Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

S.R. No. 79/2004

table of provisions

RegulationPage

1.Objective

2. Authorising provisions

3. Commencement

4.Principal Regulations

5.Additional modification of document referred to in AS3500.1.1—Water supply flow rates

6.Further modification of document referred to in AS3500.1.1—Water supply flow rates

7.Additional modification of document referred to in AS3500.1.1—Rainwater tanks for sanitary flushing

8.Insertion of new definition into Division 5 of Part 5

9.Additional modification of document referred to in AS3500.4.1—Solar water heaters

10.Insertion of new regulation 31KA

31KA.Modification of AS 4234—Evaluation of solar water heater performance

11.Amendment to include standard in Schedule

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ENDNOTES

S.R. No. 79/2004

Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

statutory rules 2004

S.R. No. 79/2004

Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

Building Act 1993

S.R. No. 79/2004

Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

S.R. No. 79/2004

Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

The Governor in Council makes the following Regulations:

Dated: 29 June 2004

Responsible Minister:

MARY DELAHUNTY

Minister for Planning

dIANE cASEY

Clerk of the Executive Council

1.Objective

The objective of these Regulations is to amend the Plumbing Regulations 1998 to make further provision for water savings and energy efficiency measures.

2. Authorising provisions

These Regulations are made under sections 221ZZZV and 262 of the Building Act 1993.

3. Commencement

(1)These Regulations (except regulation 6) come into operation on 1 July 2004.

(2)Regulation 6 comes into operation on 1 July 2005.

4.Principal Regulations

In these Regulations the Plumbing Regulations 1998[1] are called the Principal Regulations.

5.Additional modification of document referred to in AS3500.1.1—Water supply flow rates

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After regulation 31D(b) of the Principal Regulations insert—

'(ba)there was inserted after Clause 3.2.1—

"3.2.1AWater efficient flow rates from outlets If a new reticulated water supply is installed to a shower head,the outlet flow rate from that shower head must not be less than the relevant minimum flow rate and not more than the relevant maximum flow rate set out in Table 3.1A.";

(bb)in Clause 3.2.2, "and Table 3.1A" was inserted after "Table 3.1";

(bc)there was inserted after Table 3.1—

"TABLE 3.1A

FLOW RATES AND LOADING UNITS

Fixture/appliance (outlet) / Flow rate, Litres/minute / Loading units
Shower heads / 75 minimum and 9 maximum / 2

Note:This Table only applies to an outlet if a reticulated water supply is connected to that outlet for the first time on or after 1 July 2004.";

(bd)there was inserted after Clause 3.3.1—

"3.3.1A Maximum outlet pressure within buildings The maximum static pressure at an outlet, other than a fire service outlet, within a building must not exceed 500kPa.";

(be)in Clause 3.3.3, NOTE 1 was omitted;'.

6.Further modification of document referred to in AS3500.1.1—Water supply flow rates

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(1)For regulation 31D(ba) of the Principal Regulations substitute—

'(ba)there was inserted after Clause 3.2.1—

"3.2.1AWater efficient flow rates from outlets If a new reticulated water supply is installed to a tap or shower head specified in Table 3.1A,the outlet flow rate from that tap or shower head must not be less than the relevant minimum flow rate and not more than the relevant maximum flow rate set out in Table 3.1A for that tap or shower head.";'.

(2)For regulation 31D(bc) of the Principal Regulations substitute—

'(bc) there was inserted after Table 3.1—

"TABLE 3.1A

FLOW RATES AND LOADING UNITS

Fixture/appliance (outlet) / Flow rate, Litres/minute / Loading units
Shower heads / 75 minimum and 9 maximum / 2
Basin (taps) / 75 minimum and 9 maximum / 1
Kitchen sink and laundry trough (taps) / 75 minimum and 9 maximum / 3

Note:This Table applies—

(a)in respect of an outlet for a shower head, if a reticulated water supply is connected to that outlet for the first time on or after 1 July 2004;

(b)in respect of any other outlet, if a reticulated water supply is connected to that outlet for the first time on or after 1 July 2005.";'.

7.Additional modification of document referred to in AS3500.1.1—Rainwater tanks for sanitary flushing

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(1)After regulation 31D(e) of the Principal Regulations insert—

'(ea)in Clause 8.1, after "water sources" there were inserted "but does not apply to rainwater tanks within the meaning of Section 8A";'.

