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can be measured, and management is at the crux of
water demand management,” says Kyle.
One should establish if hot water is absolutely necessary
for certain buildings. Questions should be asked such
as: Is it really a requirement in the climate? Do we really
need hot water in an office block — other than in a
kitchen — where a point-of-use water heater could be
used, thus saving a lot of energy?
ABNORMALITIES
The BMS would also be used to detect any abnormalities,
such as possible leaks and loss of water due to failure of
materials. The BMS would be used to notify the operator
of the correct functioning of various pieces of equipment
in plant rooms or help to determine the state of collected
grey water.
“Coupled to this, everyone should be looking to specify
and install water-efficient fittings like shower roses,”
he motivates. These should not yield more than 10
litres a minute. Wash handbasins should not yield more
than three to four litres a minute. One of the big users
of water is the flushing of toilets, which also relates to
education of the user.
A basic illustration of the ins and outs of a BMS.
central control room of the bulk water supply. That can
be monitored on a daily or hourly basis if so desired, or
any desired period of time. This means the total volume
of water used can be monitored and checked to see
if it is feasible per capita for the population within the
building,” says Kyle.
He says that “One would have sensored water meters.
For instance, on the tee-off from the building’s water
reticulation system to various facilities, such as ablution
blocks, kitchens, separate tenants, and irrigation
systems, so that the amount of water being used by
each of those facilities can be monitored and therefore
managed.” The total sum of all the water used must
match up to the reading of the bulk water meter.
In this way, one can detect whether there are any losses
of water, bearing in mind that the use of water has to be
managed. “It becomes an educational thing. One needs
to educate the people who are occupying the building
as to the efficient use of water. For example, in a kitchen
where staff could be incentivised and shown efficient
ways of using water, instead of leaving taps running
while they are washing up. You can only manage what
January 2018 Volume 23 I Number 11
“Efficient equipment must be specified and installed. The
whole protocol of this system would be that companies
or operators of buildings become very aware of the
efficient use of water, which can only be done through
management and through proper maintenance schedules.”
Once a management system is put in place, it has to be
maintained and there should be a proper and duly qualified
organisation or maintenance team on hand to ensure that
maintenance schedules are adhered to. They must check
the equipment for proper operation and measure what is
actually happening against what should be happening.
“South Africa is the polar opposite of Europe; we have a
non-maintenance culture,” Kyle laments.
AWARENESS
A BMS is purely a method of managing the use of water.
Most big corporates and new buildings that are erected
incorporate a BMS. These protocols are aligned with
'green' building practices. There is a moral issue at
play today and most companies want to make it known
that they are water and energy efficient. Architects
and engineers have become highly aware of this, too.
There has been a change in thinking and it has become
common practice to incorporate a BMS.
It is important that the people receiving data from a
BMS understand what it is saying. It is equally important
that the plumbing fraternity understands the protocols.