Now that California’s new Green Building Standards Code (also known as CALGreen) has officially gone into effect, many industry leaders believe the code will eventually affect the design, construction, and specification of plumbing materials for new hotel projects on a national level. However, questions remain about its long-term impact on business and the guest experience.
Background. Without question, CALGreen is complicated legislation. It requires residential and commercial developers to implement a wide range of sustainability measures in the areas of planning and design, energy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, material conservation, resource efficiency, and environmental quality. The law only affects newly-constructed residential and low-rise non-residential buildings—including hotels and motels (three stories or less). In the area of water conservation, CALGreen requires a 20 percent reduction in water consumption and addresses indoor and outdoor water use, as well as wastewater reduction. However, I will only be focusing on indoor water use—one of the more controversial aspects of the law.
To demonstrate a 20 percent reduction in water usage, low-rise hotels in California must show a performance calculation with a combined reduction for lavatory faucets, showerheads, water closets, and urinals. To achieve a 20 percent reduction, lavatory faucets are now at 1.5 GPM (gallons per minute), superseding the national requirement of 2.2 GPM; kitchen faucets are now 1.8 GPM, compared to 2.2 GPM nationally; and showerheads and hand showers must now be under 2.0 GPM, compared to 2.5 nationally. All must have a maximum allowable pressure of 60 PSI (pounds per square inch). Water closets are 1.28 gallons per flush, while urinals are .5 gallons per flush.
Obstacles. The problem for hotel owners begins with the showerhead requirements. Since the combined flow rate of all showerheads cannot exceed 2.2 GPM, the shower must be designed to only allow one showerhead in operation at a time. (The maximum allowable volume is 80 PSI). This portion of the law virtually eliminates volume and redefines the nature of a shower system—a problem for high-end hotels that depend on the bath suite as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition. Jeff Burton of The Bath + Beyond in San Francisco sums it up best: “You can’t go to a five-star hotel and be expected to take a two-gallon-per-minute shower when you’re paying $500 to $1,000 a night.”
Also, if a hotel owner retains a design firm in New York City and a contractor in California, who’s responsible for ensuring the product is compliant?
“The law is pretty clear about the requirements, but there are still many questions about responsibility,” says Tom LeDuc, a 45-year plumbing industry veteran and Certified Green Plumbers instructor who has been leading CALGreen seminars for the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association (DPHA). “At first, we thought it was the plumber’s responsibility since we supply the fixtures. But we quickly found out that wasn’t necessarily the case. The designer should specify the product for their project, but showroom dealers have a responsibility to educate their customer too. They need to make sure they cover themselves.”
The last thing a showroom dealer wants to do is sell a luxury shower system to a hospitality specifier that doesn’t pass inspection.
“Lawmakers didn’t think of how it would affect the dealers or customers,” Burton says. “We’re advising our customers to check with their local building department code on water allotment. We don’t want the responsibility of recommending shower products to designers, and they come back to us and say, ‘You sold it to us and it didn’t pass inspection.’”
The nearly 200-page law also has many gray areas, with some experts calling it “convoluted.” Depending on where your hotel is located in California, a local inspector may interpret the law to your advantage—or disadvantage—for the same reasons. Additionally, what constitutes residential or non-residential? Who defines what “new construction” means?
Hospitality chains that entered into master contracts for large quantities of faucets and showerheads may also be concerned about using their existing inventory. Rather than keep separate stock for California, they will eventually need to make the switch to plumbing products that meet the strictest standards for all of their properties.
However, from my perspective, one of the most troubling aspects of the law is the potential watering down of the luxury bath experience. The exclusivity of that experience may be lost as more hoteliers adapt the code’s shower requirements.
Overcoming obstacles. How can hotel owners avoid the hot water? Even if a new hotel project is not in California, plumbers, inspectors, dealers, mechanical engineers, and hospitality designers should start familiarizing themselves with these codes now and establish open communication with their local building department.
Since it will take some time for the requirements to trickle down nationwide, it is an opportunity for hoteliers to plan ahead. Why not begin looking for products with modern technology that are designed to meet stricter sustainability measures?
Product-wise, options include installing advanced digital shower systems with water tracking systems or replacing pressure balance valves with thermostatic valves that have built-in volume control and diverter in one. These relatively inexpensive valves not only eliminate varied volume control and reduce flow rates but also meet CALGreen standards.
Greener future. CALGreen is one of the most significant pieces of water conservation legislation ever passed in the United States. It’s not surprising that such a major code change has created confusion and panic. The timing of CALGreen may be unfortunate with the recession, but the challenges it poses are not unlike those we have faced (and adapted to) in the past with other sustainability measures, such as Title 24 and AB 1953. If anything, we can view it as an opportunity: future hotel projects will be set up for more advanced green-rating systems like the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System.
Avi Abel is the president of Watermark ID, the custom division of Brooklyn-based Watermark Designs, which has produced custom decorative plumbing fixtures for the luxury hospitality industry for more than 30 years.
