Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting May 14, 2019, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Meeting Summary The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense program recently released the draft WaterSense Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0. The EPA organized this meeting with stakeholders to describe the revised program and solicit feedback. The main objectives for this meeting were as follows: • Describe the updated technical requirements that homes will need to meet to earn the WaterSense label. • Present the organizational requirements for prospective Home Certification Organizations (HCOs). • Explain the process that will be used to evaluate water savings associated with a prospective HCO's certification method. • Solicit feedback on the draft revision from stakeholders. A PDF of this presentation can be reviewed on the WaterSense website at www.epa.gov/watersense/homes-specification#version2homes. A full list of the attendees and presenters is provided in Appendix A. The presentation discussion and participant questions and comments are summarized below. 1.0 Introduction and Background on WaterSense Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Amanda Forsey of Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), a WaterSense contractor, welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted that the presentation PDF would be posted on the public website following the webinar. Olga Cano of the EPA provided an overview of the webinar agenda. She polled attendees on the types of organizations or services they represent. The results of the poll are shown in Figure 1. EPA WaterSense 1 May 14, 2019 ------- 4 EPA — Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Water Sense Stakeholder Meeting Which industry do you represent? 3% 11% 27% 24% 35% Builder Green building verification (certification, rater, verifier) Irrigation (equipment or services) Other Water utility/local government Figure 1. Poll Question #1 Results Ms. Cano provided background on WaterSense and WaterSense labeled products. She explained the goals of the WaterSense labeled homes program and its role in the WaterSense program. Ms. Cano provided information on the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, including the fact that it requires the EPA to "consider for review and revise, if necessary, any WaterSense performance criteria adopted before January 1, 2012," which includes the WaterSense Specification for Homes. Ms. Cano outlined the goals of Version 2.0 of the WaterSense labeled homes program. Ms. Cano defined important terminology introduced as part of Version 2.0. She identified the program documents and their application in the revised program structure. Ms. Cano reviewed the procedures for 1) WaterSense approving an HCO and proposed certification method (PCM), and 2) HCOs certifying and issuing the WaterSense label to homes. She then outlined potential benefits of the revised program structure for all stakeholders, which included reducing prescriptive requirements and retaining a focus on saving water. Participant Questions and Comments Q: Does the EPA have model ordinance language developed to encourage or at least reduce barriers to development approval? 2 May 14, 2019 ------- EPA Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting WaterSense A: Jonah Schein of the EPA explained that WaterSense is a voluntary program and is not set up to develop codes. If the question intended to ask whether the WaterSense structure could be adapted for the basis of a requirement, WaterSense has not currently developed anything for those purposes, but attendees should submit comments if that is something they would like to see. Q: How many homes were certified under the previous version of the specification? A: Mr. Schein explained that there has not been strong reporting under the current version of the program, and as a result, WaterSense does not have a good idea of the number of labeled homes. That will hopefully be improved by the revision, since data on certified homes will be submitted directly by the HCOs. Q: Can you explain the difference between a designee and an HCO? A: Mr. Schein said that the distinction was created in response to differences in the structures of existing home certification organizations. Some HCOs directly oversee the certification process, whereas others work through a network of quality assurance designees (QADs). In the latter scenario, the QADs play a crucial role in ensuring that certified homes meet certification requirements. WaterSense will not require the use of a designee, but wants to ensure that organizations that do use designees will be able to participate in the revised program. Q: Will the EPA make the names of organizations who are in the process of becoming HCOs available to the public? This is important to stakeholders like manufacturers, who would like to assist/influence the development of the WACMs in development. A: Mr. Schein said that the EPA will publicize the list of approved HCOs but will likely not be able to disclose pending information about HCO applicants in any formal manner. Q: Will there be additional testing required to become a WaterSense verifier if we already are A: Mr. Schein said that the question would likely be answered later in the presentation. 