Research & Innovation
New Standard for Water Conservation Efficiency
The responsible use of water is a pressing concern for our industry and the whole world especially as California faces epic drought conditions. APSP and its World of Recreational Water Foundation are busy working on an ANSI/APSP Standard for Water Conservation Efficiency in Pools, Spas and Swim Spas. The standard covers methods and technologies to increase the efficient use and conservation of water for recreational pools, spas and swim spas equipped with a filtration circulation system. The new standard is expected to be submitted to ANSI in later this year. The WRW was the largest contributor to the California drought relief campaign Let’s Pool Together, to promote responsible water usage and conservation with pools, spas and hot tubs and continues to strive for awareness to ensure that recreational water will be available for future generations of pool and spa owners. WRW's mission is to foster the safe and responsible use of scarce water resources and represent, defend and promote the sustainable use of recreational water. The foundation supports research into the conservation and energy-efficient use of recreational water, and underwrites education and training to advance recreational water environments for pools, spas and hot tubs worldwide. For more information visit APSP.org/WRW.
Consumers Spend Less Energy Thanks to New Hot Tub Labeling
The newly revised American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/APSP/International Code Council (ICC)-14 2014 Standard for Portable Electric Spa Energy Efficiency makes energy consumption labels on hot tubs mandatory in energy conscious states. States that adopt this standard will require a comprehensive energy label on each hot tub, enabling consumers to evaluate their choices when making a purchase. This new labeling will display the energy consumption compared to all other hot tubs.
Hot tub manufacturers are embracing this new standard. “In 2014, the California Energy Commission approached the industry looking to increase the energy saving provided by the appliance energy efficiency language in Title 20,” said Mike McCague, compliance engineer for Watkins Manufacturing and APSP-14 Committee Member, and chairman of APSP’s International Hot Tub Association Engineering Committee. “Using ANSI/APSP/ICC-14 2012 as a baseline, APSP, CEC and interested parties worked together to improve the energy position of portable electric spas by updating the standard.” Individuals taking the lead in writing the standard included McCague; Angelo Pugliese, Sr., Custom Molded Products; and Nathan Coelho, Master Spas, Inc. along with 19 other portable spa manufacturers and related interested parties.
From the sales, service, and maintenance perspective, manufacturers must indicate which hot tub specific covers meet the test requirements so that the spa continues to perform at peak cost savings efficiency over its life. The maximum energy limit was also closely reviewed to ensure that energy usage and operating costs were kept low for all models. The Standard is available at APSP.org/Store
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