(2)After regulation 31D(f) of the Principal Regulations insert—

'(fa)there was inserted after Section 8—

"SECTION 8A RAINWATER TANKS FOR SANITARY FLUSHING

8A.1 SCOPE OF SECTION This Section specifies requirements for the connection of a rainwater tank to a sanitary flushing system in a Class 1 building (within the meaning of the Building Regulations 1994) where a reticulated water supply from a water authority is connected, or proposed to be connected, to the building.

8A.2 DEFINITION For the purposes of this Section the following definition applies.

8A.2.1 Rainwater tank—a tank or a number of connecting tanks designed to collect rainwater from roof catchments for sanitary flushing in a building.

8A.3 FIRST FLUSH BYPASS A first flush bypass may be installed on the inlet to the rainwater tank.

8A.4 INSTALLATION OF AN AUTOMATIC OR MANUAL INTERCHANGE An automatic or manual interchange device that allows alternate use of water from the rainwater tank or the reticulated water supply must be installed to ensure that there is a continual supply of water for sanitary flushing.

8A.5 BACKFLOW PREVENTION A suitable backflow prevention device must be installed to protect the potable water within the reticulated water supply in accordance with Section 4.

8A.6 RAINWATER COLLECTION AND STORAGE CAPACITY A rainwater tank installed in a new Class 1 building constructed under a building permit issued on or after 1 July 2004 must—

(a)be installed in such a way that it receives the rainfall from a minimum catchment area of 50 square metres; and

(b)have a minimum capacity of 2000 litres. ".'.

8.Insertion of new definition into Division 5 of Part 5

r. 8

In section 31I of the Principal Regulations—

(a)in the definition of "AS 3500.4.2", for "October 1997." substitute "October 1997;";

(b)insert the following definition—

' "AS 4234" means AS 4234–1994 Solar Water Heaters—Domestic and heat pump—Calculation of energy consumption, as published on 22August 1994.'.

9.Additional modification of document referred to in AS3500.4.1—Solar water heaters

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(1)After regulation 31K(a) of the Principal Regulations insert—

'(aa) there was inserted at the end of Clause 1.3—

"1.3.5 Heat pump water heater—a system incorporating—

(a)a compressor (vapour compression); and

(b)an evaporator exposed to ambient air or solar radiation or both; and

1.3.6 Solar water heater—a system for heating water consisting of a solar collector and a container which may be integral, close coupled or remote, and which heats water by means of radiant energy from the sun and may include—

(a)a single container solar water heater with electric or gas boosting; or

(b)2 or more solar pre-heat containers connected to each other and to an electric booster or a gas booster; or

(c)a solar pre-heater coupled with a conventional storage water heater; or

(d)any other solar powered heater configuration that incorporates a heater referred to in paragraph (a) and a component referred to in paragraph (b); or

(e)a heat pump water heater.";'.

(2)After regulation 31K(d) of the Principal Regulations insert—

'(da)there was inserted after Clause 5.2.1—

"5.2.1A Solar water heater performance requirements A solar water heater installed in a Class 1 building (within the meaning of the Building Regulations 1994) must comply with the following requirements—

(a)if the heater is installed on or after 1 July 2004 and on or before 30 June 2005, it must perform to a standard under which the energy savings relative to a conventional water heater calculated in accordance with AS 4234 must be 50% or more;

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(b)if the heater is installed on or after 1July 2005, it must perform to a standard under which the energy savings relative to a conventional water heater calculated in accordance with AS 4234 must be 60% or more;

(c)the water heater storage container must be legibly and permanently marked with the words—

'Compliant to AS/NZS 3500.4.2:1997 as modified by the Plumbing Regulations 1998 (Victoria)'.

5.2.1B Solar water heaters with booster heating If a reticulated gas supply from a gas company is available for connection to a Class 1 building, any solar water heater incorporating booster heating that is installed in the building must be a gas boosted solar water heater.";

Note:AS 4234 is modified under regulation 31KA.

(db)in Clause 5.2.2, "Installation of solar water heater" was substituted for "Solar water heater";

(dc)there was inserted after Clause 5.2.4—

"5.2.5 Flow and return pipes for solar water heaters to be insulated All flow and return pipes connecting a solar collector and a water heater storage container must be insulated to achieve a minimum performance R-value of 03.