2.0 WaterSense Draft Specification for Homes, Version 2.0 Ms. Cano reviewed the WaterSense Draft Specification for Homes, Version 2.0. She described the purpose and scope of the specification and explained the purpose of the Mandatory Checklist, which is included as an appendix to the specification. Ms. Cano displayed the Mandatory Checklist and discussed the categories of criteria included in it. She pointed out that, although the Mandatory Checklist does not include outdoor requirements, the revised WaterSense labeled homes program will still address outdoor water use; homes will likely not meet the water efficiency threshold without incorporating outdoor measures. Ms. Cano illustrated this concept with examples of water use and approaches to water efficiency for homes located in Duluth, Minnesota, and Phoenix, Arizona. one? 3 May 14, 2019 ------- EPA Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting WaterSense Ms. Cano addressed other topics related to the specification. She reviewed the role of domestic hot water distribution in achieving water savings, and she explained the rationale behind WaterSense's criteria being based on percent reduction. Ms. Cano described that homes can demonstrate adherence to the water efficiency criteria by certifying to an HCO's WACM, which will have been approved by WaterSense. She also explained the reasoning behind selecting 30 percent as the water efficiency threshold. Participant Questions and Comments Q: Can you confirm whether the revised specification will include renovated homes? A: Ms. Cano said that the revision will apply to both new construction and existing homes. Because of its flexibility and the simplified checklist, the revised program should make it more achievable for existing homes to be labeled. Q: Would toilets, faucets and showerheads that are not WaterSense labeled but are rated to be better in water savings be considered acceptable under this program? A: Mr. Schein said that the EPA would not consider them to meet the criteria on the Mandatory Checklist, because we cannot speak to the performance of products that are not certified to WaterSense criteria. The EPA wants to make sure that WaterSense labeled homes will meet performance expectations as well as efficiency goals, and requiring the WaterSense label is the best way to do so. Q: What about a home that has higher than 30 percent savings but has one showerhead that is not WaterSense labeled? Would that count? A: Ms. Cano said that all plumbing fixtures must be WaterSense labeled in order to meet the certification requirements. Mr. Schein added that this point connects back to user expectations. The EPA wants for the WaterSense label to mean high-performing and efficient with regard to water use. 3.0 WaterSense Draft Specification for Homes, Version 2.0 Kathleen Onorevole of ERG discussed the WaterSense Draft Home Certification System, Version 2.0. She reviewed the main roles of the four parties involved in the revised WaterSense labeled homes program, then identified the purpose and content of the certification system. Ms. Onorevole noted that the HCO/PCM application is included as an appendix to the certification system. Ms. Onorevole discussed the goals and details of each of the six organizational requirements described in the certification system: independent oversight; quality assurance; verifier training and authorization; home verification protocols; impartiality; and messaging and reporting. She described the role of designees and reviewed certification requirements that cannot be delegated. Ms. Onorevole also reviewed procedures that HCOs are required to implement if they use designees. 4 May 14, 2019 ------- EPA Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting WaterSense Ms. Onorevole described the EPA's reasoning for setting requirements for the certification method development process. She reviewed the three acceptable processes for certification method development and discussed the key components of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) essential requirements. Participant Questions and Comments Q: Could a potential HCO (e.g., a water supplier) develop its own WACM that mirrors the WACM of another HCO (e.g., RESNET), but with say a 5 percent difference? Would this enable the other HCO to act as a designee for the water supplier's WACM, as long as some element is retained by the water supplier HCO? A: Mr. Schein said that WaterSense would likely approve a jurisdiction adopting a WACM that had already been approved and that was modified with additional requirements or a slightly more stringent water efficiency threshold. This happens frequently in ENERGY STAR; utilities often adopt the ENERGY STAR certification with additional requirements specific to the utility. If the model WACM was substantially changed or if requirements were removed, WaterSense would likely need to reevaluate the PCM. Q: Does EPA require ongoing training or continuing education beyond initial training? A: Mr. Schein said that HCOs are responsible for determining the training requirements that are necessary based on their methodology for calculating water efficiency. WaterSense requires that HCOs must develop WACM-specific training, and that they record and monitor verifiers' training