Project Title Liquid Engineering: Saving Money and Water through Waterless Urinals

Transcription

1 1 Bucknell University Green Fund Proposal Form Project Title Liquid Engineering: Saving Money and Water through Waterless Urinals Applicant(s) Jacob I. Hannah, 17, MSUS Major Steve Durfee, Campus Energy Manager Gregory Koontz, Associate Director for Utilities Maintenance Project Leader(s) Jacob I. Hannah, 17, MSUS Major Project Description Imagine leaving your bathroom sink on for 22 minutes. Feels like too much, right? Unfortunately, according to the 2014 ASHEE Stars report, Bucknell University uses approximately 100,342,900 Gallons per year, which is the equivalent to the amount of water that flows out of the Niagara Falls if you leave it turned on for 22 minutes. Feels like too much, right? How can we help conserve this in an age of droughts, global warming, and water shortages? Here s how: a Pilot Project retrofitting 4 waterless urinals in the Men s restroom of Dana Engineering Building has the collective potential of saving the university up to gallons of water per year. Not to mention, it could also save up to $1,400 per year as well. This pilot will serve as a model that can be used to analyze, measure, and project the implementation of similar units across campus from the data collected at Dana Engineering Building where the installations will be. The units will use an easily replaceable cartridge for odor prevention and also promote hygienic sanitation with its no-touch usability. Using the engineering students of Dana as a measurable control group, further surveys on awareness and sustainability education/impact can be conducted to evaluate the psychological and physical impact of the installation.

2 2 Bucknell University Green Fund Proposal Form Project Origin Before its obvious inception as a part of Eric Martin s MSUS 301 course, this project s seeds started out as a personal experience of living without water growing up in the woods of Appalachia. When the well to my father s farm was destroyed by fracking, we had to walk and drive 3 miles to get our drinking water out of a crater of water in an abandoned coal mine. We would shower outdoors whenever the rains would come. You never flushed the precious water that was in the toilet for urine, you did that in the woods. In winter, you melt the snow for cooking. That was (and is) the reality of many people like me back home. So, as a student of Bucknell, I winced every time that I wasted gallons of water as I flushed a urinal this made me want to make a change on Bucknell s campus by implementing waterless urinals through the MSUS 301 course to conserve life s most precious commodity. Project Endorsement In working with Steve Durfee (Campus Energy Manager) and Gregory Koontz (Associate Director for Utilities Maintenance), I was happy to find that both had expressed that, given some measurable proof of success from a specific model in some previously installed venue, they would be happy to support the project at any location on campus where pre-existing urinals are in place. One establishment they suggested I look into was Penn State where they had recently installed numerous waterless urinal units in their stadium. Fortunately, I was able to contact Ron Nagle, Area 1 Services Supervisor for Penn State, and asked him about their installations his response: Hello Jacob, Attached is information concerning the type of urinal we installed at Beaver Stadium. We actually have 3 different models on Campus. As discussed we have not experienced any issues with maintenance and/or cleaning of these fixtures since installed. In looking through files, I did not see 1 call for issues with these urinals in the Stadium during a football game. I guess that is also good news. Additionally, Ron explained over one of our phone calls that they had installed 8 units last summer as a pilot project in the stadium and that, initially, they had concerns with the possibility of odor being an issue with waterless urinals. However, using the same maintenance that their staff had been implementing on their old units towards the new models, they have had no issues to date. Since the installation was only last summer, the data on water conservation isn t complete yet, but they expect a considerable reduction in water use as well.

3 3 Bucknell University Green Fund Proposal Form With this relationship, we are privy to extremely insightful information for a very similar project that can be used to compare and predict results with this installation and so far, these predictions say go for it! The model suggested by Ron to by the most universal to most fittings is the WATERLESS SONORA MODEL # 2004 Waterless urinal. Sustainability Benefits Through implementing 4 WATERLESS SONORA MODEL # 2004 Waterless urinals in Dana Engineering Building, we can expect to see the following sustainable benefits: Approximately up to gallons of water saved per year according to WATERLESS company s statistical averages. This will greatly contribute to cleaning the environmental footprint left by Bucknell s heavy water usage. Not only does this installation count towards specific LEED Certification incentives that contribute to the sustainability efforts of the university, but it also double counts as fulfilling ASHEE Stars requirements towards water conservation. An eradication in battery use, replacement, and disposal from remote-operated urinals with sensor flush technology. Reduction in feeder-line pipe leakage for water going to urinals for flushing since the models do not require water installation lines. Sustainability Promotion Opportunities Unfortunately, some innovative projects do not get the kind of user awareness or attention towards sustainability that they seek, like sustainable air quality units or industrial heating units. These kinds of sustainable implementations, while good for society, are blind to the public user and blind to the cause of sustainability. Fortunately, waterless urinal units are a highly used public fixture that command attention from the user immediately and reach large quantities of users. Informational plaques will be placed above each unit to describe what the units are, how they work, and what they do to sustainably aid Bucknell s campus and the world. Additionally, students of the BIG (Bucknell Innovation Group), NET Impact, or the Engineering field can develop inter-organizational relationships by using the results and data from the pilot project as part of their own research or interest into sustainability that coincides with the University s goal to provide an atmosphere of a living learning lab. And of course, publications within the Bucknellian and the Installments poster bulletins about the installations can circulate curiosity and intrigue into the cause of sustainability through these units as well.

4 4 Bucknell University Green Fund Proposal Form Projected Project Cost and Savings/Reinvestment Plan Please provide an estimate of the total costs associated with the project as well as the expected financial savings. To qualify as a Green Fund project the savings should repay the initial investment within seven years. Please complete the summary table below and/or note where additional data collection is required to calculate the costs / savings associated with the project. Please note: As part of the final project approval process, a detailed financial analysis / spreadsheet will be required. Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Cost $2,700 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 Savings $0 $1,480 $1,480 $1,480 $1,480 $1,480 $1,480 $1,480 Total -$2,700 $1,435 $1,435 $1,435 $1,435 $1,435 $1,435 $1,435 Water Saved 0 Gal. Estimated Total Cost ($): $2,700 Estimated Annual Savings ($): $1,435 Simple Payback (Years): 1.89 years Additional Data Points required to calculate cost / savings: * Approximate cost per Urinal odor cartridge: $45 (per year depending on model and use) * Average cost per gallon ($0.142) x (25,620) per year per unit {122 per day per unit} = $365 per year per unit (x4 units) = $1,460 + $20 {batteries saved from sensor flush} = $1,480 Commented [SPD1]: Savings should be $0.016/gal*25,620gal=$409.92/unit 4*$409.92=$ Add $20 for annual battery savings Subtract $45 for annual cartridge cost $ $25=$ Appendices:

5 5 Bucknell University Green Fund Proposal Form Figure 1 (WATERLESS SONORA MODEL # 2004 Waterless urinal) Figure #2 (Sample of informational plaque over waterless urinal unit) Figure #3 (Waterless Urinal Cartridge) Link sent from Ron in Penn State Below on Sonora Model: