2009-11-10 14:58:04 -
“Green Buildings + Water Performance,” a 48-page White Paper from Building Design+Construction magazine, recommends 21 ways architects, engineers, contractors, home builders, building owners, real estate developers, and consumers can save water in buildings and homes.
The report notes that.
- Virtually every region of the U.S. and parts of most states likely will experience water shortages in the next 10 years.
- More water is consumed outside buildings and homes—for landscape irrigation and cooling towers—than is used inside for toilets, faucets, showers, baths, etc.
- 15-20% of the nation’s water is lost between the filtration plant and the home or building, due to America’s decaying infrastructure.
- Plumbing, irrigation, and water reuse technologies have improved significantly, but water conservation also depends on whether people use these products properly.
- In some cases, saving too much water can lead to health and safety concerns (such as drainage problems in waste pipes) and negative impacts on the environment.
- Improving water performance can also cut energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
- The reuse of water may be “the next big thing” in water conservation.
The White Paper recommends 21 steps that building professionals, government officials, water utilities, and product makers can take to improve water performance, such as.
- Providing incentives for conducting water audits on buildings
- Implementing water metering innovations, such as automated meter reading
- “Harmonizing” plumbing codes with green building principles to allow use of reused water for flushing toilets, irrigating lawns, and replenishing cooling towers
Homeowners can help by using climate-appropriate plants and less turfgrass, and watering their lawns sensibly.
The White Paper also presents the results of exclusive surveys of 748 U.S. construction professionals and 185 home builders. Referring to potential water scarcity, one respondent said, “People can’t drink oil.”
The White Paper was sponsored by: Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments ( www.greenerfacilities.com :
), Construction Specifications Institute ( www.csinet.org :
), International Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Organizations ( www.iapmo.org :
), Kohler Co. ( www.KOHLER.com :
), Lafarge ( lafarge-na.com :
), Sloan Valve Company ( www.sloanvalve.com :
), Underwriters Laboratories (
customerservice_elements@us.ul.com : mailto:customerservice_elements@us.ul.com ), U.S. Department of Energy ( www.eere.energy.gov :
), U.S. General Services Administration ( www.gsa.gov :
), and Watertronics ( www.watertronics.com :
.
Building Design+Construction is a publication of Reed Business Information, a unit of Reed Elsevier Inc.
The report is available at: www.BDCnetwork.com/university/community/934/White+Papers/47492.html :
.
Building Design+ConstructionRob Cassidy, 630-288-8153Editor-in-Chief