records. Editor's Note: Later in the presentation, Mr. Schein clarified that WaterSense does not specifically require that HCOs provide or require continuing education. WaterSense does, however, require that HCOs provide ongoing training and updates on any changes to the WaterSense labeled homes program and/or the WACM. 4.0 WaterSense Technical Evaluation Process for Approving Home Certification Methods, Version 1.0 Mr. Schein reviewed the WaterSense Technical Evaluation Process for Approving Home Certification Methods, Version 1.0. He outlined the purpose of the technical evaluation and the options for PCM scope, including new and existing homes and single-family and multifamily buildings. Mr. Schein defined the "reference home" concept and identified the four types of single-family and multifamily buildings that would be used as reference homes. He also showed tables illustrating the features of each reference home, which included information such as area of the home's footprint, landscape areas, and the number of plumbing fixtures and appliances. Mr. Schein explained that WaterSense will evaluate a prospective HCO's PCM using home and landscape designs that represent the least efficient home that could still earn the WaterSense label. He displayed the formula used to calculate total water use associated with a PCM's least efficient home. Mr. Schein listed the variety of indoor and outdoor features that could impact water use and savings in a home, and he explained the assumptions and references that 5 May 14, 2019 ------- EPA Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting WaterSense WaterSense used to calculate water usage by feature. He provided examples of these water use calculations for toilets and clothes washers. Mr. Schein presented two example evaluations for hypothetical PCMs and identified problems that were likely to prevent the PCMs from being approved. Participant Questions and Comments Q: I live and work in a moist climate. Irrigation is not very common. Would simply not having an irrigation system installed count toward the 30 percent reduction from a baseline home? A: Mr. Schein said that, in the technical evaluation, WaterSense will assume that homes have automatic irrigation, to protect the program. Regardless of the scenario, any program in a cool climate that properly accounts for indoor/outdoor water use will probably not have many requirements for outdoor water efficiency. Outdoor water requirements in cool climates are unlikely to substantially reduce overall water use; there would not be much outdoor water use in the first place compared to homes in more arid regions of the country. Overall, the revised program should lead to requirements that are more adaptable to climate differences. Q: For multifamily homes, will all units need to be verified, or just a sampling of them? A: Mr. Schein said that will depend on the HCO's WACM. However, WaterSense will evaluate whether the HCO's process (whether for individual sampling or a sampling protocol) will accurately identify homes that meet the efficiency requirements. Prospective HCOs should present a reasonable approach for evaluation. WaterSense would accept a sampling protocol for multifamily buildings, but would ask questions such as: How many homes need to be inspected? What's the permissible amount of time between units' completion to be eligible for sampling? What type of records have to be kept? Is there a reasonable degree of randomness, or is it clear to the builder/developer which homes will be inspected? 5.0 Estimated Water and Energy Savings Mr. Schein then discussed the estimated water and energy savings associated with the revised WaterSense labeled homes program. The average home is expected to save between 30,800 and 77,300 gallons per year, depending on climate. The average home is expected to save approximately 789 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity by not needing to heat water saved through increased efficiency. In addition, the average home will save approximately 173 kWh of electricity by not supplying water saved and not treating indoor water saved. Mr. Schein explained that the average home will likely save between $378 and $954 per year, accounting for costs associated with water/wastewater and electric or natural gas water heating. Mr. Schein reviewed non-monetary benefits of the revised WaterSense labeled homes program for WaterSense at large and for some of the stakeholders involved. There were no questions asked following Mr. Schein's review of estimated energy and water savings. 