2 New Water Saving Technologies To Incorporate Into Your Buildings. | Sustainability in Real Estate

2016 was a great year in the development of technology and design in the building industry. Let me highlight some of the most practical ones in the water saving sector which are available in the next year. These types of products are essential for getting our buildings to a Net-Zero or Net-Positive energy performance. Additionally, if you are paying attention to your buildings Key Performance Indicators (KPI) properly then you will know if you need to do something about your water usage. (refer to "Sustainability in Real Estate - 7 Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) Should You Be Tracking?" https://goo.gl/Pf5CTe)

Both of these products are going to be successful because they have turned the conventional approach to water fixture design upside down and made them better. Their biggest challenge will be to get buy-in from the users and potentially approval from the various regulating bodies, but, I don't think that we will have a choice in the near future.

Water efficiency

As extreme droughts continue as well as development density rises there is growing pressure on the water systems in our cities. The result will be the need to conserve water in the coming years, additionally. There is also the potential that municipalities may raise the price of water and then this will become a financial decision for a building owner.

My favourite thing about incorporating these new technologies early in the design process of a large facility is that there are a lot of opportunities to save costs as a part of the whole plumbing system. Some of the savings are a reduced diameter of the water supply line, boiler sizes, domestic water pumps, and in turn, you will also see energy savings for the life of the building. By incorporating lower flow fixtures as a part of a retrofit project you will not see all the tertiary savings as a new build but there will still be the same water savings and energy savings, thus still making it a good decision.

Altered Nozzle (www.alteredcompany.com)

This product has addressed the faucet water efficiency problem, and it works wonderfully. I was lucky enough for them to send me a prototype and it was great. I liked how the misting water coated my hands and somehow made them feel softer when I was done washing them (trust me it wasn't the soap, it was in my old office and they never changed the soap).

The interesting thing was that their product is designed for a kitchen with the ability to increase the water flow to fill things like pots and get a glass of water quickly. In the future, I hope that they come out with a misting option only. I would use this in all the public washrooms. With a starting price at $55 it should be worth a look.

This product has a water consumption 0.18 litres per minute (90.5% savings) with a high power mode at 1.8 litres per minute. This performance outperforms the closest low flow faucet which consumes 1.9 litres per minute.

Nebia Shower (www.nebia.com)

This product has changed the way that water is delivered in the shower. They turned to jet propulsion for inspiration and as a result, they have a design which achieves the water savings needed without compromising the showering experience. In fact, many people say that it has elevated the experience.

This product has a water consumption 2.7 litres per minute (65% savings) with a high power mode at 3.4 litres per minute. This performance outperforms the closest high-quality low flow showerhead which consumes 7.6 litres per minute.

The biggest drawback for this product is the price at $650 each, a strong argument will need to be made around the quality of the experience in addition to the water savings to make this a viable financial decision. I would expect to this to be first used in high-end residential, hotels and high-use facilities like a gym or pool.

What are you going to do now?

I understand that new products and new techniques do have a risk. "What if the product breaks, or isn't robust enough? What if people don't like it? etc". These are great points, but don't shy away from the opportunity to be a leader. The industry is changing and you need to change your business model to take on some of these innovative products and risks. The more difficult question to ask yourself is "What if you do nothing?", "How will this impact your assets valuation in the future?" & "Do you want to be seen as the follower in the industry or the leader?"

Then GET STARTED!!! Run your own tests, get feedback from users, and work with the product developers to improve the product, like I did, they want their products to be a success and this will benefit everyone. And of course, don't do everything at once, pick the right opportunity to start.

Have any thoughts? Share them below, and as always please share this article to help others learn.

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