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In this Clause 'R-value' means the measurement of resistance provided by insulation to heat loss from flow and return pipes and is calculated by using the formula—

R  x/k (m K/W) where—

R  resistance to heat loss of insulation material

x  thickness of insulation material in metres

k  thermal conductivity of insulation material as measured in W/mK

m  area in square metres of insulation material

K  degrees in Kelvin or Centigrade of loss of heat energy

W  energy flow in Watts (heat loss from flow and return pipes).";

(dd)in Clause 5.4.1.1, "must" was substituted for "should";

(de)Clause 5.4.1.3 was omitted;

(df)in Clause 5.4.1.4—

(i)for "Inclination Collectors should be inclined at a similar angle to the latitude angle. The deviation from this angle should not be more than ± 20°." there was substituted—

"Orientation and inclinationThe following is to apply to the installation of collectors—

(a) a collector must be installed to face between 50° east and 70° west of magnetic north;

(b)a collector must be inclined at an angle of 30° ± 20° to the horizontal;

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(c)if, due to shade or unavoidable physical features, a collector cannot be installed to comply with paragraphs (a) and (b), it must be installed to comply with figure I7 of Appendix I.";

(ii)"magnetic north" was substituted for "true north";'.

10.Insertion of new regulation 31KA

After regulation 31K of the Principal Regulations insert—

'31KA.Modification of AS 4234—Evaluation of solar water heater performance

For the purposes of regulation 31K, AS 4234 is to be read as if—

(a)there was substituted for Clause1.4.11—

"1.4.11 Solar water heater—a system for heating water consisting of a solar collector and a container which may be integral, close coupled or remote, and which heats water by means of radiant energy from the sun and may include—

(a)a single container solar water heater with electric or gas boosting; or

(b)2 or more solar pre-heat containers connected to each other and to an electric booster or a gas booster; or

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(c)a solar pre-heater coupled with a conventional storage water heater; or

(d)any other solar powered heater configuration that incorporates a heater referred to in paragraph (a) and a component referred to in paragraph (b); or

(e)a heat pump water heater.";

(b)in Clause 1.4.13, "an evaporator" was substituted for "a flat plate evaporator";

(c)there was inserted after Clause 3.1.2—

"3.1A LOAD AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR EVALUATING HEATERS IN CLASS 1 BUILDINGS Despite Clause 3.1, the following load and environmental conditions must be adopted when using the modified TRNSYS simulation model to evaluate the annual task performance of a solar water heater to be installed, or that is installed, in a Class 1 building (within the meaning of the Building Regulations 1994)—

(a)all simulation inputs must be in accordance with the zone 4 climate zone set out in Tables A4, A5 and A6 in Appendix A;

(b)if the building has less than 3bedrooms, the peak daily thermal energy load must be 252megajoules per day;

(c)if the building has 3 or more bedrooms, the peak daily thermal energy load must be 42megajoules per day;

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(d)any reference to a requirement to comply with a direction, instruction, specification, requirement or recommendation of a manufacturer in relation to a matter was a reference to a requirement or recommendation (as the case may be) to comply with the relevant best practice in relation to the matter.".

Note:Regulation 31K inserts modifications to AS 3500.4.2 that refer to AS 4234.'.

11.Amendment to include standard in Schedule

At the end of the Schedule to the Principal Regulations insert—

"AS 4234–1994 Solar water heaters—Domestic and heat pump—Calculation of energy consumption.".

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S.R. No. 79/2004

Plumbing (Water and Energy Savings) Regulations 2004

ENDNOTES

Endnotes

[1] Reg. 4: S.R. No. 148/1998. Reprint No. 1 as at 23 August 2001. Reprinted to S.R. No. 66/2001. Subsequently amended by S.R. No. 140/2003.

——

Note that the following table of applied, adopted or incorporated matter is included in accordance with the requirements of regulation 6 of the Subordinate Legislation Regulations 1994.

Table of Applied, Adopted or Incorporated Matter

Statutory rule provision / Title of applied, adopted or incorporated document / Matter in applied, adopted or incorporated document
Regulation 9 which amends regulation 31K of the Principal Regulations / AS 4234—1994 Solar Water Heaters—Domestic and heat pump—Calculation of energy consumption, as published on 22 August 1994 / Whole document
Regulation 11 which amends the Schedule to the Principal Regulations / AS 4234—1994 Solar Water Heaters—Domestic and heat pump—Calculation of energy consumption, as published on 22 August 1994 / Whole document