GBE N13 WCs Compare Conclusions

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GBE N13 WCs COMPARE CONCLUSIONS

COMPARE establishes the Key Performance Indicators KPIs, Environmental Performance Indicators EPIs and Social Performance Indicators SPIs for each product group.
COMPARE places Energy & CO2 as the EPI
COMPARE collects data on as many products as we can find easily; applies any calculations necessary to determine comparable data.
COMPARE then sorts the results in each EPI, KPI and SPI to determine average or normal performance and determines which are above and below the average performance.
COMPARE then compares individual products to determine where and how they are better or worse than the average or normal.
COMPARE encourages manufacturers to bring their latest product data to improve the collected data.

N13 SANITARYAWRE WCs

On this occasion GBE COMPARED:

130 WC Suites from 14 manufacturers all listed on the WTL Water Technology Products List and eligible for ECA Enhanced Capital Allowance
COMPARE took manufacturer or reviewer declared data:

Average or Normal Performance:

On this occasion the averages determined were:

Average full flush volume: 4.26 liters
Average reduced flush volume: 3.5 liters
Average combined full and reduced flush: 7.75 liters

PASS will assume the following minimum criteria

Listed on WTL Water Technology List (and eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowance ECA, no longer available)
Better than average water consumption (low is best)

Future Developments:

Areas of interest:
Low toxicity chromium plating
Low energy vitreous china
Recycled content vitreous china
Anti-bacterial coatings on china, metal and plastics
Self-cleaning skid removing bacterial coatings

State of the market:

Green manufacturers brought water saving sanitaryware to the market over a decade ago
The conventional market is driven by EcoHomes, Code for Sustainable Homes, BREEAM & Ska
Fiscal incentives (ECA no longer) and WTL help to drive Facilities Managers and Company Accountants to upgrade
Existing established manufacturers have had to respond and now manufacture low water consumption sanitaryware
Some manufacturers have inadequate flush buttons and are loath to specify them in any situation other than domestic
Project specifications created by manufacturers for Architects continue to specify middle to higher flush WCs unless the specifier insists upon low flush.
DIY & Builder’s merchants continue to stock what is purchased, but rarely promote very low flush toilets in any significant way.
Builder’s merchants are coming round to stocking what is specified for government-funded projects.

Conclusions:

The mainstream manufacturers have improved their product ranges
The mainstream manufacturers have overtaken the Green manufacturers.
The innovative manufacturers have developed exceptionally low flush toilets.
COMPARE encourages manufacturers to bring new or better products to drive down water consumption and its associated carbon load.

Robust Specification:

When one manufacturer produces many products or many variants of one product, whose performance varies enormously from variant to variant, it is essential that the exact model name, reference prefix and reference suffix is in the contract specification.
NBS would argue that is enough, GBE argue that the performance characteristics, the reasons for choosing the product and the model, are also included, so there is a basis for checking deliveries on site and a basis for comparison in the event of substitution; all of this on site or at the point of substitution without reference to other documents.

Performance Standards:

“Unless workmanship and performance are defined as part of the Contract Documents

then any control over the end result becomes entirely speculative.”

Neil Pepperell MD© RIBA Indemnity Research Ltd.

Performance Certificates

“If … test certificates are claimed, make sure they are current and relate to the proposed product,

not another in the range”

Liability alert No. 17

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CO2
EPI
KPI
MTP
NBS
SPI
Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI)
GBE COMPARE
GreenWash
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
Market Transformation Programme (MTP)
National Building Specification (NBS)
Or Equivalent
Social Performance Indicators (SPI)

GBE Checklist

N13 Sanitaryware

GBE CPD

Greening the Office

GBS Green Building Specification

GBS Robust Specification