Water saving. Innovative solutions by Ideal Standard

Ideal Standard | Armitage Shanks

Water saving. Innovative solutions.

Water, our most precious resource, is more and more in demand. As water usage and its costs continue to rise, architects, planners and environmentalists are searching for new alternatives. Ideal Standard are at the forefront of this search.

RESIDENTIAL
Changes in lifestyle mean we are using 55% more water now than we did 25 years ago.

WCs
Using our dual flush technology can save you over 25% of the water used against a standard 6 litre cistern.

Dual flushing
Because you don’t always need a full flush every time you go to the toilet, all Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks push button close coupled WCs have dual flush cisterns as standard. These cisterns have two buttons – the small button delivers 4 litres for a short flush, the large button delivers 6 litres for a long flush. This saves over 25% of water vs a 6 litre cistern. Environmental Agency research indicates that the average domestic toilet is used 5 times a day, with 4 uses requiring a short flush and 1 use requiring a long flush.

Water saving cisterns
Flushing with a smaller cistern is one of the most effective ways of saving water. Current water regulations require WCs to flush on a maximum of 6 litres. However over 60% of WCs installed in the UK still have cisterns that flush on 7.5, 9, 11 or even 13 litres.

By installing a 6 litre WC and cistern you could save anything from 20% to 50% of water per year.

New delayed flush cisterns
To ensure maximum savings we have developed delayed flush cisterns. This technology prevents the cistern from filling with water before the flush is complete, guaranteeing no additional water is wasted. This is particularly suitable in high water pressure situations.

BATHS AND SHOWERS
Showering and bathing accounts for around 20% of the water we use.

Low capacity baths
Baths come in many shapes and sizes. Typically an average Ideal Standard 1700 x 700mm bath will hold between 175 and 210 litres of water to the overflow. The Alto water saving bath only needs 149 litres of water to the overflow. That saves 15-28% of water. Of course to have a luxurious bath you only need to fill the bath approximately 2 thirds below the overflow, allowing for average adult displacement of water.

Shower baths
Where space is limited, shower baths are designed to allow you to have a shower and a bath in the same area. These have a dual water saving advantage. The opportunity to have a water saving shower combined with a low capacity bath.

Showering
Taking a shower often saves water compared to having a bath. Water usage is dependent on the type of shower (e.g. conventional vs power), water pressure, size of valve and the length of time in the shower. Some showers use a high volume of water - anything from 10 to more than 30 litres of water per minute.

One way to save water whilst keeping the benefits of a good shower is to fit a shower restrictor. Our restrictor is designed to give you a maximum of 9 litres of water per minute up to a pressure of 3 bar (Note you need a minimum pressure of 0.3 bar to achieve 9 litres per minute). The restrictor is fitted between the shower valve and the shower hose set. We only recommend using this restrictor with Trevi or Ideal Standard Showers and they are not suitable for use with Trevi Boost.

Taps and mixers
Click cartridge technology can save over 5,000 litres of water per year in an average bathroom.

Click technology
Click technology gives you easy control over how much water you want to use. The user lifts the lever until they feel a slight resistance. This indicates that the fitting is using 50% of its flow. Applying greater pressure results in a click giving 100% flow.

Ceramic disc cartridges
Apart from being annoying, a dripping tap can waste a lot of water over a period of time.

Taps with ceramic disc cartridge control water with impeccable precision. The ceramic disc is extremely durable and eliminates the waste of a dripping tap. A dripping tap that wastes 1 litre of water per hour is the equivalent of wasting 1460 full WC flushes a year.

Flow restrictors
Fitting a water restrictor allows you to control the amount of water a tap uses. Water usage is determined by water pressure and the size of valve in the tap.

So where you have particularly high pressure a tap could be delivering many unnecessary litres of water per minute. Our mixer tap restrictor is designed to give you a maximum of 6 litres of water per minute up to a pressure of 3 bar. The restrictor is screwed onto the tap outlet and has an airated nozzle. This gives the user a fine airated spray of water - both softer to the hand and perfect for quickly lathering with soap.

COMMERCIAL
Under pressure - per head of population London has less rainfall than Madrid or Istanbul.

Taps and mixers
The key is to deliver the exact amount of water at the right time.

Self closing taps
Self closing taps can be set to run for a pre-determined amount of time - typically 10 to 15 seconds. This is carried out at installation. This means taps are not left on by accident as well as ensuring washroom are not flooded.

Ideal for schools and high uses areas such as airports.

Sensorflow taps
Integral sensor shuts off after 3 seconds from when hand is removed.

Spouts with integral sensors detect hands within the sensing range and the solenoid valve is opened. The valve remains open for 3 seconds after the removal of hands and up to a maximum of 30 seconds if a hand or object is continuously detected.

Spouts with remote sensors operate differently. When hands are detected within close proximity of the sensor, the solenoid valve opens and water is delivered for a maximum of 30 seconds. The solenoid valve can be closed within this period by a second activation of the sensor.

WCs
Special WCs have been developed for commercial use that can provide an effective flush with only 4.5 litres of water.

Dual flush or 4.5 litre flush?
There are 2 types of cistern that give you significant water saving benefits - dual flush and 4.5 litre flush. The choice of which option to use may be determined by the usage environment. Dual flush cisterns have two buttons - the small button delivers 4 litres for a short flush and the large button delivers 6 litres for a long flush. This option would be more suitable in an office environment where users can become familiar with the system. The 4.5 litre flush would be more suitable for areas with a high throughput of many different users, e.g. an airport - where the lack of familiarity with dual flush may result in incorrect usage and therefore reduced water saving benefits.

Our 4.5 litre WCs pass all government flush regulations and are ideal for busy commercial applications.

Sensorflow
Sensorflow is an electronic washroom system that accurately controls washroom water. It is simple to fit and very user friendly.

For WCs a wall or panel sensor detects close proximity of the users hand.

This initiates flushing using a pneumatic device.

Urinals
Just one waterless urinal can save over 87,000 litres of water per year.

Aridian
Aridian is a revolutionary waterless urinal. Using a cartridge to filter the urine, Aridian technology offers a range of benefits including easier installation, lower maintenance, reduced odour and lower bacteria levels.

Sensorflow
Sensorflow uses proximity sensors to detect usage, which will then flush according to operator defined parameters, typically after every visit or every 30 minutes. The method of flush can be via a conventional automatic cistern, storage cistern or mains supply.

Flushing using an automatic cistern dispenses 4.5 litres every flush. From storage or mains a timed flow of water is selected. If the urinal is unused a hygiene flush will occur once every 24 hours.

Tax benefits
Many of Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks products are listed on the Qualified Water Technology List.

Saving water not only makes good environmental sense it also makes good commercial sense. Case studies of hotels have shown that they can make savings of over 50% in water usage by installing simple water saving devices. On top of this DEFRA actively incentivise businesses to save water. The Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) Scheme, run by DEFRA, enables businesses to claim 100% first year capital allowances on investments in technologies and products that encourage sustainable water use. That is equivalent to £30 for every £100 spent.

For further information visit www.eca-water.gov.uk