Lower energy and water consumption, as well as a pleasant appearance are the elements that must be considered when designing an ecological bathroom.
by Vanesa Restrepo.
The control of expenses in a hotel ends up being a differential point between a successful establishment and one with large losses. If we talk about resource management, perhaps the two most sensitive elements are energy consumption and water consumption.
In the latter case, especially, the situation is sensitive, since it depends not only on the operational staff, but also on the guests and users of the conference rooms and convention halls.
The estimates of the construction sector indicate that if you check the common areas of the hotels, to which visitors have access (excluding rooms and service areas) you will find at least one water tap completely open, two partially closed and five more with drips or poorly closed. The main reason is due to the haste with which visitors (usually attending seminars and meetings) go to the bathrooms, and the carelessness of many of them.
In any case, such a waste of water will imply an increase in the utility bill, without counting the environmental effects that it entails.
For this reason, manufacturers of bathroom accessories and taps have focused on developing economical and ecological solutions that save water without affecting the appearance of the bathroom.
Green bathrooms
The rooms are the areas of least control for the consumption of energy and water resources. The premise of good service implies that the guest has at his disposal all the resources he needs to feel comfortable. However, the current rules of administration, as well as the new ecological trends require the adaptation of solutions to save the maximum of resources without disturbing the well-being of the visitor.
In the case of bathrooms, in addition to home automation solutions for the management of light sources (bulbs that only turn on when there is a user in the enclosure), in the market there are options to make the use of water more efficient.
Nora Quintero, head of marketing of the Construction Channel for the multinational Corona assures that since the 90's the hotel sector began to be interested in looking for products with a lower water consumption, mainly because of the interest in savings and the points that can be obtained in the LEED certification process (green building certification granted by the U.S. Green Building Council, USGBC).
The same opinion has Hector Zertuche, national commercial manager of Sloan de Mexico, who assures that within the aspects to consider before selecting the elements of a hotel bathroom "it is definitely a priority that these products have an excellent performance in their operation, thus providing the best performance". In the same way, he points out, it is necessary to consider the maintenance that the equipment and accessories will demand; ideally, they should be easy to use and that little maintenance is required because this way "a great benefit is generated for the user and the operator of the same".
Less water
Thus, when designing a new bathroom or planning the remodeling of an existing one, you should look for products that meet the requirements made by the USGBC. "Whenever you want to have low-consumption products of both water and electricity, you must take into account the brand that supports them, and that it has a LEED certification," says Zertuche.
It should be noted that the specifications given in the LEED certification process seek to set standards for what are considered "green buildings"; that is, environmentally friendly constructions and with elements that provide well-being to users. The LEED seal is not given to brands or products as such, but to buildings.
The current market offer includes saving toilets that consume 4.8 liters of water per discharge. This figure is much lower than what was available on the market before 1997, when manufacturers sold toilets that consumed 18 liters of water each time they were used.
Similarly, urinary batteries and bidets have changed their conception. Until about 10 years ago most of these facilities had a continuous flow of water that was foreign to use; that is, the clean water ran endlessly even if the battery was not being used. In this case the waste of water is more than evident.
Nora Quintero explains that in recent years urinals with discharges of 2 liters of water were marketed, but that a similar solution was recently developed that consumes 0.5 liters each time.
"We did an analysis with the water consumption of the toilets. Before, in a bathroom used by four people, with an 18-liter toilet, 18,000 liters of water were consumed per month. When it was changed to a saving installation, of 4.8 liters, consumption fell to 2,300 liters of water per month. The savings on the bill were immediate and evident," explained the Corona official.
Technology at the service of savings
Sinks and showers are the two spaces in which water is consumed the most. However, current technological developments have made it possible to have accessories that work according to demand, thus guaranteeing an almost complete reduction in waste.
The most popular solution these days is the sink with infrared sensors. "They allow water discharges of between 8 and 10 seconds, "enough time for proper hand washing," according to Nora Quintero. Similarly, there is push technology, in which the user activates the key once and it activates the water supply for about eight seconds and turns off automatically.
Similar technologies work in showers and flushometers. In this case, Sloan, for example, has a technology that saves water (1.9 liters per minute), and electrical energy thanks to a solar cell that captures natural or artificial light in the room (bathroom). "In case of having extremely dim or no light, there is no way to energize the cell, which does not limit its activation, since they have battery backup. Since our keys are electronic, they are activated through a sensor, thus facilitating savings, eliminating the possibility of leaving the water running at any time," explains Héctor Zertuche.
The only element in which the use of valves or saving tools in the bathtubs is not recommended, because the demand to fill it will be the same and the use of these equipment will only lengthen the filling time, increasing energy consumption.
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Measuring cost-benefit
The utility bill is the main element to understand the cost-benefit ratio of water-saving accessories. However, when working on the design and selection of accessories, it is important to consider that the brand has a support and a due certification.
"Of every 10 toilet discharges, six are evicted with 4.8 liters (1.28 Gal) as promised, while the other four previous occasions discharge more water," Zertuche details, to illustrate the problem.
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