• Reclaimed water flushometers

Average water use has decreased significantly since 1980’s:

• 68% for commercial toilets• 67% for commercial urinals• 86% for commercial lavatory faucets

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Improvements in Water Consumption


High efficiency toilets (HETs):• 1.28 gpf or less• 1.1 gpf integrated fixtures

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Types of Toilet Fixtures

Several different technologies are used by manufacturers to achieve these efficient flush volumes, but these technologies

are NOT all equal in flush performance or cost.


Flushing urinals (water consuming):• 0.5 gpf for WaterSense and Green

Codes• 0.125 gpf in drought-stricken California

Non-water urinals (water-free and hybrid):

• Permitted in 50 states as an approved fixture

• Newer hybrids do not consume water• Drain cleansing feature provides

supplemental water for drain line performance

• Non-water urinals only use 120 gallons of water per year

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High Efficiency Urinals


Understand the importance of independent testing to all product standards and the differences between various third-party

certifications.

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Learning Objective Two


International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials

• Uniform Plumbing Code• More prevalent in the West

International Code Council• International Plumbing Code• More prevalent in the East

Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors of America

• National Standard Plumbing Code

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IAPMO, ICC, and NSPC

The model plumbing and building codes themselves have no legal

status until adopted by jurisdictions such as cities,

counties and states.

Jurisdictions amend model code to better suit local conditions.


Establishes minimum requirements and standards to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

Applies to erection, installation, alteration, repair, relocation, replacement, addition to, use, or maintenance of plumbing systems in a jurisdiction.

Addresses:• Potable water, building supply & distribution

pipes• Plumbing fixtures and traps• Drainage and vent pipes• Building drains and sewers• Potable water piping• Potable water treating or using equipment• Medical gas and medical vacuum systems• Liquid and fuel gas piping• Water heaters and vents

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2015 U.P.C. & I.P.C. Codes


• Section 301.1 of the UPC requires all fixtures and fittings to conform to product standards - Table 14-1

• ASNI/ASME 112.19.2 addresses both the material and performance requirements for ceramic fixtures, including Water Closets and Urinals with a flushometers valve.

• ASSE 1037 addresses Pressurized Flushing Devices for plumbing fixtures (flushometers valve)

• Be aware that products should meet current standards-not legacy or outdated ones

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Plumbing Products Must Meet Product Standards


For example, water closets and urinals must meet all of the requirements of ASME A112.19.2-2013. Prior to 2003 the Standard was a combination of A112.19.6. Flushometers must meet the currnet ASSE 1037-2015 standard.

ASNI/ASME A112.19.2 does not allow manipulations of the valve in between the pressure testing threshold (19.6 allowed adjustments). The combination of products must meet the performance standards at 80 psi then 35 or 45 psi (depending on the fixture) without any adjustments made at the flush valve.

ASNI/ASME A112.19.6 REMOVAL OF SOLID Sect 7.1.3.1 BALL TEST is now found in section 7.8 of A112.19.2 but no longer has the 75 out of 100 ball requirement for flushing. It is instead used to calculate the total drain line carry.

Testing for both versions is 25 GPM at 35 PSI (not 60 PSI) for a regular bowl & 25 GPM at 45 PSI for Blowout bowls

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• Importance of Product Standards– Independent Testing to ALL requirements– Third party validation of Independent

Testing– Product Certification only after proper

validation

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• These are important examples of changes to product standards that were implemented to meet the greater demands of product performance with less water being utilized. In essence, doing a better job while using less water.

• Toilet testing• Drain line carry• Water pressure• MaP Soild waste extraction testing• Life Cycle Testing• More stringent tolerance and testing protocols

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H.E. Performance Changes to Product Standard


Discuss how the current codes and standards have reduced water consumption rates and how there is a lack of consistency between federal, state, and local

regulations.

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Learning Objective Three

Energy Exchange: Connect • Collaborate • Conserve18

U.S. Standards, Codes, and Voluntary Initiatives for Water Efficient Indoor Products and Systems


Lack of consistency between federal, state and local regulations.

Many jurisdictions are setting new product standards:

• Sets threshold maximums more stringent than those of Federal government

• Offers incentives to building owners and businesses to retrofit non-efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances with water efficient products

• Encourages water conservation through education and public outreach

• Sets incentive-based water and sewer rates• Penalizes users for wasteful consumption

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Status of Legislation & Regulation


Federal law for maximum water use by sanitary plumbing fixtures hasn’t changed for 20+ years:

• Toilets 1.6 gpf• Urinals 1.0 gpf• Until 2010 states were prohibited from

adopting lower thresholds

Preemption lifted December 22, 2010 by DOE for:

• Faucets • Showerheads• Water closets• Urinals

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States and other jurisdictions are now

permitted to establish their own water use maximums for these

products.


California’s 2007 Assembly Bill 715:• Established new thresholds for water closet/urinal efficiency• 1st major step in mandating HETs and HEUs in U.S.• California no longer allowed Federal standard 1.6 gpf toilets and 1.0

gpf urinals beginning 1/1/2014

California thresholds became:• Water closets 1.28 gpf• Urinals 0.5 gpf

Now due to drought California mandates:• 0.125 gpf, or non-water and hybrid urinals • Lowering showerhead and residential lavatory flow rates

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Other major jurisdictions followed AB715with similar legislation:

• Texas• Georgia• Colorado• New York City• Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, FL

Green Building Initiative’s standard has no prerequisite requiring HETs and HEUs, which is detrimental long term to:

• Green building standards and model codes

• Manufacturers and their distribution structure

• Consumers and businesses

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Status of Legislation and Regulation

Currently, 29.7% of the U.S. population is subject to more

stringent requirements for indoor plumbing

fixtures


The Alliance for Water Efficiency advocates for uniform plumbing water efficiency provisions within codes and standards:

• Points are not “earned” by a building design for merely meeting minimum code requirements

• Compliance with green provisions readily compared against same yardstick across U.S.

• Manufacturers, distributors and other not required to produce multiple product models

• Users/owners benefit from superior performance of high-efficiency models

**Note: Predominant ‘green’ plumbing codes have tabled reductions in toilet consumption levels for commercial applications pending drainline transport research.

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We hope you now have a better understanding of how many entities are involved, and how many codes, standards, and voluntary initiatives come into play when discussing regulatory compliance for water efficiency in commercial plumbing. Third party independent testing offers a level playing field amongst these organizations and regulations in order to truly minimize water consumption while maintaining optimal performance of commercial plumbing fixtures and fittings.Product selection for your projects should always include only those products that are third party tested and certified.

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Advanced Water Management - Energy Exchange · • 0.125 gpf in drought-stricken California....

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