Hot water and energy saving
The high energy input for hot water production represents a considerable energy saving potential.
Less efforts for operation and maintenance for the consumer Generally hot water production in apartment buildings is the responsibility of each family and is not considered within the overall design of the building. Nevertheless hot water production as an integral part of the planning process and would bring several advantages for the consumer.
- Generally planners are well informed about the latest developments and could therefore suggest the most energy efficient solutions.
- Considerable price reduction for investments could be achieved by the procurement of large quantities of individual heaters.
- Reduction of running costs and environmental benefits could be achieved by central hot water production using alternative technologies like central solar hot water heating.
- Less efforts for operation and maintenance for the consumer
- In the case of central hot water supply for apartment buildings, individual hot water metering for each apartment would be necessary.
Landscaping and Irrigation
As rain water is free of charge, the possibility to use rain water for irrigation of green areas around apartment buildings, hotels or public buildings shall be verified. Investigations shall be carried out, taking into consideration the actual water price, monthly precipitation, irrigation demand as well as additional investment costs. Benefits could be the following:
- Reduced energy consumption for water treatment and pumping
- Reduced consumption of chemicals for treatment
- Reduced of the running costs for buildings
The most expensive components for rain water collection and distribution systems such as roofs, rainwater collectors, irrigation systems already exist. Only minor additional investments for underground tanks and small pumps would be necessary.
Installation of Water Saving Fittings
The general technical condition of internal plumbing in both towns is good. Nevertheless the installation of water saving fittings represents a great potential for water and energy conservation.
- Detailed investigation about the local availability of water saving fittings like water taps, showers, toilets etc. shall be carried out and compared with internationally available products.
- Based on those findings, it is highly recommended to develop water conservation standards for installations in new buildings which in the near future shall be the basis for planning and tendering of construction works.
- For existing buildings the replacement of old fittings by water saving ones shall be taken into consideration. One possibility for hotels or large public buildings might be water contracting. The replacement of the fittings is contracted out to a company and financed through savings on water and energy during a period of 2 - 5 years.