Description
Water savings (or water efficiency) requirements in building codes is a legislative approach to improve efficiency in commercial and residential buildings. The building codes may require installation of modern technologies such as water pressure control, faucet aerators, leak detectors, water-saving toilets, etc. to maximize use efficiency, but can also require installation of internal water recycling systems or the establishment of infrastructure to provide alternative water sources, for example rainwater harvesting tanks. Water saving requirements are mostly applied to newly constructed buildings, but they may also by applied in existing buildings in the form of a retrofit of existing facilities. Although initial investment in water efficiency improvements may be high, water and energy cost saving can outweigh these costs in the long term, and in addition provide direct environmental benefits.
Implementation
Measures to improve water efficiency in buildings may include installation of meters, collection systems, recycling systems, automated irrigation of surrounding greenery, leak detectors, etc. Differentiation in planning and implementation is needed for new and existing buildings. Implementation of such measures can also be part of (voluntary) green certification programs for buildings, and can be combined with water (and energy) savings user educational campaigns on that address user behaviour. Water is monitored post implementation. Comparing monitoring results to pre-implementation savings goals can help authorities and building managers evaluate the effectiveness of the water savings requirements.
Environmental Benefits
- Reduces water use and thus reduces abstraction and need for water treatment.
- Reduces energy requirements for water extraction, transport and treatment, thus minimizing the
carbon footprint and costs.
Socioeconomic Benefits
- Provides water and energy cost savings in energy-efficient (certified) buildings, and potentially greater
value in the housing/building market.
- Decreases loss of non-revenue water.
- Increases awareness in building users, who may benefit from better water use habits in domestic
settings.
Opportunities and Barriers
Opportunities:
- Money invested in meeting saving requirements can often be recovered through cost savings in use (water and energy)
- Reduced use, extraction and energy requirements offer climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits
- In many places, authorities offer financial incentives (sponsorship, grants) to promote
construction of water and energy efficient buildings
Barriers:
- Initial costs can be considerably higher than business as usual construction
- Lack of public awareness about the importance of water and energy efficiency along with lack of
interaction between the public and private sector during construction can make it difficult for
decision makers to implement water efficiency requirements in building codes
Implementation considerations*
Technological maturity: 2-4
Initial investment: 3-4
Operational costs: 1-3
Implementation timeframe: 2-3
* This adaptation technology brief includes a general assessment of four dimensions relating to implementation of the technology. It represents an indicative assessment scale of 1-5 as follows:
Technological maturity: 1 - in early stages of research and development, to 5 – fully mature and widely used
Initial investment: 1 – very low cost, to 5 – very high cost investment needed to implement technology
Operational costs: 1 – very low/no cost, to 5 – very high costs of operation and maintenance
Implementation timeframe: 1 – very quick to implement and reach desired capacity, to 5 – significant time investments needed to establish and/or reach full capacity
This assessment is to be used as an indication only and is to be seen as relative to the other technologies included in this guide.
More specific costs and timelines are to be identified as relevant for the specific technology and geography
Sources and further information
- UNEP-DHI Partnership- Water savings requirements in building codes
- Alliance for Water Efficiency (2016). Green Building Guidelines & Standards. NFP. Available at: http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/Background_on_Green_Building_…
- Building Energy Codes Program (2011). Going Beyond Code: A Guide to Creating Effective Green Building Programs for Energy Efficient and Sustainable Communities. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Codes Program. Available at: https://www.energycodes.gov/sites/default/files/documents/GoingBeyondCo…
- Laustsen, J. (2008). Energy Efficiency Requirements in Building Codes, Energy Efficiency Policies for New Buildings. International Energy Agency (IEA). Available at: https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/Building_…
- PUB (2008). Water efficient building design guidebook. PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency. Available at: https://www.pub.gov.sg/Documents/WEB_Design.pdf
- SFDBI (2009). San Francisco’s Water Conservation Requirements for Commercial Buildings. San Francisco
- Department of Building Inspection. Available at: http://sfdbi.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Brochures_and_Publicatio…
- Wholly H2O (2016). Graywater: Laws and Regulations. Wholly H2O. Available at: http://www.whollyh2o.org/resources/policy-and-legislation/item/91-grayw…