Showers according to EU standards: How hotel bathrooms can comply with EU taxonomy
The EU Taxonomy Regulation has been in force since 2022. It is a classification system that aims to assess economic activities in terms of their environmental impact. It identifies six environmental objectives, including climate protection and the sustainable use of water. Companies must prove that their activities are in line with these objectives in order to be classified as sustainable. The taxonomy thus creates a transparent framework for investments and promotes sustainable measures in various sectors, including finance, industry and real estate. Its aim is to drive forward the transformation to a climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy in the European Union. In the hotel industry, too, there is no way around ecological, economic and social sustainability. In this article, we take a closer look at how water consumption in hotels can be reduced significantly, in the long term and, above all, without any loss of comfort for guests.
People don't think about saving water on vacation
"Showers, wellness areas, pools, hand basins, treatments and much more: huge amounts of water are needed every day in the hotel industry: While guests often pay attention to their water consumption at home, things are often different on vacation," says Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, Managing Director of the Rabmer Group from Altenberg near Linz (Upper Austria). "At 290 liters per person per day, the average water consumption in hotels is more than twice as high as the average per capita consumption in a household." However, the EU taxonomy now sets out clear criteria for water efficiency. Water efficiency refers to how effectively and sparingly businesses use water. To meet the EU Taxonomy's water efficiency requirements, businesses must take steps to minimize water consumption and implement sustainable measures. This can include the introduction of modern technologies for water recovery, the optimization of production processes and the use of water-saving measures.
8 liters per minute in the shower - that's what the EU wants
The EU taxonomy specifies the following technical requirements for sanitary facilities, which hotels must also meet when building or renovating:
- Taps on washbasins and flushing taps have a maximum water flow rate of 6 liters/min
- Showers have a maximum water flow rate of 8 liters/min
- Toilets, including toilet facilities, bowls and cisterns, have a full flush volume of no more than 6 liters and an average flush volume of no more than 3.5 liters
- Urinals use a maximum of 2 liters/bowl/hour. The full flush volume of flush urinals is a maximum of 1 liter
"Saving hot water makes particular sense in hotels. Heating water requires a lot of energy. And with the rise in energy prices, this not only saves a lot of water, but also energy and operating costs," says Rabmer-Koller. However, she also knows that saving water often means less comfort: "On average, around twelve liters of water flow out of a conventional shower head per minute, compared to around nine liters for an energy-saving shower head that is already often used. This already saves a lot of water, but the target of a maximum of 8 liters is still being missed, because shower comfort also decreases as the flow rate decreases and guest complaints increase accordingly," explains Ulrike Rabmer-Koller.
Full comfort for guests with only 6 liters
The Rabmer Group has developed the ecowaterjet by rabmer water and energy-saving system so that guests do not complain and hotels still achieve their taxonomy targets while saving on operating costs. With this mini turbine, which is simply screwed between the shower fitting and the existing shower head, water consumption in the shower is reduced to up to 6 liters per minute without compromising shower comfort. In the washbasin, consumption can be reduced to 5 liters per minute using a flow limiter.
Many advantages of the ecowaterjet system for hotel operators and property owners
The advantages for the customer of using the ecowaterjet system are obvious:
- Enormous cost savings through reduction of water, waste water and energy costs
- Continued high shower comfort for guests
- Extremely short amortization period of the investment of only 4 months on average
- Quick and easy installation by our own staff
- Use of energy and CO2 savings in sustainability reports
- Compliance with the Taxonomy Regulation
In addition, ecowaterjet is certified by TÜV Austria, has been awarded the Austrian Ecolabel and meets all hygiene requirements in accordance with KTW.
ecowaterjet by rabmer uses the technology of high-pressure cleaners
By using the Venturi principle, which is also used in modern high-pressure cleaners, the ecowaterjet manages the balancing act between extreme flow reduction and high showering comfort for guests. By narrowing the diameter in the form of a funnel, the water inside the mini turbine is greatly accelerated. This creates a vacuum, which causes air to be sucked in via a bypass and mixed with the water. This increases the volume of the highly turbulent, air-enriched water and also greatly accelerates the water jet. "Despite a water reduction of up to 50 percent, the comfort of showering is maintained - the water jet feels pleasantly strong and guests will probably not even notice the use of the ecowaterjet in your hotel," says Rabmer-Koller. In addition, the powerful water jet ensures that no biofilm forms in the shower hose and shower head, significantly reducing the risk of germs and legionella.
