Page 41 - Green Builder November 2016 Code Update Issue
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Soaking it up. The ECO Rain subsurface irrigation mat can Selling point. Most homeowners favor homes that are
save up to 70 percent of the water used in conventional equipped with fire sprinklers.
irrigation. Even more water is saved if graywater is used as
the source. www.ecorainusa.com The Home Fire
Sprinkler Advantage
Demonstrating Water
Security Installing residential fire sprinklers not only
makes for a more resilient, sustainable structure,
A solar array and integrated battery storage give The Arc House extreme there are also compelling business reasons
flexibility in where it can be located, and allow it to operate on or off the for installing them. Builders and developers
grid. This kind of “energy security” makes the Arc House resilient in the can take advantage of several attractive “trade-
face of changing energy infrastructure. ups” when they make home fire sprinklers a
standard offering in their new homes:
But the dwelling is also moving toward water security. It is pre-plumbed ¦¦ Slimmer roads. Traffic lanes may be
for graywater reuse. Water from both the shower and washing machine
are drained separately from the rest of the home’s wastewater and can narrowed, reducing the amount of
be routed into a graywater storage tank or irrigation system. pavement in every linear foot of street in the development.
¦¦ Longer dead-end streets. Dead-end streets can be longer, which
The Arc House has demonstrated graywater solutions such as the translates into additional building lots.
ECO Rain irrigation mat, which utilizes graywater to efficiently irrigate ¦¦ Tee turnarounds. The permitted use of tee turnarounds in
plants at the root level. Developed in Germany, a geotextile mat with sprinklered developments can create at least one additional lot
integrated driplines called the iMat uniformly disperses water throughout per cul-de-sac.
the entire surface area, storing and releasing it slowly over time. ¦¦ Development flexibility. Steeper street grades and building sites
farther from paved fire vehicle access may be permitted.
Solutions such as these will only become more urgent, especially in ¦¦ Additional units. Although the actual percentage may vary,
drought-prone regions where climate change threatens the security of increases up to 20 percent are not uncommon.
water supplies and drives up costs. ¦¦ Water supply. Required fire flows for fully sprinklered developments
can be greatly reduced compared to non-sprinklered developments.
Tyvek house wrap. Fiber cement siding is extremely durable, fireproof ¦¦ Hydrant spacing. Supply mains may be reduced and hydrant
and resistant to insects. When used in combination with a weather- spacing can be increased.
resistive barrier, this system also offers superior moisture protection. ¦¦ Life and property. Over time, communities with fully sprinklered
developments should see a decrease in fire death rates and
Inside, a fire sprinkler system protects The Arc House. In California, property loss.
home fire sprinklers are required in all new factory-built homes, and In addition, some states or municipalities offer incentives for residential
in one- and two-family site-built homes and townhomes. According to fire sprinklers. For example, the state of New Jersey has a law that eliminates
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), home fire sprinklers the standby fees for stand-alone fire service water lines of two inches or
save lives and property. Automatic fire sprinkler systems cut the risk less, and the city of Altamonte Springs, Florida, allows a 40 percent credit
of dying by about 80 percent and reduce the average property loss against the water connection charge for residences with sprinklers.
by about 70 percent.
For more information, visit the National Fire Protection
In The Arc House, fire sprinklers will protect not only the occupants, Association (http://www.nfpa.org) and Home Fire Sprinkler
but also the high-quality interior casework, flooring, appliances and Coalition (http://homefiresprinkler.org/) websites.
finishes. The dwelling was built for longevity, inside and out.
November/December 2016 GREEN BUILDER 39
After all, says Gregory, “Sustainability starts with building
something that lasts for a long time.” GB
www.greenbuildermedia.com
