Improving Water Efficiency

The shift toward improved water efficiency in the homebuilding industry is especially significant because it comes on the heels of an opposite trend: fitting as many bathrooms and kitchens into new homes as possible, often locating them at the opposite end of the home from the water heater. But just like the auto industry’s about-face from gas-guzzling SUVs to gas-electric hybrids, green buildings are popular with consumers and regulators alike.

Water efficiency is a key component of the green building movement, and in response, plumbers supply builders with floorplan changes and more efficient fixtures and appliances that can help buildings meet green certification standards.

Reducing wasted water is a core point of emphasis for both the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System and the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines—the latter forms the basis for the National Green Building Standard, currently under review by the American National Standards Institute. And as more builders go green, the marketplace is responding well to eco-friendly construction: LEED-certified buildings outperform non-green buildings in categories such as occupancy rate and sale price, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which sponsors the LEED program.

“Consumers are taking a broader interest and appreciation of the design of their home; they’re thinking about the home’s environmental impact,” says Kevin Morrow,  NAHB program manager for green building standards program. “The builders who previously had problems convincing consumers that a bathroom 60 feet away from the hot water source was a bad idea now can explain it in terms of efficiency—how it will save energy and help with the water bill, and people are a little more open to those suggestions.”

So builders are taking an increased interest in water efficiency, and they’re relying on plumbers to deliver the results. But in order for plumbers to produce the desired efficiency gains, they need to be more involved in the planning stages of construction than ever before, pointing out how pipe runs can be minimized and how to limit water usage without impeding performance.

That leaves plumbers with two primary tasks: educating themselves on green plumbing fixtures and systems that score points in the LEED and NAHB systems, and changing the way they interact with builders.

The LEED standards reward overall reduction of water use, awarding points when buildings achieve at least 20% reduction over baseline levels. The NAHB system—and the forthcoming National Green Building Standard—is more specific, awarding points when plumbers keep all pipe runs under 30 feet, install water-efficient fixtures and appliances such as dual-flush toilets or employ on-demand water heating systems, for example.

The easy part, for plumbers, is familiarizing themselves with efficient options and determining which ones work best in various circumstances. Whether it’s suggesting fixtures that carry the EPA’s WaterSense label, thinking through the potential strengths of trunk-and-branch alternatives like manifold or recirculating plumbing systems, or learning which dual-flush toilets achieve the highest MaP (maximum performance) scores, the knowledge is important.

More challenging is changing the way plumbers interact with builders—if plumbers have a chance to see proposed floor plans, they’ll be able to suggest changes in time. A first step is making yourself an expert: You can become an accredited green plumber by completing a series of free courses offered by GreenPlumbers USA , after which you can make suggestions a little more readily, and authoritatively.

“A lot of times, plumbers on new construction [projects] are following plans that have been completed for months and the don't have the change to make changes, especially changes that can cost thousands [of dollars],’” says Carrie McChesney, national program director for GreenPlumbers USA. "However, if a plumber is consistently contracted, we hope that with the information they gain, they feel confident sharing changes with the building community that can be made to increase water savings and conservation.”

According to Morrow, plumbers who suggest changes should find a receptive audience. “It’s clearly important for the builder and the plumber to have these conversations, and plumbers should be proactive. They’re the experts, and if they suggest improvements—moving a bathroom or a service area—most builders will be amenable.”