Water Well Journal
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/752472
T he use of analytics, modeling, and metrics is seemingly increasing in nearly everything, whether it's in advertis- ing, sports, or social media. Now they've made their way into the construction industry. In the energy efficiency world, there is the Home Energy Rat- ing System (HERS) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Energy Score (HES). Water efficiency even has a performance-based metric too: the Water Efficiency Rating Score, or WERS. What Is WERS? WERS is a predictive, performance-based approach to residential water efficiency and water resource management. The WERS is the culmination of calculations considering the loading from principal plumbing fixtures, clothes washers, structural waste, and outdoor water management. Potential rainwater, greywater, stormwater, and blackwater catchment are also calculated. The WERS program is applicable for both new and exist- ing single-family and multi-family residential properties. It uses a scoring scale of 0-100 with zero being the most desir- able and 100 representing the baseline home. In addition to the score, the property owner receives daily, monthly, and yearly projections of water usage. Teams building a project also have the ability to use the WERS design tool to view initial estimates of the results of their proposed installed fixtures and appliances, as well as innovative water conservation strategies without the involve- ment of a WERS verifier. In order to obtain a WERS, the project team sends the completed program document to a qualified third-party WERS verifier who then checks that fixtures, appliances, and strategies have been installed or implemented as claimed. Once the program document has been verified, it is then sent to the Green Builder® Coalition for certification processing. The certification document issued can then be used by the project team for anything from compliance with a water con- servation tax credit or incentive to a local building code that requires third-party verification. How Is WERS Being Used? Unlike a prescriptive program, a performance-based pro- gram gives all parties (architect/designer, builder, property owner) design and product flexibility. It doesn't require any- thing. Rather, it assesses the choices made. The same flexibil- ity extends to the implementation of the WERS program. On its own, the WERS program can help a property owner understand where and how water is being used. Without this knowledge, it's difficult to determine the most cost-effective conservation strategies. For those who use wells, the combination of the projec- tions and deeper insight into their system's capabilities can help manage overall water usage. This can prove helpful when faced with extended dry spells. But a voluntary modeling tool is just one way to use the WERS program. It can also be adopted as a regulation. The city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is nearing the finish line on the road to becoming the first municipality in the nation to inte- grate a performance-based water efficiency requirement in its residential green building code. Santa Fe County is strongly considering using WERS in a regulatory manner if a project meets certain conditions. The state of New Mexico allows a builder or new property owner to attach a WERS report to show compliance with Analytics Comes to Water Systems Efficiency rating for water systems growing in use. By Mike Collignon waterwelljournal.com 26 December 2016 WWJ