A recent ranking of Indiana's energy efficiency puts it 42nd in the country—down from a peak of 27th in 2013. But there is a hidden cost associated with efficiency measures—public health.
Speaking at Purdue University’s Dawn or Doom technology conference, engineering professor Andrew Whelton had a seemingly counterintuitive message.
“Many of the technologies being used in plumbing systems, that are resulting in water and energy savings, we do not really understand the potential for them to contribute to disease in buildings," Whelton says.
Whelton says there’s a couple of things going on. There’s not a lot of research on the effects new pipe materials, like plastics, can have on health. And “low flow” water efficiency measures increase the amount of time water sits in a pipe—which allows bacteria to grow and heavy metals to leach out.
But Whelton says there are steps people can take to reduce risk.
“Everyone in the US should remove their aerators and clean them at least once,” says Whelton.
Whelton says he’s found slugs of lead before in his aerators, which regulate the flow of water from the main service line into people’s homes.
