….a dialogue for California's water conservation community
Summer 2004
Volume 3, No. 2
Developed with funding and support from the California Department of Water Resources
Sponsored by the California Urban Water Conservation Council
Executive Director: Mary Ann Dickinson
Newsletter Editor: John Koeller
This issue……special focus on:
• Three comprehensive Residential End-Use Studies now available for
download
• National Multi-Family Submetering Study available
• Updates on Toilet Fixture and Tank Trim Standards
• UNAR….what is it and why?
• High Efficiency Toilets….an up-to-date listing
• Pre-Rinse Spray Valve savings data now available from 19 field studies
• Talking toilets!
1. Three Residential End-Use Studies Available
In 1999, the AWWA and its Research Foundation published the groundbreaking report
on the "Residential End Uses of Water" Study (REUWS), documenting a research
project begun three years earlier and headed by Aquacraft, Inc., Boulder, CO. That
study included approximately four weeks of continuously monitored water use within
1,188 homes (mostly non-conserving) across North America and provided valuable
information on the profile of water use within the residential sector.
Immediately following the REUWS work, Aquacraft took on the task of replacing non-
conserving plumbing fixtures and appliances within a representative portion of the 1,188
homes, installing the latest water-efficient products. The primary objective of the follow-
on work was to identify and quantify water efficiency opportunities. Three separate,
comprehensive studies, funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
have been completed.
The final reports present before-and-after paired comparisons of water use patterns in
96 households within the service areas of Seattle Public Utilities (37 homes), East Bay
Municipal Utility District (33 homes), and Tampa Water Department (26 homes).
Among the water-efficient products replacing non-efficient models within the 96
households were:
• Clothes washers: Frigidaire Gallery; Maytag Neptune; Whirlpool Super Capacity
Plus, Duet, and Calypso; Fisher & Paykel EcoSmart
• Toilet fixtures: Caroma Caravelle dual-flush, Niagara Flapperless, Toto Drake
• Showerheads: Niagara Earth Massage, Brass Craft, AM Conservation Spoiler
• Lavatory Faucets: Delta e-Flow Electronic Faucet
• Kitchen Faucet Controller: Aqua-Lean
Download the final reports for Seattle , EBMUD , and Tampa Water .
NOTE: Each of the three reports is a PDF file of approximately 2 MB in size.
2. National Multi-Family Sub-Metering Study Released
The National Multiple Family Submetering and Allocation Billing Program Study was a
comprehensive three-year effort to determine the water savings potential in the
apartment sector that would result from requiring residents to pay for their water
consumption separately from their rent. Conducted by Aquacraft under the direction of
Dick Bennett of the EBMUD, this study found that 85 percent of apartment properties
still include the cost of water within the monthly rent.
Go to the website of Aquacraft and download the study:
http://www.aquacraft.com/Projects/submeter.htm
3. New National Standard for Toilet Fixtures Released
It's been in the "works" for a number of years, and finally it has arrived! The American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Standards Committee A112 approved a
revised toilet fixture standard in early 2003. Subsequently, on June 30, 2003, this
standard was approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a
national standard. Now, the ASME has published the standard and made it available to
the general public.
ASME A112.19.2-2003, Vitreous China Plumbing Fixtures and Hydraulic Requirements
for Water Closets and Urinals , consolidates two previous standards for toilet fixtures and
urinals, A112.19.2M-1998 and A112.19.6-1995. It may be purchased from ASME for
$75 through their website:
http://members.asme.org/catalog/ItemView.cfm?ItemNumber=J01203
The new testing and performance requirements for toilet fixtures are more rigorous than
those in the earlier standards and are summarized in a simple table.
In addition to these new requirements, the standard also incorporates a substantial
portion of the Los Angeles Supplementary Purchase Specification (SPS) as a Non-
Mandatory Appendix. Thus, water agencies and municipalities throughout the U.S. can
adopt the requirements within the appendix for their own toilet replacement programs
and thereby govern the maximum flush volume when the OEM flapper is replaced with
a standard flapper in a gravity-fed toilet fixture. To download the SPS, accompanying
documents, and lists of fixtures already certified to the SPS, go to the Council's
technical information page:
http://www.cuwcc.org/products_tech.lasso
NOTE: The A112.19.2-2003 standard is copyrighted by the ASME and cannot be
reproduced without the permission of the organization. Please do not request copies of
the standard from the Council, but instead contact the ASME for an original document.
4. New Tank Trim (Flappers) Standards in Development
For years, water conservation professionals and plumbing industry engineers have
acknowledged that toilet flappers represent what some of us term the toilet fixture's
"weak link" in water efficiency. Some background on why this is the case may be found
in this history:
http://www.cuwcc.org/Uploads/product/Flappers-Weak-Link.pdf
Two areas of concern are being actively addressed by the responsible ASME Project
Team A112.19.5. Here is an update….