6 May 14, 2019 ------- Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting 6.0 Partnership and Labeling and Next Steps Mr. Schein reviewed the procedures for partnership and labeling. He described the steps for builder partners to participate in the program. Mr. Schein explained that verifiers will be referred to as WaterSense home verifiers and will be given a new promotional mark. He reviewed the requirements for HCOs, from submitting an application to participating in the program. Mr. Schein reviewed the proposed timeline for the revision. He noted that the public comment period be extended to June 18, 2019. Mr. Schein outlined the proposed transition from Version 1.2 to Version 2.0, and encouraged attendees to submit comments, data and questions to watersense-programs@erg.com during the comment period. He said that attendees can also contact the WaterSense Helpline at watersense@epa.gov or (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367). Mr. Schein polled the audience on whether they intended to submit comments on the draft WaterSense Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0. The results are shown in Figure 2. EPA WaterSense Do you intend to submit comments on the draft WaterSense Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0? ¦ No ¦ Yes Figure 2. Poll Question #2 Results Participant Questions and Comments Q: What was the timeframe to submit comments again? A: Mr. Schein said that WaterSense planned to take comments through June 18, 2019. 7 May 14, 2019 ------- EPA Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting WaterSense Q: For the 30 percent water savings, is there a certain calculator we should use? A: Mr. Schein said that, in practice, the HCO would select a water savings calculator that suits its WACM, which allows for tailoring the program to its needs and the marketplace. Attendees can review the technical evaluation protocol, posted on the WaterSense website, to understand how WaterSense will evaluate PCMs to determine whether they achieve the required water savings. Q: How are the irrigation water use estimates being calculated? A: Mr. Schein explained that the outdoor water use calculations are included in the technical evaluation. WaterSense has developed two ways to calculate outdoor water use. One is a theoretical irrigation requirement based on data from the Water Research Foundation (WRF) Residential End Uses of Water Study, Version 2. WaterSense has modified the estimated demand of the landscape based on field data, since most residential landscapes are not irrigated to full plant water requirements. The other approach uses flow rate and irrigation technology to calculate outdoor water use. Attendees can review the technical evaluation protocol for more details. Q: Are there irrigation system efficiency criteria similar to the 0.65 distribution uniformity (DU) that is in the current specification? A: Mr. Schein said that the only requirements that must be completed for homes to be eligible for the WaterSense label under the revised program are in the Mandatory Checklist. An HCO can decide whether to include requirements pertaining to improved DU in its PCM. If it does, the HCO should explain its plan to evaluate water efficiency associated with DU in its application. Q: Is the Water Budget Tool intended to be used for irrigation water use estimates? A: Mr. Schein explained that the WaterSense Water Budget Tool is an important part of the Version 1.2 requirements for WaterSense labeled homes. He noted that WaterSense does not think that the Water Budget Tool is not an accurate estimator of water use. Mr. Schein said that the Water Budget Tool is reasonably good at estimating the efficiency during landscape planning and irrigation system design, and it was used for this purpose in the current version of the program. Mr. Schein said that WaterSense does not propose to continue using its Water Budget Tool in Version 2.0 of the program. The Water Budget Tool is valuable for individuals seeking guidance on creating an efficient landscape or irrigation system, and WaterSense plans to continue supporting it in the immediate future, because many WaterSense partners use the tool. Q: What is the lead time for verifier visits normally? Is the EPA hiring more for this position to meet the demand? 8 May 14, 2019 ------- EPA Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting WaterSense A: Mr. Schein clarified that verifiers do not work for WaterSense or the EPA. They are independent, third-party individuals who are not EPA employees or contractors in any way. Mr. Schein explained that verifiers are usually not given much lead time. There is a very small period of time between the completion of a house and its delivery, and verifiers must conduct verification during that time. Q: Shouldn't WaterSense include minimum irrigation efficiency standards, since that's where most of the water in a home is used? A: Mr. Schein said that outdoors is where most of a home's water can be used, but is not necessarily where it is used. The climate helps determine whether this is the case. When WaterSense evaluates whether to put a feature on the Mandatory Checklist, it asks whether a home can be high efficiency and high performing with regard to water use without that feature. For example, requiring WaterSense labeled toilets is the best way to ensure that toilets will meet user expectations for both performance and efficiency. In the case of outdoor requirements, WaterSense would ask whether irrigation requirements make sense for a home with a small yard in a cool climate with a short irrigation season. That home could likely be considered high performing and water-efficient without a lot of mandatory outdoor features. Homes in arid regions of the country will have to make substantial reductions in outdoor water use to meet the water efficiency threshold, because a large portion of the home's water use will be outdoors. The percent reduction requirement scales with climate and will effectively force builders to pay attention to outdoor water savings. Ms. Forsey adjourned the meeting by encouraging attendees to submit comments to watersense-programs@erg.com and thanking everyone for their participation. 