Sustainable water use in buildings

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Sustainable water use in buildings

• Paul Shaffer CIRIA
• WATERSAVE

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Presentation overview

• Who are CIRIA
• Why sustainable water use
• What are CIRIA doing
• Buildings that save water
• Sustainable water management and land use
  planning
• KPIs and benchmarking for water use in buildings
• SUDS
• For the future

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Who is CIRIA ?

• Not for profit research organisation operating
  for benefit of members and industry
• Improve and promote good practice
• Projects often focus on collaboration and
  consensus
• www.ciria.org.uk

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Water sustainability

• Sustainable development
• A better quality of life for everyone, for now
  and for generations to come
• A better quality of life (1999)
• Objectives
• social progress
• protection of environment
• wise use of natural resources
• maintenance of economy and employment

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Why water sustainability?

• Quantity
• Rising consumption
• rising affluence
• more housing
• Water availability
• Twin track approach
• Climate change
• Flooding

• Quality
• Pollution
• Wastewater treatment

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Water sustainability projectsBuildings that save
water

• Objectives
• Help sustainably manage demand and supply
• Reduce water supply and treatment costs
• Identify barriers to uptake
• Promote appropriate reuse
• Monitor performance of systems
• Generate a network of stakeholders
• Provide guidance technically and on good practice

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Water sustainability projectsBuildings that save
water

• Project findings
• A water audit should be undertaken to identify
  potential savings
• Rainwater is easier treat and carries less risk
• Risk of infections is small, greatest risk if
  converted into aerosol
• Main failures related to operation/maintenance
• System design and maintenance is improving all
  the time
• Economics and reliability the main issue in using
  water recycling systems

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Water sustainability projectsSustainable water
management and land use planning

• Objectives
• To provide good practice guidance on
  incorporating water resource wastewater
  treatment issues into planning system
• Resolve conflicting needs of new housing and the
  environment
• To guide planners and developers at local and
  strategic level
• Also to guide other stakeholders

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Water sustainability projectsKPIs and
benchmarking for water use in buildings

• Objectives
• To address the current shortfall of data and
  information
• To provide industry KPIs from which benchmark(s)
  for domestic and commercial environments can be
  set
• To help improve water efficiency and encourage
  the sustainable use of water within buildings

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Water sustainability projectsSustainable Urban
Drainage Systems (SUDS)

• Outline
• Best Practice manual, examining case studies and
  discussing barriers encountered
• Technical manuals, collating design information
• A Newsletter - SUDS Bulletin
• A website to promote good practice
  www.ciria.org.uk/suds

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For the future

• Proposals
• Sustainable wastewater recycling
• Model agreements for sustainable water management
  systems
• SUDS projects
• Roadshows on water protection and conservation in
  construction
• Events
• CIEF events, In the know about H20
• Water Sustainability Conference 2002