Rainwater Catchment Systems

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Rainwater Catchment Systems

July 9, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Duke University West Campus Water Reclamation Pond | Click on image

One of several titles asserting best practice for rainwater catchment systems — an emergent design feature many college and university facility departments are signaling to demonstrate their conformity to the campus sustainability zietgeist — is ASPE 63 Rainwater Catchment Systems; developed and published by the American Society of Plumbing Engineers.  From the project prospectus:

Scope: This standard covers requirements for the design and installation of rainwater catchment systems that utilize the principle of collecting and using precipitation from a rooftop and other hard, impervious building surfaces. This standard does not apply to the collection of rainwater from vehicular parking or other similar surfaces.

Project Need: The purpose of this standard is to assist engineers, designers, plumbers, builders/developers, local government, and end-users in safely implementing a rainwater catchment system.

Stakeholders: Plumbing engineers, designers, plumbers, builders/developers, local government, end users.

You may obtain a copy of the 2020 edition by contacting Gretchen Pienta, (847) 296-0002, gpienta@aspe.org,  6400 Shafer Court, Suite 350, Rosemont, IL 60018.   We encourage front-line/workpoint experts and facility managers to participate in the ASPE standards development process.   Start with the link below:

ASPE Standards Development Home Page

We have all water system codes and standards on the agenda of our next monthly Mechanical, Plumbing and Rain colloquia  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [13-61]

Category: Mechanical Engineering, Water

Colleagues: Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel

University of Toledo


Related: Posted 10 September 2020

Rainwater Catchment Systems 400

Solar Photovoltaic Energy Systems

July 8, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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Technical Committee 82 of the International Electrotechnical Commission is charged with preparing international standards for the full length of the solar energy power chain  The span of the power chain includes the light input, the cell itself, and the fittings and accessories to the end use (utilization) equipment.

Strategic Business Plan of IEC Technical Committee 82

The United States is the Global Secretariat for TC 82 through the US National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (USNA/IEC) administered by the American National Standards Institute(ANSI).  Standards Michigan is a long-standing member of ANSI since our “standards journey” began at the University of Michigan in 1993.

The USNA/IEC and participates in its standards development processes; typically collaborating with global research and application engineers in the IEEE Industrial Applications Society and the IEEE Power and Energy Society.   To advance its agenda for lower #TotalCostofOwnership for US real asset executives and facility managers Standards Michigan also collaborates closely with subject matter experts who contribute to, and draw from, the knowledge base in the IEEE Education and Healthcare Facilities Committee (E&H).

The IEC permits public commenting on its draft standards; though you will need to establish login credentials:

IEC Public Commenting

Your comments will be reviewed by the IEC National Committee of the country you live in, which can decide to propose them as national input for the final draft of the IEC International Standard.  This approach makes it easier for individual nations to participate in IEC standards development processes because the resources that national standards bodies need to administer participation resides in Geneva and is managed there.  

“The Eclipse of the Sun in Venice, July 6, 1842” | Ippolito Caffi

We collaborate with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which has its own platform to tracking commenting opportunities:

IEEE E&H/USNC/IEC Workspace

As of this posting, no interoperability redlines have been released for public consultation.   In large measure, IEC titles contribute to a level playing field among multi-national electrical equipment manufacturers so we should not be surprised that there are no redlines to review.   When they are released we place them on the agenda of the IEEE E&H Committee which meets 4 times monthly in European and American time zones.

Log in to the E&H Committee meeting

Issue: [18-240]

Category: Electrical Power, Energy Conservation

Contact: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Peter Sutherland


LEARN MORE:

[1] US Commenters must route their comments through the USNA/IEC.

