Plumbing industry responds to green cause

Green is the buzz word in the industry. Indian plumbing industry is not staying behind in this race. The industry is coming up with many innovative products with green features. Water and energy efficiency are the key issues for the plumbing industry. Hence, lot of emphasis has been given to develop products which can conserve water and energy.
The Indian Plumbing Association has been playing very important role in sensitising the industry about the green practice. Green plumbing practices are being implemented as part of the overall concept of ‘Green Buildings’ which is propagated by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
“The IGBC criteria for Green Buildings has ‘Water Efficiency’ as an integral part. Requirements include water efficient landscaping, water efficient air-conditioning system, innovative waste water technologies and water use reduction by usage of low flow fixtures and faucets,” says Sudhakaran Nair, President, Indian Plumbing Association (IPA).
Nair says the focus is on conservation of the most precious commodity on earth - water. Since storage, treatment, conveyance and distribution of water consumes energy, conservation of water also results in conservation of energy and importantly, reduction in the quantum of used (waste) water to be disposed off.
“As the concept of Green Buildings is gradually being accepted as a dire necessity rather than an option, there is indeed an increased focus on green plumbing as well. The entry of several renowned international plumbing product manufacturers into the Indian market now allow the end-users to choose from a wide variety of water conserving plumbing fixtures,” Nair adds.
Amongst the many materials which are used for plumbing applications, copper is considered very environment friendly because of its easy-to-recycle feature. Used by the human race for centuries, copper is the ideal material for plumbing systems for green buildings. The deposits in copper tubes are least as compared to plastic and GI. Copper’s smooth inner bore allows free flow of water compared to a plastic or a GI pipe. Old copper pipes can be re-cycled and used to make other products.
Amongst the key players who manufacture copper-based products in India is Rajco Metal Industries. Its copper tubes are used for air conditioning, refrigeration, heat exchangers, packaged air-conditioners, VRFs, VRVs, VAM, chillers, condensers, cooking gas pipe lines and medical gas piping systems (MGPS). “Rajco copper tubes have almost 100% recycled content which on recycling reduces energy usage by 75% at the melting point. The scrap that is used by Rajco is electrolytic (EC grade) copper wire – the electrical cables and wires used for transmission of electricity,” the company says. Rajco tubes confirm to various international standards like EN 1057, ASTM B 68, ASTM B 75, ASTM B 280, & JIS H3300.
Thanks to the easy availability of raw material in India, copper is widely used by plumbing manufactures. Copper tubes are not transported over large distances – thus saving fuel and protecting the environment. Due to the light weight, the cost of transportation across the country is within 1% of the material cost.
Another green factor attached to copper tubes is that they offer very smooth internal surface. Water loses energy as it travels through any piped network. The energy lost by fluid flowing in a pipe is directly related to the roughness of the pipe. Greater the roughness of the material, higher is the energy loss of the fluid. As such, much less energy is required to pump water through a copper tube due to its very smooth internal surface.
Mehta Tubes Limited, another key player in the Indian market, offers a wide range of copper pipes, tubes and other products for a variety of applications in water and gas distribution lines. The company’s Mexflow copper tubes have got essential properties for safe and economical water and gas applications, owing to their better corrosion resistance and protection against the influences of weathering.
“Mexflow copper tubes increase the efficiency of the system and substantially reduce the emission of harmful gases. Therefore, they are compatible for CFC-Free Refrigerant for VRV, VRF and other ACR applications,” says, Mukesh Mehta, Director, Mehta Tubes Ltd.
Another form of piping which has received great acceptability in the industry is CPVC (Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride), a thermoplastic produced by chlorination of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin. CPVC is a popular engineering material due to its relatively low cost, high glass transition temperature, high heat distortion temperature, and flame and smoke properties.
There are a number of players who offer CVPC pipes in India. The total energy requirements for CPVC production are lower than other plastic materials. The other green feature attached to this system is that CPVC can easily be recycled and it does not sustain a flame. It facilitates construction of green residential and commercial buildings. Though the products with energy-saving features play key role, there is a need for greater participation of all stakeholders in attaining the larger green cause. “For the green initiative to be successful, there has to be participation of all stakeholders including government bodies, manufacturers, consultants, contractors etc. Initiatives such as ‘Water Sense’ in the US and ‘Water Wise’ in the UK have been highly successful and we too need to devise our own similar programmes,” says Nair, who is also the Executive Board Member of World Plumbing Committee.
IPA, in partnership with the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) published Green Plumbing Code Supplement–India in February, 2010. The IPA-IAPMO partnership is now conducting workshops to create an army of Green Plumbers-India (GPI).
“A group of thirty accredited trainers have been created from IPA’s membership. Candidates who successfully complete the GPI workshops are awarded certificates as Green Plumbers-India Accredited Specialists (GPIAS). Fifty plumbing professions have already received certificates as GPIAS in Bangalore and Mumbai and more such workshops are currently in progress at IPA’s eleven chapters across India. We are only the third nation after Australia and US where such an initiative currently exists,” Nair adds.