9 May 14, 2019 ------- Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Stakeholder Meeting Appendix A: Meeting Participants Attendee Organization Fernando Abruna Abruna and Musgrave, Architects Fabio Acosta Acosta Irrigations & Water Audits Catalina Alanis Porcelana Corona de Mexico (Vortens) Laura Allen Greywater Action Evan Auld ICF Gabriel Ayala Enovative Group, Inc. Gursharan Bains Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) Nora Beck Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Veronica Blette U.S. EPA Justin Burks Santa Clara Valley Water District (California) Shauna Burnell Waterkind / City of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Contractor Scott Campbell Advanced Conservation Technology, Inc., D'MAND Kontrol Systems Bernard Cardenas University of Florida Aisling Carlson Flo Technologies, Inc. Keeli Carlton City of Winter Haven (Florida) Steve Carper Tualatin Valley Water District (Oregon) Thomas Carroll Water Engineering, Inc. Armando Cobo Armando Cobo, Designer Elizabeth Coe Ecoe Company Cheryl Coltes Southern Nevada Water Authority Gerald Coons Consultant Kelli Cooper City of Moscow, Idaho Stephanie Cote City of Guelph, Ontario, Canada Michelle Diller National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Joel Gilbert Duran Chavez Conserving S.R.L. Kalani Durham Santa Barbara County Water Agency (California) Sean Evensen-Shanley Viridiant Jimmy Fera Steven Winter Associates, Inc. Michelle Foster Home Innovation Research Labs Nathan Fournier Property Providers, LLC Rob Furioso Symmons Rochelle Gandour-Rood Tacoma Water (Washington) Cody Gatland Green Insight, LLC Jeffrey Gerbick Delta Faucet Company Julie Gillins Washington County Water Conservancy District (Utah) Kat Godlewski ICF EPA WaterSense 10 May 14, 2019 ------- 4 EPA — Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Water Sense Stakeholder Meeting Attendee Organization James Gordon Metro Landscape Irrigation Elliott Granados Vortens Doug Greenlund City of Spokane (Washington) Robert Hafen Pinnacle Irrigation & Landscape Scott Hawthorne Shine Bathroom Technologies Inc. Jacob Hooper Swiftsure Energy Services, LLC Ed Hoppe City of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Sarah Hultquist City of Lewisville (Texas) Gary Hurley City Water, Light, and Power (Illinois) Nicholas Hurst U.S. EPA Nikki Jackson American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Jim Kemper Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Frank Kinder Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Benjamin Knopp Think Little Home Energy, LLC John Koeller Koeller and Company Karen Koppett Santa Clara Valley Water District (California) Julie Kretz Coachella Valley Water District (California) Danny Kruse Sr Certified Irrigation Designs Robert Laflamme L'lmage Home Products CJ Lagan LIXIL Water Technology Americas Ray Lamovec IrriGreen Jess Land Elevation Inspections Elena Layugan Upper District Beth Livingston U.S. EPA Laurel Loftin Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office (Georgia) Gianna Lombardi Denver Water Gina Lombardo Energy Inspectors Maureen Mahle Steven Winter Associates, Inc. Christine Manitta Stantec Megan Marsee Bernalillo County Water Conservation Program (New Mexico) Patrick J. Martin Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department Heather McCune Bassenian Lagoni Cary McElhinney U.S. EPA Region 5 Darrel McMaster Sustainable Homes, Inc. Brent Mecham Irrigation Association Jayant Mehta 23Solar Richard Mest Master Water Conditioning Corporation Mariel Miller Fort Collins Utilities (Colorado) Akshay Mishra ANSI Shahin Moinian ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) 11 May 14, 2019 ------- 4 EPA — Summary of Draft WaterSense® Labeled Homes Program, Version 2.0 Water Sense Stakeholder Meeting Attendee Organization Andrew Morris Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District Robyn Navarra Zone 7 Water Agency Tara O'Hare U.S. EPA Allie Orrego Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District Julie Ortiz San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Ryan Oswald Pure Eco Patricio Pacheco City of Santa Fe Water Conservation Office (New Mexico) Thomas Pape Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) / Best Management Partners Salvador Pena Fluidmaster JP Perez U.S. EPA Julian Perez CONSERVEMOS Robert Pickering ERG Jason Puffenbarger Green Building Consulting Doug Pushard HarvestH2o, LLC Dawn Qualley ICC-ES Phill R Reyes Landscape Christine Rausch Columbia Gas of Ohio Julie Riddle SiteOne Landscape Supply Sarah Roth Irrigation Association Val Santos St. Lucie County Utilities (Florida) Jason Schneemann Whirlpool Kirsten Shaw Lifelong Home Renovations Brian Skeens Jacobs Julie Smitherman City of Ashland (Oregon) Rob Starr The Toro Company Jaclyn Toole NAHB Thea Trejo Sage Conservation Sarah Vidra Incline Village General Improvement District (Nevada) Ron Wolfarth Rain Bird Corporation Pam Worner Green Dog Enterprises, Inc. Tony Zaccaria Masters Supply Presenter Organization Jonah Schein U.S. EPA Olga Cano U.S. EPA Amanda Forsey ERG Kathleen Onorevole ERG 12 May 14, 2019 ------- |