[2] Many product and installation standards are developed by the Association of Electrical Equipment and Medical Imaging Manufacturers (NEMA): CLICK HERE

[3]  NEMA comparison of NEC and IEC electrical safety standards

Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research

 

 

Solarvoltaic PV Systems

July 8, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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“Icarus” Joos de Momper

National Electrical Code Articles 690 and 691 provide electrical installation requirements for Owner solarvoltaic PV systems that fall under local electrical safety regulations.  Access to the 2023 Edition is linked below;

2023 National Electrical Code

2026 National Electrical Code Second Draft Transcript | CMP-4

Insight into the technical problems managed in the 2023 edition can be seen in the developmental transcripts linked below:

Panel 4  Public Input Report (869 pages)

Panel 4  Second Draft Comment Report (199 pages)

The IEEE Joint IAS/PES (Industrial Applications Society & Power and Energy Society) has one vote on this 21-member committee; the only pure “User-Interest” we describe in our ABOUT.  All other voting representatives on this committee represent market incumbents or are proxies for market incumbents; also described in our ABOUT.

The 2026 National Electrical Code has entered its revision cycle.  Public input is due September 7th.

We maintain these articles, and all other articles related to “renewable” energy, on the standing agenda of our Power and Solar colloquia which anyone may join with the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.   We work close coupled with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets 4 times monthly in American and European time zones; also open to everyone.

 

 

 

 

How the Netherlands Prevents Flood Disasters

July 7, 2025
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Federal Flood Risk Management Standard

Time & Frequency Services

July 4, 2025
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology is responsible for maintaining and disseminating official time in the United States. While NIST does not have a direct role in implementing clock changes for daylight saving time, it does play an important role in ensuring that timekeeping systems across the country are accurate and consistent.

Prior to the implementation of daylight saving time, NIST issues public announcements reminding individuals and organizations to adjust their clocks accordingly. NIST also provides resources to help people synchronize their clocks, such as the time.gov website and the NIST radio station WWV.

In addition, NIST is responsible for developing and maintaining the atomic clocks that are used to define Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the international standard for timekeeping. UTC is used as the basis for all civil time in the United States, and it is the reference time used by many systems, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the internet.

Overall, while NIST does not have a direct role in implementing clock changes for daylight saving time, it plays an important role in ensuring that timekeeping systems across the country are accurate and consistent, which is essential for the smooth implementation of any changes to the system.

CLICK IMAGE to access complete document

More

Time Realization and Distribution

Horologiorum

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

July 3, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Standards IowaIowa Facilities Management“John Francis Rague– Pioneer Architect of Iowa”

Other Breakfast Recipes

American Sign Language Coffee Chat | Iowa College of Liberal Arts & Sciences


Library of Congress: Scandinavian Migration to “New Sweden, Iowa”

Book of Ruth

July 3, 2025
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KJHK 90.7 FM

July 2, 2025
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Standards Kansas

Click image to start livestream

Southern Methodist University: Real Estate Investment Trusts

July 2, 2025
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Southern Methodist University | Dallas County

All the work we do intervening in technical standards setting to make educational settlements safer, simpler, lower-cost and longer-lasting does not keep pace with the growth rate of the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States which is presently challenged by international demand; but perhaps not for long.

Resource Guide

 

What do REITs actually build on campus?

  • Most university-linked REIT activity is in student housing.

  • Publicly traded REITs (e.g., American Campus Communities, EdR before acquisition) invest heavily in dormitories, apartments, and mixed-use retail.

  • They typically do not build core academic facilities (labs, classrooms) or administrative buildings.

Why do universities use REITs?

  • To outsource capital costs. Universities avoid debt on their balance sheets.

  • REITs finance, build, and sometimes operate student housing under long-term ground leases or Public-Private Partnerships (P3s).

  • Universities see this as a way to expand housing quickly without issuing bonds.

While REITs don’t “overbuild” in the academic sense, they can fuel:

  • Overcapacity in student housing if enrollment projections are wrong or decline.

  • Pressure to approve new beds even as demand flattens or drops.

  • Long-term financial obligations (e.g., guaranteed occupancy rates in P3 contracts) that burden universities if enrollment falls.

  • Some universities guaranteed minimum occupancy in REIT partnerships. If enrollment dipped, they had to subsidize empty rooms.

Most overbuilding in core facilities—labs, classrooms, administrative space—has been driven by:

  • Ambitious master plans

  • Competition for prestige

  • Donor-driven construction

  • Misaligned enrollment forecasts

We leave the topic of “Football Field Syndrome” for another day.

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