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Plumbing

Plumbing. Green Professional Building Skills Training Program. COURSE OBJECTIVES:. At the end of this course you will:. Understand how and why sustainability is important to plumbers and their work. Understand the water-saving and energy efficiency principles used in new green systems.

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Plumbing

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  1. Plumbing Green Professional Building Skills Training Program

  2. COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end of this course you will: Understand how and why sustainability is important to plumbers and their work. Understand the water-saving and energy efficiency principles used in new green systems. Understand how green and conventional technologies, products, and installation practices differ. Page 8

  3. GPRO Certificate Holders Plumbing Page 3

  4. A Green Building A green building is designed, constructed and maintained to minimize adverse environmental impacts and reduce energy and water consumption, while contributing to the health and productivity of both workers during construction and occupants after construction.   A key component is consideration of the building's impacts and performance over its entire life. Page 7

  5. 1 Why Green Plumbing Matters Page 9

  6. Sustainability Sustainability: A way of living and working that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

  7. Benefits of Green Plumbing Conserving water means: • Cost savings related to water and wastewater treatment • Reduced energy consumption from pumping and heating less water Page 9

  8. Benefits of Green Plumbing • Jobs • Economy • Health • Environment Page 9

  9. Natural Hydrologic Cycle • Water is cleaned and replaced by the natural hydrologic cycle

  10. A New Way of Thinking About Water • Protect the Health of the Nation: • Clean water in, dirty water out • Preserve safety of water supply • Also: • Water conservation • New sources of water from rainwater harvesting, greywater

  11. Threats To Our Water Supply • Population increase • Pollution • Farming & Forestry • Paving • Water shortages Page 11

  12. TEST YOURSELF: What is the purpose of green building? How does plumbing play a critical role? How do the four primary benefits of green building relate to the plumbing industry? Why are our current water use practices not sustainable? How do humans fit into the hydrologic cycle? Describe the new hydrological cycle.

  13. 2 Sustainability in Plumbing Systems Page 12

  14. What Makes a Plumbing System Sustainable? • Multiple water savings and reuse elements are integrated to create a coordinated approach to water-use reduction. Page 12

  15. Whole-Building Integration Where is Green Plumbing in a Building? Page 14

  16. What are the Big Issues for Green Plumbers? • Reducing water consumption • Energy efficiency • Indoor air quality • Managing construction & demolition waste • Commissioning • LEED building certification • Retrofitting existing buildings • Maintenance Page 12

  17. How Do We Measure Sustainability in Plumbing - WaterSense • Goal: To protect our nation's water supply by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs, and practices • Developed by U.S. EPA in 2006 • 20% more efficient than standard fixtures and appliances • HET toilets must pass rigorous waste removal performance test. WaterSense Page 15

  18. Goal: Protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices • U.S. EPA & U.S. DOE • Developed in 1992 • Covers: water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines, geothermal heat pumps, boilers • ENERGY STAR products that use water use less water than standard products, sometimes much less. How Do We Measure Sustainability in Plumbing – ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR Page 17

  19. Primary LEED credit categories: • Water Efficiency (WE) • Sustainable Sites (SS) • Energy & Atmosphere (EA) • Green buildings can achieve up to 10 credits through significant reductions in their use of potable water, wastewater treatment, energy savings, and reducing on-site run-off pollution. How Do We Measure Sustainability in Plumbing - LEED LEED Page 15

  20. CASE STUDY • Proximity Hotel, Greensboro, NC • LEED Platinum Luxury Hotel: • 39% less energy use • 34% less water use • Low-flow toilets that use 1.2 gallons per flush, waterless urinals, and low-flow faucets all contribute to water savings. • Solar thermal panels on the roof provide 60 percent of the hotel’s water heating needs Page 15

  21. TEST YOURSELF: How does the whole-building approach apply to sustainable plumbing systems? What are the issues that a plumber might be involved with on a green job? What are the issues that a plumber might encounter when retrofitting an existing building? What plumbing products does ENERGY STAR certify? What are the goals and strategies for the plumbing-related LEED new construction credits?

  22. 3 Reducing End-Use Demand for Water and Energy Page 18

  23. High Efficiency Fixtures and Appliances High Efficiency Fixtures and Appliances … Conserve water Reduce depletion of our valuable potable water resources helps maintain healthy aquatic environments. Save on water and sewer bills Save on energy bills Page 18

  24. How Much Water Do We Use? Typical water use in United States: Homes Commercial buildings Page 19

  25. POP QUIZ: How many gallons of potable water does the average 3-person household use per day?

  26. POP QUIZ: 69.3 x 3 = 207.9 gallons Go to http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/be_the_change.html

  27. Baseline vs. Improved Water Usage Baseline and Improved Water Usage for Common Fixtures Page 20

  28. Faucets Unnecessarily large flow rates waste water and energy! Federal Guidelines: Lavs, Kitchen Faucets & Aerators Max 2.2 gpm Public Metering Faucets Max 0.25 gal/cycle (gpc) Private Bathrooms (WaterSense Low-flow) 1.5 gpm Public Bathrooms 0.5 gpm Page 20

