1.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 General

Green building refers to a structure that is environmentally friendly and resource efficient

throughout the building's life cycle. According to the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), “A Green

Building is the one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiently, conserves natural resources,

generates less waste and provides healthier space for occupants as compared to a conventional

building”.

1.2 Fundamental Principles of Green Building

The Fundamental Principles of green building are as follows;

1. Siting and Structure design efficiency

2. Energy efficiency

3. Water efficiency

4. Materials efficiency

5. Indoor environmental quality enhancement

6. Operation and maintenance optimization

7. Waste and toxic reduction.

1.3 Introduction to Water Efficiency and Green Building Rating

Water Efficiency is one of important objectives of green building. Water is the most important

constituent for the existence of life on earth. And with the decreasing amount of the already less fresh

water on the earth, it becomes necessary to use the available water wisely and save as much water as

possible for the future generation to use. Water efficiency refers to the minimisation of water use, reuse
and recycling of waste water by using processes such as rain water harvesting, bore-well recharging,

waste water treatment, etc.

Green Building Rating is a measure to certify a building as a green construction that is eco-

friendly and causes very less pollution as compared to conventional buildings. As a result of the

increased interest in green building concepts and practices, a number of organizations have developed

standards, codes and rating systems that let government regulators, building professionals and

consumers adopt green building construction. In some cases, codes are written so local governments

can adopt them as bylaws to reduce the local environmental impact of buildings.

This paper contains the study of efficient use of water resources, water conservation in green

building and the rating systems adopted for green building construction, operation and maintenance.

2. WATER EFFICIENCY

2.1 General

Reducing water consumption and protecting water quality are key objectives in sustainable

building. One critical issue of water consumption is that in many areas, the demands of water on the

supplying aquifer is more than the availability of water in it . To the maximum extent possible, facilities

should increase their dependence on water that is collected, used, purified, and reused on-site.

2.2 Definition

Water efficiency is the ability of a building to reduce dependence on local aquifers and conserve

water by using rain water, storage, purification, recycling of waste water using methods such as rain

water harvesting, low water fixtures and waste water treatments. It is the combined effect of water

conservation, minimisation of use, recycling and reuse of waste water.

2.3 Water Management Hierarchy

Water Management Hierarchy (WMH) is a hierarchy of water conservation priorities. The order

of levels of the hierarchy in terms of the priority for water conservation include elimination, reduction,

reuse and regeneration. The most preferred option is elimination, followed by reduction of water

demand. After that, direct reuse/recycling and water outsourcing through method such as rainwater

harvesting are preferred. This is followed by regeneration or treatment of wastewater before being

reused. Freshwater will only be used when all water-saving options have been explored.

3. Water Conservation

Rain Water Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rainwater for use before it reaches the

aquifer. Uses include water for garden, water for livestock, water for irrigation, etc. In many places the

water collected is just redirected to a deep pit with percolation. The harvested water can be used as

drinking water as well as for storage and other purpose like irrigation.
Advantages

Rainwater harvesting provides an independent water supply during regional water restrictions

and in developed countries is often used to supplement the main supply. It provides water when there is

a drought, prevents flooding of low-lying areas, and replenishes the ground water table. It also helps in

the availability of clean water by reducing the salinity and the presence of iron salts.

• It reduces flooding, storm water runoff, erosion, and contamination of surface water with pesticides,

sediment, metals, and fertilizers.

• It is an excellent source of water for irrigation, with no chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine, and

no dissolved salts and minerals from the soil.

• Home systems can be relatively simple to install and operate and it may reduce your water bill.

• Promotes both water and energy conservation.

• No filtration system required for landscape irrigation.

4. MINIMIZATION OF WATER USE

4.1 General

Water is essential for life. It is the most important constituent responsible for the existence of

life on earth. We use it in our homes and gardens, in commercial sectors, industry and agriculture. But

the water resources are used at a rate more than they are being recharged. Hence we need to use water

wisely to make sure that we have enough to meet our needs as well as the needs of the environment,

now and in the future.

Water saving is about reducing the amount of water we waste, not restricting the amount we

drink or use to wash!

4.2 Techniques to Minimize use of water in buildings

Following are some techniques that can be used in a building to reduce the water use:

4.2.1 Dual flush toilets

It is essential that toilets flush effectively to maintain standards of hygiene, but designs are now

available that use significantly less water than was required in the past.

A dual-flush toilet is a variation of the flush toilet that uses two buttons or handles to flush

different levels of water. It has been proven to save up to 67% of water usage in most homes.

4.2.2. Waterless Urinals

Uncontrolled urinal flushing can easily account for most of the water used in public and

commercial buildings. Fitting flush controllers or waterless urinals overcomes this problem. Waterless

urinals that use no water, other than for daily cleaning, are now widely available and the best designs

effectively eliminate odour and trap blockage problems.

As the name suggests, waterless urinals work without using any water other than for routine

cleaning. As well as offering significant water savings, waterless urinals also claim to address some of

the problems associated with conventional urinals, namely odour, blockage, and subsequent flooding.

