ASSOCIATION OF HYDRAULIC SERVICES CONSULTANTS AUSTRALIA

AHSCA and Sustainable Design The AHSCA is committed to assisting its members and the community in cultivating the ideas, processes and design standards to enable sustainability at all levels of Hydraulic Engineering in order to achieve the best and most sustainable engineering outcomes.

The Design process and Sustainability Mendler, S. Odell, W. Lazarus, M A. (2006) The HOK Guide Book to Sustainable Designs. 2 nd Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sustainable Design Decision Model

Drivers in the Australian Plumbing Design Industry Impact / Importance High Low Level of Uncertainty UncertainCertain Sustainable Water Use. Climate Change. Water Trading.Carbon Trading. Legislation Economics. Natural Resources (Cost and Availability) Aging Population. Population Density. Global Warming effects on water health. (Dengue Fever, Blue Tongue) Transmission by water of newly-recognized pathogens and new strains of established pathogens. Increasing Urban Populations. Power and Energy Travel and transport of people, goods and materials. Peak Oil Peak Water Global Epidemic. Cost of Crude Oil Disposable Income (Driver affect affordability of products) Politics. ESG & CSR Reporting Financial Institutions

Investment in CSR and ESG (Responsible Investment) Responsible Investment Association Australasia; Responsible Investment. October [Available on line: Viewed June 2008.

Water and Energy  Water Efficiency is easy.  Sustainable Water Use is the challenge.  Plumbing Systems: –Comprise from 4% to 10% of the construction costs. –Manage 95% to 99% of the total water volume within the built environment.  While a lot of attention is given to “Energy” or CO 2 e and the issue of Water stewardship, the GHG emissions from wastewater streams is not.  The link between Water, Energy and CO 2 e is strong.  If we want to implement smart sustainable solutions, the solution is a suite of minimisation and adaptation strategies.  For something to be managed, it has to be measured or accounted for.

Carbon and Water Accounting MaterialEmbodied Energy (Raw Material Only) Embodied CO 2 e (Raw Material Only) Embodied Water (Raw Material Only) Concrete0.42 MJ/kg39.1 kg CO 2 e/kg2 L/kg Steel32 MJ/kg2,970 kg CO 2 e/kg40 L/kg Aluminium201 MJ/kg18,700 kg CO 2 e/kg88 L/kg ABS111 MJ/kg10,330 kg CO 2 e/kg185 L/kg PVC70 MJ/kg6,520 kg CO 2 e/kg185 L/kg HDPE103 MJ/kg9,590 kg CO 2 e/kg185 L/kg MDPE103 MJ/kg9,590 kg CO 2 e/kg185 L/kg

Scenario Scenario: 1000 m of PVC Pipe with a flow of 20 L/s for 8 hrs per day. Compare PVC-U and PVC-M. Pipe TypeEnergy to Pump Water Embodied Energy (Raw Material) Embodied Water (Raw Material) Embodied CO 2 e (Raw Material) Embodied CO 2 e in Power at Pump Motor Embodied Water in Power at Pump PVC-M1.027 kW438.3 GJ1158 kL40.8 t12.2 kg29.3 L PVC-U1.125 kW655.6 GJ1733 kL61.1 t13.4 kg32.1 L Difference0.098 kW217.3 GJ574 kL20.3 t1.2 kg2.8 L

Pumping of water’s CO 2 e by State Information based on: 1.Pump and driver efficiency of 70%. 2.National Greenhouse Accounts Factors, January 2008, (Table 5) Emission Factors for purchased electricity from the State grid.

Fugitive GHG Emissions in Plumbing Systems MaterialChemical FormulaGlobal Warming Potentials (Horizons) 20 Years100 Years500 Years Carbon DioxideCO MethaneCH Nitrous OxideN2ON2O NitrificationDe-nitrification

Plumbing Services Cycle Legislators Financial Institutions

Where to from here?  Increased education in Sustainable Water Use, not just water efficiency.  Develop a framework to account for Embodied Water and CO 2 e along with GHG Emissions.  Manufacturing to develop rating system for embedded water and CO 2 e of their products.  Calculation of embodied water in construction.

We ’ re in this together.