  29. Tempered Faucets and Circulating Pipes Tempered faucets automatically mix hot and cold water. Have circulating hot water as close to faucet as possible or install heat cable. Page 20

  30. Showerheads Changing to a low-flow showerhead has a great payback! Federal Guidelines: Showerheads (80 psi): Max 2.5 gpm Low Flow Showerheads (60 psi): Max 2.2 gpm WaterSense Showerheads: Max 2.0 gpm Ultra Low Flow Showerheads: 0.8 – 1.5 gpm Page 21

  31. Showerhead Maintenance To unclog showerheads and Improve flow, immerse in vinegar to clean out scale and deposits. No bleach or chemicals! Page 21

  32. Toilets Toilet replacements can be a huge opportunity for water savings. Federal Guidelines: Residential toilets Max 1.6 gpf Commercial toilets: Max 1.6 gpf 1.6 gpf toilets are called low-consumption (LC) toilets Page 23

  33. High Efficiency Toilets (HET) Great strides have been made in performance of LC and HET. High Efficiency Toilet (HET) Max 1.28 gpf Page 23

  34. Dual Flush Toilets Two different levels of flushing to clear the bowl. Large Flush Max 1.6 gpf Small Flush Max 1.1 gpf Page 24

  35. Drain-Line Carry Drain-line carry is the distance that water can float or carry solids down a horizontal drain line Page 24

  36. Reducing Water in Waste Systems • High Efficiency Fixtures • Waterless and high-efficiency urinals (HEUs) • Lower-flow faucets • Greywater systems • Reduce waste water in building sanitary drainage systems • Current ASME Standards require a toilet to carry solids a distance of 40’ horizontally Page 24

  37. CASE STUDY • 200 Market St., Portland OR • LEED-EB Platinum: • Water use reduction – 32% • Low-flow and efficient water fixtures. • Installed two pressurized water storage tanks on the roof, allowing the pumps to be turned off nights and weekends instead of running city water pumps nonstop to maintain water pressure on higher floors. Page 18

  38. TEST YOURSELF: What is the relationship between high-efficiency fixtures and appliances and protecting the environment? What are the issues associated with tempered faucets? What are strategies that make tempered faucets more efficient? What are the differences between low-consumption (LC) toilets, high-efficiency toilets (HETs), and dual flush toilets? What is the concern with high efficiency fixtures and drain-line carry? What new technology exists that contributes to landscape irrigation efficiency? Why is efficiency in landscape irrigation important?

  39. 4 Improving Water Distribution Systems Page 31

  40. Water Distribution in Buildings Water is distributed in a network of pipes throughout the building. The design and maintenance of this system of piping can have a dramatic impact on water and energy consumption. Page 32

  41. Pipe Insulation Insulate all accessible piping Hot water: heat should not dissipate Cold water: prevent condensation in hidden cavities and cut off a thermal sink Be aware of pipe insulation requirements! Page 32

  42. Waste of Potable Water with Hot Water Usage With trunk-and-branch installation method cold water brought to water-heating equipment before being distributed to fixtures and appliances Have to wait for the water to heat up while it’s running down the drain….. Page 32

  43. Waste of Potable Water with Hot Water Usage • How much water is wasted? • Average American home = 2.6 residents • Annual water waste waiting for hot water = 10,000 gallons • 50 million American households = • 500 billion gallons of potable water waste annually Page 32

  44. Waste of Potable Water with Hot Water Usage In a typical American home, more than 10,000 gallons of water per year may be wasted while residents wait for hot water to arrive at plumbing fixtures What can we do? Page 32

  45. Hot Water Distribution Piping: Larger Buildings • Use piping systems that re-circulate hot water back to water heating equipment • Dedicated return line from the fixtures furthest from the water heating equipment • Important when using low-flow fixtures – without recirculation, wait for hot water is increased. Page 32

  46. Hot Water Distribution Piping: Larger Buildings Cool Hot Page 33

  47. Regulating Hot Water Distribution Piping • Without regulation, energy will be wasted by running when hot water is not necessary • Thermostatically control the pump using: • An aquastat • A timer set to run at specified intervals • What’s the best solution? • An aquastat might lead to poor mixing performance if a boiler provides heat and hot water in the winter months • Consult a mixing valve vendor Page 32

  48. Hot Water Distribution Piping: Small Buildings Install a small pump or thermostatic device on both the hot and cold fixture supply lines to improve hot water circulation in smaller buildings or private homes Page 34

  49. Hot Water Distribution Piping: Small Buildings • Smaller devices can be set to turn off when the hot water supply is the appropriate temperature • Motion detectors or timers can be installed to turn the system on as needed • Small devices work well for individual fixtures (ie. kitchen sink) or groups of fixtures in close proximity (a bathroom) Page 33

  50. Water Metering • Effective way of reducing water consumption • Provide incentive to reduce usage • Identify leaks • Building managers: • Add meters to individual tenants • Divide the cost of supplying water among tenants • Discourage waste Page 34

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