CertainTeed is helping municipal water utilities and consulting engineers make the most economical and energy-efficient pipe material choices for their water distribution systems with its new online pipe flow calculator. By selecting the right pipe, the utilities can help reduce the amount of energy required to pump drinking water to customers.

For most municipalities, a substantial portion of the annual budget is spent on the energy used to distribute water. One of the best ways for municipalities to make their water distribution systems more energy-efficient while decreasing their operating costs is to select a pipe material with high flow performance ratings. CertainTeed’s online pipe flow calculator helps municipalities make a more informed choice, as it compares PVC and HDPE pipe across several different factors that influence the cost of owning and operating a water distribution network. These factors include pipeline material cost, installation cost, pipe flow, pressure, pumping energy requirements and pumping energy costs.  

The pumping energy costs are calculated, by state, based on electrical rates provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, to determine the net present value of a water distribution system’s future energy consumption. Through this function, users are able to compute the costs of a particular water distribution system over a specific time period.  

“When a water distribution system has high flow performance, pump stations don’t have to work as hard to distribute water, which reduces energy consumption,” says Steve Gross, director of R&D and technical services for CertainTeed Pipe. “CertainTeed’s new online pipe flow calculator facilitates a rapid comparison between the flow performance and long-term operating costs of water distribution systems by determining the critical flow properties of each pipe material.”

The CertainTeed online pipe flow calculator is available at http://pipingcalculator.compnetinc.com/. For more information, go to www.certainteed.com, or call 866-CT4-PIPE.