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Water Conservation Standard Opens for First Public Comment
ATLANTA – With HVAC&R systems accounting for approximately a third
of water consumption in a typical office building, the need to minimize
water usage is a major consideration in the built environment industry.
A standard to provide baseline requirements for the design of buildings,
site and mechanical systems is being developed by ASHRAE, the American
Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), the American Water Works
Association (AWWA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
ASHRAE/USGBC/ASPE/AWWA Standard 191P, Standard for the Efficient Use of
Water in Building, Site and Mechanical Systems, is currently open for
public comment from Oct. 26 until Dec. 10, 2012. To comment on the
proposed standard or for more information, visit
www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.
“Water efficiency and conservation is a critical factor in the design
and operation of buildings,” John Swift, chair of the committee writing
the standard, said. “Buildings consume 20 percent of the world’s
available water, a resource that becomes scarcer each year. Efficient
practices and products provide opportunities to save significant amounts
of water. The reduction of energy use and operating costs and the
expectation of increased government regulation will continue to drive
faster adoption of water-efficient products and methods.”
The requirements in the standard would optimize the volume of water
required to operate HVAC systems, plumbing systems and irrigation
systems. There is currently no standard document that adequately and
comprehensively addresses the issue of how to efficiently use water in
the design, construction and operation of buildings, according to Swift.
The proposed standard covers HVAC&R and non-HVAC&R systems
including: evaporative heat rejection, humidification systems, thermal
storage, ground source pump systems, water heating systems, laboratory
facilities and residential appliances. It would not apply to storm water
management.
The standard will provide the tools that a design team needs to properly
apply water efficiency measures on all aspects of a building design and
construction project. In order to optimize water efficiency in
buildings, plumbing, fire protection and HVAC&R engineers must work
closely with civil engineers and landscape architects in putting
together a functional building mechanical system.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a building technology society with more than
50,000 members worldwide. The Society and its members focus on building
systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and
sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing,
publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built
environment today.
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