FIVE STAR PLUMBING

As well as regulations concerning energy efficiency for the building fabric, there are also plumbing regulations concerning water efficiency within the home. As with Energy rating software, plumbing fixtures can also have a rating which guages their efficient use of water.

The current plumbing regulations are as follows:

• From the 1st of July 2004 if a new reticulated water supply is installed to a shower head then the shower head flow rate cannot be more than 9 liters per minute or less than 7.5 litres per minute.
• Maximum outlet pressures within a building where new reticulated water supply is installed must not exceed 500kPa static pressure.
• If the building is constructed to an energy efficient level of 4 stars then a solar hot water service or a rain water tank must be installed.
• From 1st July 2004 if a solar hot water service is installed it must achieve an energy performance of 50% solar gain.
• From 1st July 2005 if a solar hot water service is installed it must achieve an energy performance of 60% solar gain.
• If a rain water tank for sanitary flushing is installed then the rain water tank must have a minimum capacity of 2000 liters and have a catchments area from a roof of 50 square meters, it must be connected to all flushing systems within a building.
• Water efficient flow rates from 1st July 2005, shower heads, basin taps, kitchen sink and laundry troughs must be installed with flow rates within the range of 7.5 minimum and 9 liters maximum per minute.
• Flow and return pipes for solar water heaters must be insulated to achieve a minimum R value of 0.3.

OUR STANDARDS

In addition to meeting these standards, if not excelling them, we at Unicorn House also specify the following:

• All hot & cold water pipes to be lagged with 13mm closed cell insulation eg. Armourflex black rubber to avoid freezing & for energy efficiency.

• Caroma Smartflush toilet suite, which is the first 4A rated toilet for water efficiency. It uses 4.5 litres at a full flush and 3 at low flush. The pre 1982 standard cistern was an 11 litre single flush and so changing to a Smartflush toilet equates to an annual saving of up to 35,130 litres of water. There are four different styles to chose from to suit your project. To learn more visit www.caroma.smartflush.info

• Water efficient tapware with built-in flow regulators. A wide range of taps, mixers and shower heads are available from several leading Australian manufacurers:
• The Caroma 'Laser' and 'Australis' tapware range features a AAA rated showerhead, and the 'Nordic', 'Opus' and 'Skandic' range of mixer taps feature "Econo-flow" water saving technology.
• Flexispray also manufacture AAA rated showers which provide a full and intense spray whilst achieving low water consumption.
• Reece 'Posh Solus' and 'Hansgrohe Croma Vario' hand and rail showers come with 9 litre per minute flow restrictors and are accredited with AAA ratings.
• The majority of Dorf products now incorporate water saving features without compromising on style or quality. Showerheads, sink and laundry taps are AAA rated at 7.5 - 9 litres/minute.