Water Audits

Water audits analyze a facility’s water use and identify ways to make it more efficient. Audits review domestic, sanitary, landscaping, and process water use and identify ways to increase a facility’s water-use efficiency. They are often performed for free and can save your company money by reducing water use and its associated costs. Some utilities conduct free water audits. Contact your water utility to learn more about the services they provide. To conduct your own water audit, consult the American Water Works Association’s free water audit software.

Performance contractors are another excellent way to increase your company’s water-use efficiency. Performance contractors will conduct water use audits and finance water efficiency improvements in exchange for a share of cost savings. For a list of water performance contractors, consult the American Water Works Association’s Guide to Suppliers. Contractors can be found under “conservation.” Many of these companies operate nationally.

For detailed information on water audits and water efficiency, see New Mexico’s Water Conservation Guide for Commercial, Institutional and Industrial Users. For additional water conservation opportunities in your state, consult the EPA’s Guide to Water Conservation Programs.

Water Audits Save Money

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey upgraded restroom facilities at LaGuardia Airport to increase the efficiency of toilets, faucets, and showers. The port installed a leak detection system, ultralow-flow toilets, high-efficiency aerators for faucets, and flow restrictors on showerheads. These improvements yielded annual water savings of almost $160,000 after an initial capital outlay of only $90,000. Case Study

Unilever, which produces more than 400 brands of home, personal care, and food products, performed a water audit of a laundry detergent factory in 1995 and then embarked on a program to increase efficiency, including rainwater collection, wastewater reuse, and educating employees on the economic and environmental importance of water conservation. These improvements save the company more than $100,000 a year. Case Study

Additional Resources

• EPA: WaterSense: Efficiency Made Easy
• EPA: Using Water Efficiently: Ideas for Commercial Businesses
• EPA: Water efficiency programs by state
• State of California: Case Studies in Efficient Water Management by Businesses: