New Southern Nevada Homes Embrace Water Conservation
In an area that wrestles with water-supply concerns as it continues to expand out into the desert at a rapid pace, the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association reported last week that KB Home Nevada has built the first Water Smart Home in metropolitan Las Vegas and expects to build 2,500 water-conserving homes this year. With an eye on reducing new home owners’ consumption of the precious commodity without compromising their quality of life, the home builders association worked with the Southern Nevada Water Authority for almost two years to develop the Water Smart Home program, which is the first of its kind in the nation. Announced in January, the initiative provides “water-smart” certification for new single-family homes and neighborhoods that meet water-efficiency standards. The homes can conserve as much as 75,000 gallons of water annually. Irene Porter, the association’s executive director, said that the new program “is one more way home builders are helping to enhance the quality of life in Southern Nevada. With efficiencies both indoors and out, we’re helping new home owners to make a difference in the community one home at a time.” Every home that KB builds in Southern Nevada will be water-smart, said Don Delgiorno, KB Home Nevada’s executive vice president. He said that his company has offered water-smart features in its homes for years, and that it is now committed to moving that effort one step further. KB Home is also offering incentives for its existing home owners to replace grass with water-efficient landscaping, Delgiorno said. The new program “shows that water-efficiency doesn’t mean doing without,” said Pat Mulroy, general manager for the water authority. “It means doing more with less.” He said that the program “offers all the comforts of a new home, but uses far less water than a home built 10 years ago.” Features of a Water Smart Home include: Landscaping - Irrigation systems designed to eliminate runoff
- A maximum of 1,000 square feet of turf or pool area in the backyard. The code allows for these to take up as much as half of the back and side yards.
- No ornamental water features
- Specific requirements for irrigation systems such as pressure regulators, separate valving, filtration, minimum 4-inch sprinkler pop-up and multi-program digital controllers
- Minimum efficiency standards for private community parks
Swimming Pools
- A limit of 20-square feet per home for the surface area of community pools
- Protected, marked enclosures for sewer cleanout to ease proper pool drainage
- A 24-inch limitation on pool features dropping or propelling water, such as waterfalls or fountains
Plumbing
- 60 psi pressure, reduced from 80 psi in the current code, to reduce water use, equipment failure and leaks
- A prohibition against installing multiple showerheads or body spa systems with combined flow exceeding 2.5 gallons per minute
- A requirement for efficient hot water systems such as recirculating pumps, manifold systems and point-of-use systems
Appliances
- High-efficiency dishwashers and washing machines
- Water softeners that are required to be demand-based regeneration, rather than timer-based, and to accept potassium
- Drinking water treatment devices with a yield of 85% of the water available for beneficial uses in the home
- Air conditioning systems with zero net consumptive use (no evaporative systems)
Click here to see the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Conservation House, which provides water-saving tips for the yard and every room in the house.
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