New method to design domestic water systems

“In the last decades, we have gained insight in the water use of residential and non-residential buildings. However, until recently, Dutch guidelines on design of drinking water installations were based on measurements carried out between 1976 and 1980 and there were no guidelines for the hot water design. As a result, suppliers of heating systems use company specific guidelines. Figure 1 shows an overview of the use of guidelines for the design of water systems in the Netherlands for residential and non-residential buildings. The old approach was no longer suitable for the current situation due to the increasing range of available appliances in the market and to changes in the behaviour of building occupants. In general, old guidelines overestimated the peak demand values. These peak values are crucial for the optimal design of the water system. Badly designed systems are not only less efficient and therefore more expensive, but can also cause stagnant water, possibly leading to increasing health risks. ”

(Citaat: Agudelo-Vera, C.M., Pieterse-Quirijns, E.J., Scheffer, W., Blokker, E.J.M. – New method to design domestic water systems – REHVA Journal (2013) December, p.12-16)