Flushing Away Hard Earned Dollars?

In office buildings, on average, 37% of expenditures go towards water – and in schools, it is 45%. And did you know that commercial buildings spend 8% of their utilities just to heat water? Since you are essentially paying for water twice (once to supply the building, and second as sewer discharge), analyzing water usage is of extreme importance. Free tools like ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager can help businesses easily track water usage. Significant savings can be found wherever water (and hot water) is used.

Since restrooms can account for up to 40% of water use, toilets and sinks and showers are an important consideration when analyzing utility usage. Buildings with water fixtures (toilets, urinals, faucets, showerheads) that were manufactured before 1994 use 3 – 5 times more water than newer fixtures.

When talking toilets in commercial settings, the new WaterSense models can really save some money. Similar to ENERGY STAR ratings for appliances, efficient water fixtures come with a WaterSense rating. WaterSense fixtures are at least 20% more efficient than regular water fixtures, AND they meet higher performance standards. WaterSense toilets flush at 1.28 gpf (gallons per flush) or less, and meet waste removal / flush performance requirements. WaterSense urinals flush at 0.5 gpf or less.

 

Tank-type toilet options: replace 1.6 gpf (gallons per flush) models with Water Sense 1.28 gpf models. It is not recommended to use retrofit kits on existing tank-type toilets as this could negatively affect performance.

Changing a conventional toilet to a WaterSense flushometer can save nearly 5,500 gallons per year. Flushometers work differently from tank-type toilets in that they use water pressure from the water supply system rather than gravity from a raised tank. There are dual-flush retrofit kits that convert existing flushometer valves into water-saving dual-flush toilets.

 

You may or may not be familiar with dual flush toilets—they tend to be used in more water-scarce areas, using two different methods of flushing (one for liquid waste, which requires less water to flush, and one for solid). With the release of dual flushretrofit kits for existing flushometers, saving more water is an easy task.

Just like energy, water savings also depends on user behavior. Use signage at point-of-use (especially for newer technology like dual-flush) and add maintenance contact information / phone numbers for users and maintenance staff to report leaks and problems. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons per day. And it is important to maintain existing equipment by checking valves and water levels, using dye tabs to check for leaks, and recalibrating (flushometers).

Evaluating water and energy efficiency together provides the greatest resources and cost savings for any project. Occupancy data is important to accurate savings calculations because water consumption for restrooms is based on usage, not the number of fixtures. The male – female ratio is key when calculating toilet savings. Prioritize retrofits and replacements in women’s bathrooms first for the greatest savings.

Implementing water-efficient O&M practices can save water with little capital cost required. SO, incorporate water efficiency into your standard operating procedures, procurement standards and policies just like  ENERGY STAR, and remember that rebates and incentives exist to reduce the cost of replacing water fixtures.