My office project has a "Wellness" room whcih includes a lav faucet & toilet. However, the intent of the space is for sick or injured (on the job) employees so on average (based on the companys use of the room in other facilities) the fixtures are used once or twice a week. How do i include them in the WEp1 calculations since they will not get the use of a typical fixture?
My thoughts were to create a separate fixture group but that requires a number of FTE's to calculate daily useage.
Thanks in advance
Michelle Rosenberger
PartnerArchEcology
522 thumbs up
October 30, 2013 - 2:42 pm
Hi Chris,
This does sound like a separate fixture group scenario. I've done many for various purposes though not this particular issue. Yes, you will have to assign a percentage of users to these fixtures. You will have to extrapolate the company use in other facilities into a number of users/injuries rather than once or twice a week. And don't forget that if there is no urinal you will have to account for that differential by using a non-default calculation on the toilet use.
Chris Miller
OwnerMiller Consulting Group, LLC
1 thumbs up
October 31, 2013 - 2:58 pm
Michelle, thanks for the response and info. But I have more questions.
So I identify a number of users and uncheck default since it is a uni-sex bathroom. However, the daily uses is where I am stuck.
If I have 20 employees and througout the course of the year, lets say all 20 visit the wellness center once. So my number of users would be 20...but the daily use would be less than 1. And the template does not allow for me to use a number less than 1....what am I missing here?
Thanks again for the insight
Michelle Rosenberger
PartnerArchEcology
522 thumbs up
October 31, 2013 - 3:53 pm
Hi Chris,
Very tough scenario. And you are right you can't use less than one for either use or FTEs. I would suggest that you are not using the full FTE count with one use per year. Rather you are converting the total uses per year into a specific subset of users - the percentage who get sick or injured.
So you need a rationale you can explain like X occurrences/260 working days yields some percentage that you could multiply by your 20 FTEs. Then once you have a subset (likely 1) that you can explain. I would use 1 use only for lav and toilet indicating they are only there one time rather than typical.
You are going to take a hit but if your fixtures are low enough it might be tolerable. Here's hoping you have a 0.5 gpm metered lav. That's my best shot I'm afraid. You might check CIRs to see if there is another route given your scenario.
In some sense, it's expensive to install plumbing fixtures that no one really uses. It may be that these rooms are used more than you think for privacy or other reasons because they're there. Good luck.
Carlie Bullock-Jones
PrincipalEcoworks Studio
LEEDuser Expert
220 thumbs up
October 31, 2013 - 4:02 pm
Hi Chris,
In the form Table WEp1-2 Fixture Groups Definition, list these 20 employees as a separate fixture group, and indicate the Annual Days of Operation for this fixture group as 20 (with each flush/flow fixture used once daily). Include a narrative explaining your rationale.
Hope helpful!
Michelle Rosenberger
PartnerArchEcology
522 thumbs up
October 31, 2013 - 4:42 pm
That sounds a lot simpler. I had no idea you can manipulate ADO this way. I have always thought that referred to the facility operations. Good to know.