Flush Valve Seal (Flapper) Durability
The ASME Project Team has concluded its work on a draft of the proposed durability
standard. That standard is based largely upon the extensive 1990s work of the
Metropolitan Water District as it manifested itself in the very successful Los Angeles
Supplementary Purchase Specification (see above). A revised and updated A112.19.5
standard awaits completion of work on flush valve seal (flapper) identification and
marking.
Flush Valve Seal (Flapper) Identification and Marking
Recognizing the need to better equip consumers with the information that they require
to replace a worn or leaking flapper, the ASME Project Team considered and approved
a first draft of a proposed identification standard. Included within that draft are
additional requirements related to marking part numbers and manufacturer contact
information in or on the toilet tank.
Once completed, both drafts will be incorporated into a proposed revision to the
A112.19.5 standard and balloted. ASME and ANSI approval of a revised standard
could be expected in 2005.
5. Unified North American Requirements (UNAR) - Toilet Fixtures
The current patchwork of toilet specifications, requirements, and "approved toilet lists"
promulgated by water authorities in the U.S. and Canada do not always serve the cause
of water conservation in the most effective way. Nor does this fragmented approach
take advantage of the highly competitive market environment that exists within the
plumbing industry. As a consequence, there has been some confusion in the
marketplace, a very limited availability of qualified products in some areas, and possibly
higher product prices resulting from a smaller customer base.
Therefore, a small group of individuals representing the conservation interests of some
of the largest water providers in North America met in Austin TX in January 2004 to
discuss proposals to initiate an effort to develop a set of minimum requirements for
toilets subsidized through their water conservation programs. As a result, the Unified
North American Requirements (UNAR) for toilet fixtures is evolving.
The development of UNAR is a cooperative effort undertaken by the water industry
working in conjunction with plumbing industry stakeholders. A core team of
representatives from both groups is being formed. In July 2004, those water and
plumbing industry stakeholders met in Seattle to share views on what UNAR should
encompass and how it should be implemented. Over the next few months, the
requirements to be contained within UNAR will be identified and communicated.
For a more complete description of UNAR, its goals, and areas of consideration,
download the appeal for support communicated to the water industry:
http://www.cuwcc.org/Uploads/product/UNAR.pdf
6. High-Efficiency Toilets - Dual-Flush and others
Starting with the introduction of the dual-flush toilet in 1998, numerous high-efficiency
toilet fixtures began appearing in the U.S. marketplace. (Those fixtures generally fall
into two categories: dual-flush gravity-fed fixtures and 1.0-gallon pressure-assist
fixtures.) Some water agencies and municipalities have chosen to offer higher rebates
for fixtures with design flush volumes below 1.6-gallons per flush. Other water agencies
are choosing to subsidize only those types of fixtures. Because no clear fixture
definitions or flush volume thresholds were available for these toilet replacement
programs, the Council developed a definition for its California members and identified
the products that appear to meet that definition.
A definition of the high-efficiency toilet (or HET), as well as a listing of the seven HET
manufacturers and 24 HET fixtures now on the market, download this PDF file:
http://www.cuwcc.org/Uploads/product/HET.pdf
7. Pre-Rinse Spray Valves - "Real World" Savings Data From 19 Field
Studies!
Over 17,000 hot water pre-rinse spray valves were replaced through Council's Phase 1
Pre-Rinse Spray Valve Program…a Herculean effort by Honeywell and individuals all
over California! One significant requirement of the Council's agreement with the
California Public Utilities Commission was the measurement of energy savings
achieved through these replacements. As a result, the Council contracted with SBW
Consulting, Inc. of Bellevue WA to measure "before" and "after" water and energy use at
19 randomly selected valve installation locations in northern and southern California.
Their study has been completed and these results replace earlier estimates made in the
laboratory.
Water Savings
CCF Gallons Acre-Feet
Annually 66.4 50,000 0.153
5-Year Life of PRSV
332
250,000
0.765
Energy Savings
Water heated by
natural gas
Water heated by
electricity
Annually
335 therms
7,600 kWh
5-Year Life of PRSV
1,675 therms
38,000 kWh
The above figures define water and energy savings within food service operations
categorized as "very small" and "small", mostly independent establishments. High-
volume food service facilities that serve meals throughout the day are expected to yield
significantly higher savings.
8. And, finally, toilets that talk!
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/08/30/talking.toilets.reut/index.html
NEXT ISSUE…..all about landscape irrigation!