The Challenge of Change
T
his month Deva Sales and Marketing Director Steve Rothwell tackles the topic of sustainability with a focus on water efficient bathroom
fittings for domestic and commercial applications. With the plethora of products available on the market it is important to know which products suit specific requirements. In this article Steve considers the options available.
The Changing Scene
Coping with the demands of sustainability is
a real challenge for the entire industry. We have seen many changes in recent times including the changes to Part G and a lower minimum rate of water usage per person per day to 125 litres in all new dwellings, plus 80 % metering for all homes in England from 2020 and 65 % in Wales. In addition we have a change in the law
to require water companies to meter where this is cost effective, taking into account the full value of water, plus the introduction of HIPs, DECs, EPCs and most recently the Carbon Reduction Commitment. Water and therefore energy usage has a direct impact on all these, so the need to conserve water in commercial and domestic bathrooms has never been greater. Up to now, there have been no regulations
relating to taps and showers and the only requirements have focused on minimum flow rates, not maximum. This historically was not a problem given the low flow rates and smaller population. However, the growing population is using more water than ever before and water pressure and flow rates are being increased with the use of combination boilers and pumped supplies. When all this is coupled with climate change, the need to revise practices is
now absolutely necessary. Many manufacturers of bathroom products
are working to pre-empt market demands in terms of legislation and trends and there is a lot of choice available. Keeping abreast of these new products not to mention the regulations is a challenging task, but there are some key considerations including settings, users, typse of usage and the water and heating system in place.
Showers
New shower installations in both domestic and commercial settings are much more likely to be of a higher flow rate than older showers due to the growth of combination boilers and mains pressure hot water systems. In some cases a high flow rate shower, if used for long enough, can use more water than a bath. One way to ensure less water is used by a traditional high flow rate appliance is to fit a flow regulator, which can help reduce the flow of a mixer or pumped shower. Aerated or atomising shower heads are being promoted to reduce flow rate whilst still maintaining customer comfort and satisfaction and some shower heads go even further by using clever technology to reduce the amount of energy and water used, without being aerated. Digital showering also helps minimise wastage. Nevertheless, there are concerns that users will compensate for the reduced flow with increased shower time, if the experience is inferior to what they have had.
Taps
Technology can control the volume of water used per minute, but the length of time a tap is left running cannot easily be controlled. The best way to overcome this in both domestic and commercial environments is with sensor taps,
which not only provide the most water efficient method of tap usage, but also the most hygienic. Many models are also scratch and damage resistant, so they retain their good looks even with heavy usage over time. Automatic shut off taps also provide an excellent water saving option. More recently we have also seen the growth in popularity of click technology taps. Click technology can be used with some single lever mixers, to reduce the flow rate and then the user has to push the lever past a certain point to choose the higher flow. In addition, inserts which incorporate flow
regulators and give the illusion of providing more water than is actually flowing can be added. As with showers, aerated taps entrain air in the flow, thus providing the illusion of greater flow rates and sprays deliver a spray pattern rather than a solid stream to deliver a restricted rate of flow. Finally, there are some flow restrictors which can be fitted into the flexi tail to render any tap a water efficient tap without affecting the design or performance of the tap
Hassle-Free Compliance
It can be difficult to know exactly what the
regulations require and which products will best suit a particular application, but ultimately the key must be to ensure the correct products are installed and requirements, regulatory and those of the client, are satisfied. That way we can prevent the well documented scenario taking the case of domestic new dwellings as an example of new homeowners ripping out unwanted fittings only to replace them with thirstier models. There is plenty of help at hand to ensure
you get it right and schemes such as the Waterwise Marque can help point you in the right direction.
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