4.2.3. Automatic or Sensor Water Taps

An automatic tap or faucet (also hands-free faucet, touchless faucet, electronic faucet, motion

sensing faucet, sensor faucet, or infrared faucet) is a faucet equipped with a motion detector and

mechanism that opens its valve to allow water to flow in response to the presence of a hand or hands in

close proximity. The faucet closes its valve again after a few seconds or when it no longer detects the

presence of hands.
 Most automatic faucets are battery powered and incorporate a passive infrared sensor to detect

hand motion. Automatic faucets are common in public washrooms, particularly in airports and hotels,

where they help to reduce water consumption and reduce the transmission of disease causing microbes.

They can also be found in some kitchens and in the washrooms of some private residences.

4.2.4. Water-efficient gardening

There is much that gardeners can do to reduce the need for watering. Adding organic matter,

home compost, composted bark or rotted manure at about a bucketful per square meter will boost the

amount of water that soil can retain.

Water efficient gardens also save labour, as there is less need to water them and mulches

suppress the growth of weeds.

5. RECYCLING OF WATER

Recycled water or reclaimed water, is former wastewater (sewage) that is treated to remove

solids and certain impurities, and used in landscaping irrigation or to recharge groundwater aquifers.

The purpose of these processes is water conservation, rather than discharging the treated water to

surface waters such as rivers and oceans.

Cycled repeatedly through the planetary hydrosphere, all water on Earth is recycled water, but

the terms "recycled water" or "reclaimed water" typically mean wastewater sent from a home or

business through a pipeline system to a treatment facility, where it is treated to a level consistent with

its intended use. The water is then routed directly to a recycled water system for uses such as irrigation

or industrial cooling. In most locations, it is intended to only be used for non-potable uses, such as
irrigation, dust control, and fire suppression.

There are many recycling techniques that are generally used in green building construction such

as septic tanks, anaerobic filters and also some advanced treatment options like carbon bed, reverse

osmosis, ion exchangers, electro-dialysis, etc.

6. GREEN BUILDING RATING

6.1 General

As a result of the increased interest in green building concepts and practices, a number of

organizations have developed standards, codes and rating systems that let government regulators,

building professionals and consumers embrace green building with confidence. In some cases, codes

are written so local governments can adopt them as bylaws to reduce the local environmental impact of

buildings.

Green building rating systems such as, LEED (United States and Canada), GRIHA(India),

BREEAM (United Kingdom), USGBC (United States), IGBC (India) help consumers determine a

structure’s level of environmental performance. They award credits for optional building features that

support green design in categories such as location and maintenance of building site, conservation of

water, energy, and building materials, and occupant comfort and health. The number of credits

generally determines the level of achievement.

6.2 LEED

LEED or The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building rating system

first founded by USGBC (United States Green Building Council) in 1998 and is now accepted

internationally by many countries.

The LEED Green Building Rating Systems based on existing and proven technology, evaluate
environmental performance from a whole building perspective over a building’s life cycle, providing a

definitive standard for what constitutes a green building in design, construction, and operation.

The LEED rating systems are designed for rating new and existing commercial, institutional,

and residential buildings. They are based on accepted energy and environmental principles and strike a

balance between known, established practices and emerging concepts.

Each rating system is organized into 5 environmental categories:

-Sustainable Sites

-Water-efficiency

-Energy efficiency and atmosphere

-Materials and Resources

-Indoor Environmental Quality

An additional category, Innovation in Design, addresses sustainable building expertise as well

as design measures. Regional bonus points are another feature of LEED and acknowledge the

importance of local conditions in determining best environmental design and construction practices.

6.3 GRIHA

GRIHA is an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment. GRIHA is a

Sanskrit word meaning – ‘House’. Buildings interact with the environment in various ways.

Throughout their life cycles, from construction to operation and then demolition, they consume

resources in the form of energy, water, materials, etc. and emit wastes either directly in the form of

municipal wastes or indirectly as emissions from electricity generation. GRIHA attempts to minimize a

building’s resource consumption, waste generation, and overall ecological impact to within certain

nationally acceptable limits / benchmarks.

Going by the old adage ‘what gets measured, gets managed’, GRIHA attempts to quantify
aspects such as energy consumption, waste generation, renewable energy adoption, etc. so as to

manage, control and reduce the same to the best possible extent.

GRIHA is a rating tool that helps people assesses the performance of their building against

certain nationally acceptable benchmarks. It evaluates the environmental performance of a building

holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a

‘green building’. The rating system, based on accepted energy and environmental principles, will seek

to strike a balance between the established practices and emerging concepts, both national and

international.

The Criteria of GRIHA

Waste-water may be minimized by utilizing water conserving fixtures such as ultra-low flush

toilets and low-flow shower heads. Bidets help eliminate the use of toilet paper, reducing sewer traffic

and increasing possibilities of re-using water on-site. Point of use of water treatment and heating

improves both water quality and energy efficiency while reducing the amount of water in circulation.

The use of non-sewage and greywater (Grey water, is generally accepted as being waste water

generated from wash hand basins, showers and baths, which can be recycled on-site for uses such as

WC flushing, landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands) for on-site use such as site-irrigation will

minimize demands on the local aquifer.