Why Is Water Conservation Important for Building Owners
Why Is Water Conservation Important? | An Owner's Guide
As a building owner or manager, you know just how many moving parts are involved in keeping operations running smoothly. From the HVAC system to lighting and electricity to security to maintenance, you have your hands full.
But one area you should never overlook is water conservation. Implementing water conservation methods gives you several benefits, including cost savings and achieving your sustainability goals for the building. It helps you cut down on water waste, which continues to be prevalent — the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the average American uses about 82 gallons of water a day at home.
So, why is water conservation important? And how do you get started? This guide walks through ways to conserve water and the benefits of doing it right.
Why Is It Important to Conserve Water?
Think of all the buildings out there — all the different shapes and sizes — and the fact that they all require running water. The EPA found that office building water usage alone accounts for around 9% of all water usage in U.S. commercial and institutional facilities. This includes using water for restrooms, kitchens, landscaping, and cooling and heating purposes.
Costs continue to rise for water services. Cutting back and conserving water as much as possible thus impacts spending for your building.
Additionally, a lot of energy is saved when water is conserved, helping your building lower its carbon footprint. This helps you align outcomes with sustainability goals.
The Environmental and Financial Benefits of Water Conservation
Conserving water is often one of those things you feel guilty about but don’t prioritize on a daily basis when washing your hands or taking a shower. But there are many benefits of investing in water conservation techniques, including:
Saving money: The cost of almost everything is going up, and so is water. Reduce building management costs by saving water.
Lowering energy usage: Water does take energy to circulate throughout the building and relies on freshwater resources. Conserving more water can help you meet energy regulations and goals.
Maximize efficiency: Reducing consumption helps you create a more overall efficient property.
Obtain certifications: Buildings and businesses can set themselves apart by lowering their carbon footprint and qualifying for certain green certifications.
Add value to the building: Some green properties can increase rent or the cost of goods sold when building managers can show they’re prioritizing sustainability.
It’s the responsibility of building landlords to practice environmentally conscious ownership by investing in eco-friendly measures such as lowering water consumption. Consider the benefits and just how big of an impact you can make with some small improvements.
Successful Water Management Strategies
The benefits of conserving water are many. After all, conserving just about anything usually leads to positive outcomes. The more water you save, the more our planet will have. But you may still be wondering how to conserve water with the right structures for water control. Consider these suggestions for water conservation:
Develop a Water Management Plan
You won’t get very far without a detailed plan of action. Establish a set of goals for the water usage reduction you want to see, and include a specific timeline. Outline each change you will implement in the building to save water and who will be involved in each step.
Create a strategy for regularly reviewing water demand, tracking goals, and updating the plan accordingly. As technologies continue to evolve, so must your water management approach.
Upgrade Fixtures and Equipment
Even if a piece of equipment still works, it may be using way more energy than necessary. Older fixtures and machinery related to your water systems tend to eat up more energy since sustainability wasn’t always a top concern for manufacturers. What’s more, when appliances get old, their efficiency dwindles, so they use more energy to produce the same results.
Consider updating your equipment to save significant money and energy over time.
Leverage Smart Building Technologies
There are now a host of technologies that help you create a smarter building. Think of how ubiquitous smart thermostats have become, which help building owners monitor temperatures and save energy with automation.
The same benefits can come from smart technologies for your water systems, including smart water management systems and smart devices that monitor and control usage.
Smarter Water Usage Through IoT Solutions: What’s the Impact?
This is where the Internet of Things (IoT) comes into play. The IoT comprises all those smart devices and sensors that are connected to the internet and communicate with each other. Leveraging the IoT in your water conversation efforts is wise. The EPA estimates that all of us can use 20% less water just by installing more water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
You can also open up visibility and gather real-time data about your systems. Instead of relying on traditional water metering, which only gives you data after the fact, you can get instant insights so you can:
Identify the source of water leakages and respond faster
Understand water expenses more accurately and thoroughly
Use automated tools, like remote water readings
Monitor for any issues or anomalies in each system
The IoT also allows you to manage your complete water network in one place. This empowers you to monitor and control water management systems more effectively.
Maximize Your Water Conservation Efforts with Attune
Embracing current technologies such as automation and the IoT is a great way to lower your average water footprint. Doing so allows you to assess information about water meters and water quality, lower the amounts of water you’re using, and ensure that you maintain an adequate water supply and avoid water shortages.
Work with Attune when you’re evaluating your building's water systems, whether looking at access to water, effects of drought, proper water levels, and ways to conserve water in the long term. Our team sets you up with hardware to harness the latest devices to collect water insights and a cloud-based application to analyze that data and use it to make better decisions.
Schedule a demo today and learn how Attune can help your building meet its energy goals.
