Solutions to make water systems more efficient

[edit] The Real-Life Efficiency Heroes: Solutions Making Buildings Greener and More Efficient

Leaky pipes or an energy hungry heating system are silently crossing swords with the UK’s efforts to become a more energy efficient country overall. Here Richard looks at heroic solutions that are set to fight back against these silent inefficiencies and make our homes more environmentally friendly.

With the UK Government taking increasingly grander steps towards making the country a greener and more environmentally friendly place to live, the importance of having energy efficient buildings, both domestic and commercial, is becoming ever more apparent. We want to showcase RWC’s real life efficiency super-heroes that are putting their powers to good use in fighting off inefficiency.

[edit] Keeping an efficient low profile

Increasing the efficiency of the UK housing stock requires innovative solutions that can be easily installed, and the JG Lowfit underfloor heating range by JG Underfloor are more than equipped to play this part. A low-profile system is perfect for retrofit situations, as it can be installed with minimal disruption to the existing floor, as nothing must be stripped back or removed except for the floor covering. Additionally, the system is designed to minimise the effect on the overall floor height build up, without compromising heat output.

Underfloor heating systems (UFH) are a great way to make buildings more energy efficient, as they can sufficiently heat a room while running at between the temperatures of 35°C and 45°C, compared to the roughly 70°c required for radiators. This means, that they can be powered by gas boilers and low temperature heat sources such as ground and air source heat pumps.

JG Lowfit offers many benefits to installers. The system’s castellated floor panels are extremely easy to lay and cover. Similarly, since the JG Lowfit system’s manifolds feature both 12 and 15mm push-fit connections they do not require reducers to attach to the UFH system itself. This makes for a more efficient installation for installers themselves, meaning the system can be up and running and saving customers energy in a quick and easy fashion.

[edit] Staving off lesser-known causes of inefficiency

Joining the army of efficiency heroes, the next solution to highlight is a whole group of efficiency fighters: Reliance Valves’ range of temperature control valves. Temperature control valves can go a long way towards making buildings more sustainable. The chief among them being Reliance Valves’ range of thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs), including the Easifit TMV 2/3 which is approved for domestic, commercial and healthcare applications.

Despite Reliance Valves’ thermostatic mixing valves being best known for their ability to protect end users from scalding, their ability to save energy and improve the overall efficiency of a building’s plumbing system cannot be overstated. Heating up and supplying hot water makes up a large proportion of a building’s overall energy consumption, and so any steps that can be taken to make hot water last longer has a bigger impact than you might think. Installing a temperature control valve, at the point where hot water is generated and allowing it to mix a cold- water supply has a number of benefits.

Firstly, this allows for water to be stored at extremely high temperatures, such as in an unvented hot water cylinder, a tempering valve such as the Heatguard Tempering Valve from Reliance Valves, for example, can withstand water as hot as 99°C. This water can then be mixed with a cold water stream and cooled down to around 55°c to come out of the shower or tap. This increases the amount of hot water available over a longer period.

Additionally, in the case of commercial buildings, a thermal balancing valve can help maintain the temperature of a building’s circulatory hot water system, which means that valves such as end point TMVs do not take in too high of a temperature, meaning that they will have a much longer lifespan. Equally this means that larger buildings such as hospitals can have optimum levels of hot water output, which is extremely important at a time when every penny counts. Moreover, this increased control of water temperatures creates potential savings too – just one more step towards making our homes more energy efficient overall.

[edit] Ultimate protection with leak detection

When it comes to inefficiencies in the modern home or building, there is no greater culprit than leaks. Indeed, leaks can cause plumbing or heating systems to not work as intended, add to the ever-growing quantity of wastewater, and call for installers to come out to make costly repairs. However, the Multi-Safe Leak Detection System from Reliance Valves is the perfect solution to swoop in and save the day.

The leak detection system does exactly what it says on the tin, it detects leaks in the plumbing system, in turn shutting off the water supply and sending a real-time alert to the building owner or whoever has access to
the technology. This allows for identification of potential failures and in turn the ability to have them fixed quickly before any further damage is done. Conserving as much water as possible is an additional feature of this super powered system. By the monitoring of water usage patterns, the system enables users to identify any areas where they could potentially conserve water. The positive effect this system therefore has on cost and to the environment, brings the upmost peace of mind to both building and homeowners, who can be sure their property is not negatively contributing to the growing sum of wastewater in the UK.

[edit] Efficiency heroes unite to ensure environmental excellence

These are RWC’s top recommendations for the best solutions to fight back against those silent inefficiencies that are currently slowing down the UK’s larger environmental efforts. Equipped with these efficiency heroes, each home or building should be well on its way to creating a more environmentally friendly future for us all.

This article appears in the AT Journal issue 165, summer 2023 as "The Real-Life Efficiency Heroes: Solutions Making Buildings Greener and More Efficient" and was written by Richard Bateman, Product Marketing Manager, RWC. Pictured above.

--CIAT

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