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Water is one of our most precious natural resources. We're accustomed to having clean, reliable drinking water provided to our buildings by our municipalities. We depend on it. For many regions across the United States, water is in short supply. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a recent government survey indicates that at least 36 states are anticipating local, regional, or statewide water shortages by 2013. These statistics underscore our need to manage resources better at every level.
So, what can a facility manager do? According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), commercial buildings consume 88 percent of the potable water in the United States. Facility managers have a unique opportunity to make a huge impact on overall U.S. water consumption. Benchmarking your facility's water use and implementing measures to improve overall efficiency will help you on your mission.
Water Use in Buildings
Water use in commercial buildings varies with plumbing-fixture type, the kind of equipment installed, and the function of the building. For example, buildings that have commercial kitchens and cafeterias have higher process water consumption rates than those that do not. Similarly, buildings that operate hydronic cooling systems also have higher process water consumption rates.
While these systems may consume their share of water, they're not the majority users. Instead, that honor belongs to restroom plumbing fixtures: lavatories, water closets, urinals, and showers. The U.S. DOE estimates that restroom plumbing fixtures account for approximately 60 percent of the total water use in office and administrative buildings; the remaining 40 percent is estimated to be used by heating and cooling systems. According to a study performed by the Boston-based Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, plumbing fixtures account for approximately 47 percent of commercial building water use, with cooling systems and kitchens trailing at 34 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
With restroom fixtures accounting for the majority of commercial building water consumption, the best opportunities for increasing efficiency are found there. The good news is that higher-efficiency plumbing fixtures are becoming more widely available.
Before 1992, plumbing fixtures consumed at least three times the amount consumed by current fixtures (see Comparison of Plumbing Fixture Water-Flow Rates on the opposite page). After the passing of the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992, which promoted...