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Another of the eight
categories for obtaining
a LEED-H rating is Water
Efficiency, which
addresses 1) Water
reuse, 2) An Irrigation
System, and 3) Indoor
Water Use. The intent is
to minimize demand for
potable water.
Water Reuse:
LEED suggests designing
and installing rainwater
harvesting system (also
referred to as a
rainwater catchment
system); and/or
designing and installing
a grey water re-use
system. You can install
a whole house rainwater
harvesting system
(potable water inside
the home) or a system to
capture water for
landscaping. Numerous
articles have been
published about
rainwater harvesting.
The Master Gardeners
association offers
specialization training
in rainwater harvesting;
and, these specialists
are available to speak
to organizations about
rainwater harvesting /
catchment. For anyone
wanting to design and
install a rainwater
system, there are some
valuable resources
available to you via the
Texas Rainwater
Catchment Association (www.TRCA.org)
and the State of Texas
website (www.twdb.state.tx.us).
As much as 50% of potable
water use in a home may
be for maintenance of
lawns and gardens.
Capturing rainwater for
landscaping helps reduce
this demand. Grey water
is defined as water from
showers and lavatories.
(Black water is defined
as water from toilets,
kitchen sinks and
clothes washers, and has
to be processed thru a
septic system of
municipal wastewater
treatment facility.).
If you install a grey
water reuse system, it
should be directed to a
subterranean drain field
for landscape irrigation
(it has to be separate
from the/a septic
system). It must
include a storage tank
that can be used as part
of the irrigation
system. Effective
January 1, 2005, the
State of Texas enacted
more stringent
guidelines for grey
water systems, and most
counties no longer allow
clothes washer water to
be diverted to a grey
water system because of
possible contamination
from fecal matter when
diapers are washed. (My
question is: Who still
uses cloth diapers?) It
is best to verify
current regulations
before installing a grey
water system. However,
we are seeing more
homeowners plumbing
their homes to use grey
water to flush toilets;
thereby reusing grey
water prior to entering
a septic system or
municipal treatment
plant.
Irrigation System: The
irrigation system must
have a central shut-off
valve and sub-meter. One
option for the
irrigation system is to
install a high
efficiency irrigation
system with: 1) having
at lest 50% of landscape
planting beds with a
drip irrigation system
to minimize evaporation,
2) a separately zoned
area for turf and each
type of bedding area, 3)
a timer or controller
that activates the
valves for each watering
zone and allows
irrigation at the most
efficient time of the
day; 4) pressure
regulating devices to
maintain optimal
pressure and prevent
misting, 5) high
efficiency nozzles and
6) check valves in the
heads. Another option
for the irrigation
system would be to
design and install a
high efficiency
irrigation system with a
moisture sensor
controller or rain delay
controller. As an
example, the “smart”
controllers receive
radio, pager or Internet
signals with evapo-transpiration
information to direct
the irrigation system to
replace only the mixture
that the landscape has
lost due to heat,
humidity, and wind. Of
course, another option
is to install a
landscape design that
needs no irrigation.
Indoor Water Use: The
intent is to minimize
indoor demand for
potable water. The
preference is to install
high efficiency (low
flow) fixtures. All
lavatory faucets and
shower heads must have
<= 2.0 GPM (gallons per
minute) and toilets must
be <= 1.3 GPF (gallons
per flush). There are
also fixtures and shower
heads available that are
<= 1.5 GPM and toilets
with <= 1.1 GPF. These
toilets were not
available when I
selected mine.
You can also achieve water
savings with more
efficient water
distribution systems;
improved hot water
distribution systems,
and water efficient
appliances. As an
example, top loading
washing machines take 45
to 55 gallons per load;
horizontal axis clothes
washers take anywhere
from 5 to 15 gallons per
load. Also, if you chose
a high efficiency
dishwasher, it will use
less water than if you
washed the dishes by
hand. One of the most
significant things we
can do is to practice
water conservation. We
have all heard about
various tips to be
better conservers of
water, so I will not
repeat them here. My
suggestion is to be
aware of how much water
you are using next time
you turn on the faucet
or flush the toilet.
You will be surprised at
how easily it will be to
change habits. Every
little bit helps! |
