My research in my category revealed that I needed to fully appreciate the consumers understanding of my previous statement. "The amount of water saved, is the amount of water saved if you complete the same task adequately" The consumers interpretation of adequately means "no maintenance" and definitely no maintenance in the first decade. Now I would suggest, that the water saving products of today need to be of a standard that will need to meet these first two hurdles, "complete the same task adequately as their existing product" and require no or very little maintenance as is currently the case with their existing products. If not, they face a far greater chance of failure.
Are standards more important than saving water? As a Master Plumber and manufacture of patented products, I am astutely aware of the substantial design and tooling costs in placing the most basic of products in the marketplace. A technology advanced generic standard allows me the scope to design and manufacture quality water saving products. Are the standards more important than saving water? As I understand the current situation it appears that they are.
The consumer may not fully appreciate that under the previous "A" water rating system, that in tap flow controllers, with excellent market acceptance with a veering flow rate in excess of 1 litre a minute from 150kpa to 350kpa, were excluded from any evaluation or waterwise program. These products which function more in tune with the physics of water, which in my research were identified as the public preference are still excluded. The new Wells Standards has allowed for a variance of 2 litres a minute in flow rates from 150kpa to 500kpa, a massive envelope of improvement, but sadly I believe not enough.
The architects of the 1 litre, then 2-litre non-variance flow rates argue that as pressures are different all around Australia, that therefore the set rate must be maintained. Only problem is no one can identify an occurrence were a variance of up to 5 litres a minute from 150kpa to 500kpa could possible cause a problem. Our tests have proven that the Australian public can't tell the difference in 5 litres a minutes at the average household pressure of 350kpa. The problem is, we are setting standards on assumptions, and no one has an accurate percentage of households in Australia in relation to supply pressures.
A definitive statement in the apparent technical gap between the Industry and the utilities was recently reported in the Media. The story detailed some of the workings of Sydney Water, Sydney Water being the principal utility responsible for treatment of waste water in New South Wales, particularly Sydney. The concern is being the consistent contamination of coastal areas, especially the Australian icon of Bondi Beach.
