Annual Report 2007-08 - Plumbing Industry Commission

Commissioner’s Report
2007–08 has shaped up as a very
important one as the move towards
increased environmental sustainability
gained momentum. One year ago, it was a
different story. Many ideas and plans were
on paper, but now real achievements and
developments can be reported.
The first of eight water saving initiatives
identified through the PlumbSmarter
project has begun. This project’s centerpiece
is the fire sprinkler water conservation
project aimed at saving 450 million litres of
water a year by changing procedures and
technologies for testing fire sprinklers in
commercial buildings. This initiative is part
of a report known as The path to a greener
plumbing industry.
The Commission, along with five other
key stakeholders, put its strong support
behind the Plumbing Industry Climate
Action Centre. The new training facility will
provide plumbing practitioners with best
practice green technological solutions. The
Centre is a pioneer facility offering separate
training schemes to plumbing practitioners
brought together under the one roof
and helping them to upskill. It’s hoped
that the facility will also have an impact
on increasing the number of plumbing
practitioners in this field.
A 4.1 per cent increase in Licensed and
Registered Plumbing Practitioner accreditations
achieved the largest accredited
practitioner number since 2000. Attracting
newcomers to a plumbing career is now
more critical than ever, given plumbing
practitioners are in a unique position to
educate and influence consumers and
businesses to opt for environmentally
sustainable plumbing options.
There are obvious business benefits of
running a green business in a growing niche
market and the desire for information on
going green was reflected in the 21,848
subscribers to InPipe magazine.
Rainwater tanks continued as the mainstay
for water saving measures and we saw
a trend towards greywater treatment
systems. The Commission worked to further
improve the efficiency and sustainable
effectiveness of the plumbing regulatory
system. It assisted the Department of
Planning and Community Development and
key stakeholders to conduct a major review
of the current Plumbing Regulations 1998.
It also ensured plumbing related
amendments were included in the
Building (Amendment) Bill 2008, which
subsequently passed through both houses
of the Parliament of Victoria.
Since ‘grey is the new black’, we know
trends can influence change but so can
financial savings. These factors have all
contributed to the increased demand for
sustainable plumbing solutions in the
market place. An increased number of new
homes installing solar panels, water tanks
and recycled water installations impelled
the Commission to extend the audit
process to capture 5 Star sustainability
data. A total of 1,312 5 Star audits ensured
environmental water efficiencies and
energy compliance are being achieved.
Maintaining our environment in the face of
continued plumbing activity will continue
to be a challenge as Victoria experienced an
increase of 7.8 per cent more Compliance
Certificates lodged.
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