PHCPPros is continuing our new virtual education series this August! The new series features premium, in-depth courses led by top industry experts. 

Our next course, "Time-to-Tap is the Tip of the Iceberg," will be held live online on Thursday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. CDT. Sponsored by ThermOmegaTech, the course will be FREE for all attendees. Attendees will be able to earn 1.0 LU | HSWs through the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and 0.1 CEUs through the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) and the International Code Council (ICC). 

About the Course:

This fast-paced course shares the story of the benefits that can accrue to multi-family housing developers who follow the principles of “Practically Perfect Plumbing.” In late 2019, this course’s instructors, Pete Skinner, P.E. and Gary Klein, were asked to review the plumbing designs for Phase II of a six-building apartment complex near Utica, New York. Do you know anyone who would like to have hot water arrive within 10 seconds while wasting no more than 1 cup waiting for the hot water to arrive? This time-to-tap is mostly the responsibility of the architect. They decide where the wet rooms are, in relationship to each other and to the mechanical room. Starting with a review of the floor plans, Skinner and Klein progressed to right-sizing the hot and cold water distribution piping based on the IAPMO Water Demand Calculator. This led to right-sizing the water heater, the rest of the mechanical room and the service entrance. Three 35-unit apartment buildings were built with their designs. They have monitored Phase I and stress-tested Phase II and will monitor Phase II once fully occupied.

Skinner and Klein will use their experience to identify the magnitude of the savings, which reduce first costs on the order of $500-$1,000 per apartment and operating costs on the order of $200-$300 per month. This course sets the stage for a series; the other courses will go into detail on key components of the designs and lessons the instructors have learned in this year-long journey.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to compare the energy, water and time efficiency of improved hot water distribution systems.
• Participants will be able to differentiate the sources of the cost savings that can be obtained by implementing the principles of "Practically Perfect Plumbing" in their projects.
• Participants will be able to calculate the first cost and operational cost savings that can be obtained by implementing the principles of "Practically Perfect Plumbing" in their projects.
• Participants will be able to compare the residence time, water age and other health-related criteria of plumbing systems designed and constructed in accordance with the IAPMO Water Demand Calculator to those that are compliant with minimum requirements in current model plumbing codes and engineering design manuals.
• Participants will be able to estimate the resource efficiency of right-sized premise plumbing systems.

Register for the FREE course now at https://bit.ly/3xeFm3H!

Meet the Instructors:

Gary Klein, president of Gary Klein & Associates, has been intimately involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1974. One-fifth of his career was spent in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the rest in the United States. Klein has a passion for hot water: getting into it, getting out of it and efficiently delivering it to meet customers’ needs. After serving 19 years with the California Energy Commission, he has provided consulting on sustainability since 2008, with an emphasis on the water-energy-carbon connection. Klein received a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University in 1975 with an independent major in technology and society with an emphasis on energy conservation and renewable energy. IAPMO recognized his efforts in 2014, presenting him its Green Professional of the Year award. In 2015, the Department of Energy awarded Klein the Jeffrey A. Johnson Award for Excellence in in the Advancement of Building Energy Codes.

Pete Skinner, P.E., is the owner and founder of E2G Solar LLC. Skinner is a leading solar thermal system educator, author and consultant. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Lehigh University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Formerly the Chief Scientist of New York’s Attorney General’s Environmental Bureau, Skinner has 42 years of experience as a policy advocated and technical innovator. He is also an energetic and effective instructor who teaches both introductory and advanced solar thermal courses at colleges, technical schools and professional conferences. Skinner's comprehensive engineering/legal background provides clients access to a broad range of solar thermal application expertise. Based upon experience and research facility performance information, he has designed and installed dozens of custom solar thermal and heating systems. Skinner helped NABCEP prepare its solar thermal installer certification test and creates IREC approved curricula for solar courses presented across the country. He is a NABCEP certified solar thermal installer and is an approved solar thermal installer in New York and Vermont.