More Plumbing Engineers, Contractors Are Turning Green & Manufacturers Respond With New, Better Technologies
By Kris Alderson, Bradley Corp.
When specifying plumbing fixtures, green is rapidly becoming the way to go - and it's easy to see why. Plumbing engineers, contractors and building owners are demanding more environmentally sound solutions -- especially in high-traffic public buildings -- namely because they are more cost-effective than nongreen alternatives. Manufacturers are responding to the growing demand by offering innovative new technologies and products that incorporate sustainable building materials.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) credits the economic advantages green building products provide for the growing popularity of the green movement. In fact, USGBC estimates green installations can deliver as much as a 9% decrease in overall building operating costs, as well as increased building values and higher occupancy ratios in structures that sell or lease space. The council asserts that the green building industry is growing by 30% a year, and is projected to increase sevenfold during the next 5 years.
Many architects and their clients are keenly interested in designing green buildings, and many are striving to qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a voluntary, national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design What is LEED? The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED provides a roadmap for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a building lifecycle. Specific LEED programs include:
USGBC is also developing LEED for Healthcare, and LEED for Labs. We also have the LEED Resources page which has informative PowerPoint presentations, brochures, and case studies, as well as LEED News and LEED-Online sample credit templates. How is LEED Developed? The LEED Rating System was created to transform the built environment to sustainability by providing the building industry with consistent, credible standards for what constitutes a green building. The rating system is developed and continuously refined via an open, consensus-based process that has made LEED the green building standard of choice for Federal agencies and state and local governments nationwide. Click here for more information on the LEED Development Process. What is LEED Certification? The first step to LEED certification is to Register your project. A project is a viable candidate for LEED certification if it can meet all prerequisites and achieve the minimum number of points to earn the Certified level of LEED project certification. To earn certification, a building project must meet certain prerequisites and performance benchmarks ("credits") within each category. Projects are awarded Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification depending on the number of credits they achieve. This comprehensive approach is the reason LEED-certified buildings have reduced operating costs, healthier and more productive occupants, and conserve our natural resources. |
Increased Reliability in Touchless Technology
At this year's American Institute of Architects (AIA) national convention - whose theme was "Growing Beyond Green" - manufacturers unveiled their newest environmentally friendly designs. Among them was a new sensing technology for lavatory systems that activates the flow of water from sprayheads without sensor windows. Because the technology is embedded into the bowl of the unit, it provides a larger detection area. Users no longer have to wave their hands under the tap, trying to find the sweet spot that gets the water flowing.
Touchless technology has been in demand for about a decade because it can reduce up to 30% of an average commercial facility's water consumption. In fact, a recent survey of International Facility Management Assn. members commissioned by Bradley Corp. found that touchless or hands-free technology is the most popular trend in commercial washrooms.
The latest touchless offerings are designed to eliminate vandal-prone sensor windows and provide more consistent operation in any restroom environment. On faucets, for example, newer technologies use an electrical field surrounding the entire faucet to detect a user's presence from any angle of approach. The faucet activates because the user creates a significant change in the capacitive field - the user adds to the overall conductive capacity, which triggers activation.
The absence of windows in touchless faucets not only means improved activation, it also provides a unit that is virtually vandal-free and maintenance-free. Bored teens with screwdrivers or pocketknives can't puncture the sensors, and soap scum cannot interfere with the sensor window. All of the mechanicals are safely housed within the faucet.
Another benefit: In a heavily used facility, users also appreciate touchless restroom fixtures because it lets them avoid touching surfaces that are often dirty and contaminated with germs and bacteria.
Touchless Trend Keeps Expanding
Today, hand dryers, paper towel dispensers and even soap dispensers come in touchless models. Hand dryers, in particular, have benefited from upgraded mechanicals. The energy to operate the new generation of hand dryers is generally less than 10% of the cost of paper towels, including eliminating labor costs for ordering, storing, replenishing dispensers, collecting and disposing of paper towels.
Touchless forced-air hand dryers feature infrared sensors that activate the dryer when hands are placed 3 to 6 in. below the nozzle. Improved units dry hands in less than 25 seconds and are designed to automatically adjust voltage to all power conditions. Electric hand dryers are an environmentally friendly choice over paper towels because they conserve resources and use relatively little electricity.
Touchless soap dispensers are a relatively new option to manual pump soap. They provide several benefits: They improve hygiene by reducing the number of germs on surfaces, which also helps improve the overall cleanliness of the restroom. If the soap dispenser is integrated into the lavatory, users never have to remove their hands from the bowl. That reduces the amount of water pooling on countertops and drips on floors.
Recycled Content in Demand
One of the tenets of the environmental movement is to use as much rapidly renewable material as possible, or even better, recycled material. Such efforts both conserve resources and prevent overflow in landfills - and it is one of the ways to earn LEED credits.
New at the AIA convention this year were washfountain bowls made of 100% recycled glass terrazzo, made from clear, blue, green, amber and charcoal colored bottles. These washfountains are popular choices for high-traffic restrooms such as school lavatories and art rooms; they are also frequently specified for industrial applications. Terrazzo washfountains are ideal for high-traffic areas because they are extremely durable.
Another durable material made of recycled content is solid plastic Solid plastic lockers have been on the market for some time with post-industrial recycled content, however, options are now available with 100% post-consumer recycled content (e.g., recycled milk jugs). Solid plastic lockers are rapidly replacing metal lockers in schools and health clubs. They never require painting, and they will not rust or deteriorate in moist locker room environments.
Other Ways to Go Green
Light-activated fixtures instead of typical battery power can help facilities save hundreds to thousands of dollars a year in replacement batteries, not to mention the time involved in changing them when they burn out. They also help reduce the 2.5 billion pounds of batteries sent to landfills each year. Photovoltaic cells integrated into the top of solid-surface lavatory systems use a proprietary energy management system to capture and store normal restroom or solar lighting, then convert it into energy to power the valves.
Increasingly, facilities are choosing environmentally friendly automatic flush valves and low-flow aeration faucets. Using a 1.6 gpf flushing system for water closets and waterless urinals, for example, makes an enormous difference in water consumption for a building. Manufacturers have been working aggressively to refine and push the performance levels of tank-type toilets through the use of pressure-assist technology.
Consumer Opinion Shifting
Going green can enhance an organization's reputation as a good corporate citizen. By reducing consumption of natural resources, building owners can signal their commitment to good corporate citizenship, which matters to more and more Americans. A new national opinion poll, conducted by Republican pollster Whit Ayres and released by the group Environmental Defense found that 71% of Americans think global warming is probably happening - and 53% say it is accelerated by human activity. In addition, most respondents indicated that they were willing to take steps in their own lives to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The poll surveyed the entire political spectrum.
The Costs of Building Green
An often-asked question is: Isn't building green more expensive? On balance, no. Recent studies have shown that constructing sustainable buildings costs about the same or only slightly more than the costs of comparable nongreen buildings. LEED-certified buildings average just 2% more in upfront costs, which are often made up by the operating cost savings. Some building owners have begun incorporating sustainable design practices after conducting a life-cycle assessment. The assessment helps them determine which products and materials will provide the greatest value over their life span.
Commercial buildings can earn one of four LEED levels of certification, depending on the number of points earned. The highest level is platinum, followed by gold, then silver and certified. Eligible buildings receive a LEED plaque, recognized as proof that a building is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work.
To achieve LEED certification, a facility must meet minimum standards in five areas of building design: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, and indoor environmental quality, plus credits can be earned for innovation and design process. A total of five points can be earned toward a reduction in water use and innovative water technologies.
Some of the strategies for achieving the credits differ, depending on the type of facility and business operations. For instance, to calculate a 20 to 30% reduction in water use, retail facilities must include the water that will be needed to provide their product or service as part of the baseline for measuring savings. A restaurant, for example, uses water for washing dishes, and malls use water in cooling systems.
Businesses have found that the time and energy to obtain LEED certification pays off in the long run. In addition to savings on energy costs and waste reduction, an average 100,000-sq. ft. LEED building saves $44,000 annually from avoiding wastewater treatment and other water conservation savings.
The trend line is clearly green. So, if you have been taking a wait-and-see approach to green, stop waiting and start getting educated. It will save building owners money while helping to save scarce resources.
Kris Alderson is the senior marketing and LEED manager for Menomonee Falls, WI-based Bradley Corp., a USGBC member and manufacturer of locker room products, plumbing fixtures, washroom accessories, partitions and emergency fixtures.