New water efficiency and sanitation proposals for 2022

It is hard to believe that the first quarter of 2022 has ended.  As I look back over the last three months and consider the activities I have been engaged on behalf of ASA and through agreement, HARDI, the key question that comes to mind is – are our members engaged in currently or building into their growth strategies the impact of climate change policy on the market they serve and their customer’s needs?  This question comes to mind due to my almost 100% focus on activities associated with climate change issues such as electrification, decarbonization, and energy/water efficiency in the first quarter.

A significant amount of my time has been involved in the development of new proposed changes to the International Association for Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Water Efficiency and Sanitation Standard (WE-Stand).  The WE-Stand, as noted in the Foreword of the Standard, provides codified requirements to optimize water use practices attributed to the built environment while maintaining protection of the public health, safety and welfare.  The Standard is a model document made available to state and local government agencies for adoption.

The following highlights the key subject areas where proposals have been developed for consideration by the WE-Stand Technical Committee later this year:

• Premise water supply systems: A Task Group, which I was honored to chair, developed specific recommendations that will influence the design of premise water systems if adopted into the WE-Stand and ultimately, the needs of the market.
• Supply demand and size of water piping: Over the years, the supply demand calculations and ultimately, the water pipe sizing requirements has increasingly become outdated due to the increased use of water-efficient plumbing systems and fixtures. The improvement on water efficiency combined with outdated supply demand calculations has led to an increased amount of time water remains in the premise distribution system leading to potential negative public health impacts and poor performance on the waste drainage segment of the systems.  
  
  To address this issue, IAPMO brought together experts to develop a peak water demand calculator (WDC) based on updated field data from single and multi-family dwellings.  The use of the water demand calculator is currently only recommended and not a mandatory requirement of the WE-Stand.  A recommendation is being submitted to move the use of the WDC into the body of the WE-Stand and making the use of the WDC mandatory for single and multi-family dwellings.  The rationale for moving the use of the WDC to a mandatory requirement is based on field data obtained in California that validated the calculations of the WDC.  The impact of the increased use of the WDC is that water pipe and fitting sizing requirements will be reduced while still providing a 2 fold safety factor in handling the supply demand.

• Maximum hot water system ratio: A proposal has been submitted to the Technical Committee to include a requirement that the ratio of the hot water system rectangle to the floor area not exceed 60% for single-story dwellings and 30% for dwellings two or more stories high.  The hot water system rectangle is defined as the region of the dwelling that bounds the water heater, plumbing fixture fittings and appliances.  The overall purpose of the proposal is to promote efficient floor plan layouts to limit heating energy and water use.
• Gray water systems: The increased reuse of gray water in premises to increase water use efficiencies led to a proposal submitted that if adopted, provides requirements that all new construction would need to have gray water drainage systems installed in residential buildings.  The goal of the proposal is to ensure that all new premises are ready for future installation of gray water irrigation or reuse systems, if and when needed.  If adopted, the new requirements would lead to at a minimum the installation of a diverter valve, backwater valve and stub-outs for all new construction.
• On-site wastewater treatment: The on-site treatment of wastewater is a common feature in residential premises through the use of septic systems, aeration systems and similar technology.  However, what is not as common is the actual reuse of the treated wastewater on-site, especially for use as potable water.  A proposed appendix is being submitted to the Technical Committee that provides general guidelines related to the use of onsite wastewater treatment for direct potable water reuse.   

The International Code Council (ICC) has recently entered the discussions related to determining water supply-demand and ultimately, proper sizing of water piping systems based on less demands due to increased water efficiency.  In January 2022 ICC announced a new Project Initiation Notification for the development of a new standard intended to address sizing of water distribution, sanitary drainage and vent piping systems.  ASA has indicated its interest in participating on the committee assigned to developing the standard so stay tuned for more information as the project progresses.

In addition, there is significant state legislative activity related to climate change policy.  In many cases, the legislation incorporates the requirements of the model codes and standards that ASA is engaged.  If the current market you serve is not being impacted by increased activity in climate change initiatives, you can count on it having an impact somewhere in the near future.  

Are you ready to meet the needs of your customers in providing the new products associated with new and more energy/water-efficient plumbing system designs, new HVAC requirements for refrigerants and energy conservation, or the increased need for new technologies associated with premise water treatment and recycle?  If not, where will your customers be going to have new technology needs met and receive training related to the new climate change and sustainability requirements and the new technologies developed to address those requirements?  Just a couple of questions to consider.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for any additional questions you might have or insight you might provide on how climate change policy is impacting your customer and the overall market you serve. You can reach me at jkendzel@asa.net.