In my January 2022 column, I made a broad call for improved water intelligence to offer improved building occupant health. This is nothing new to the HVAC industry, with system monitoring and control extending far beyond the mechanical room and into the most remote areas of the building

Fresh water is an undeniably valuable and essential natural resource. But are plumbing engineers unintentionally putting building occupants are risk by implementing water conservation guidelines and equipment? What are the unseen consequences of water conservation?

The commercial building community is giving its full attention to improving indoor air quality as we attempt to make our way out of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it’s true that germs and pathogens can be carried through the air, we’re forgetting how easy it is to pick them up through the water we drink, wash our hands with and cook our food in.

Third-party certifications are well intended, but perhaps unintentionally have opened a window to performance issues in the name of water savings.