Water Savings Network
Water Savings Network
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Prioritizing water efficiency is a necessary response to the risks of climate change, particularly in water-stressed regions. The efficient use of water saves both money and energy while improving resilience. Through the Better Buildings Water Savings Network, DOE brings organizations together to discuss and demonstrate successful approaches to conserving water in buildings, plants, and multifamily housing. All facility owners and managers are invited to build on the progress already made by Better Buildings Challenge partners who have set water intensity goals and reduced their water use by more than 10 billion gallons since 2015. |
Join the Water Savings Network
Industrial Water Savings Network
This page offers resources, proven solutions, and best practices on water efficiency tailored to the industrial sector.
Water Efficiency Planning & Operations
This page offers resources to help organizations establish water management strategies and reduce consumption across their buildings and operations, organized by key categories. Click below to explore.
Featured Solutions
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Starting in 2007, Region 6 of the General Services Administration (GSA) undertook a series of minor remodels designed to improve the water efficiency and overall sustainability of one of their largest Midwest campuses |
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Dept. of Veterans Affairs: Erie Medical Center Showcase Project Erie VA Medical Center (VAMC) replaced water-cooled condensing units with air-cooled units, achieving monthly water savings of more than 55% and over 8,000,000 gallons over the first year of operation.
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The Tower Companies: Applying Energy Management Best Practices to Water Monitoring Implementation Model
Tower has taken its water management program to the next level with daily reporting, 15-minute interval data, real-time alerts, advanced data analytics, setpoint modifications, and internal water audits that have resulted in signifigant water consumption savings.
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Reusing On-Site Water at Emory University Implementation Model Atlanta's Emory University created WaterHub, an innovative on-campus solution designed to treat and reuse up to 400,000 gallons of water per day, decreasing potable water demand by over one-third. In addition to saving money, the WaterHub is creating scientific and educational opportunities on campus.
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Anthem: Woodland Hills Campus Showcase Project Anthem implemented a landscaping redesign plan to reduce water demand and create a more resilient environment at the 21555 Oxnard Street campus in Woodland Hills, CA, which reduced its water demand by 46% annually.
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HARBEC: Water Retention Pond Showcase Project The HARBEC water retention pond project supported the company's goal to be "water neutral," or eliminating the need to use municipally supplied water except for drinking and hand-washing. The retention pond enabled HARBEC to conserve over 830,000 gallons of water, without increasing energy consumption.
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Nissan installed an automated filtration system at its Smyrna, Tennessee, paint shop, which helped the plant cut water costs by about two-thirds. |
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DaVita’s Top-User Water Efficiency/Management Program Solutions at a Glance DaVita created the Top 150 Water Users program to identify and optimize high water users in an effort to reduce portfolio-wide dialysis center water consumption.
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Saving Water and Money With Chemical-Free Treatment Technology for Cooling Towers Solutions at a Glance Results from two validation studies of new water treatment technologies for cooling towers show 20–50% water savings, improved energy performance, and reduced or eliminated hazardous chemicals.
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Las Vegas Sands Green Ideas Challenge Solutions at a Glance The Green Ideas Challenge at The Venetian, The Palazzo, and Sands Expo allowed resort staff to help identify opportunities for energy or water savings, helping staff get more involved in Las Vegas Sands's corporate sustainability efforts.
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Other Resources
Calculator
Water Demand Calculator Calculator
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials developed this Excel tool to help determine expected water demand for a variety of indoor and outdoor water uses.
Guidance
This white paper features insights from leading manufacturers on developing new, or improving existing, water management programs.
Browse through a variety of resources offered by EPA's WaterSense program that help facility managers, building owners, and other stakeholders save water, energy, and operating costs.
DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) provides guidelines and rules of thumb to estimate daily water use for typical end-uses that drive building-level water consumption. The resource discusses methods related to batch processing/manufacturing, evaporative cooling systems, irrigation, plumbing, steam heating systems, and vehicle wash systems.
Alternative Water Maps Guidance
A series of maps and related resources, created by DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), that can help organizations implement alternative water projects, such as rainwater harvesting, condensate capture, and wastewater reclamation. Organizations can use the provided map to identify locations in the U.S. that may be good candidates for purchasing reclaimed wastewater.
DOEs Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) provides strategies for incorporating net zero water elements into the design of projects and ensuring projects operate at net zero water. The resource discusses specific elements such as how to reduce demand, produce alternative water, treat wastewater, and design green infrastructure.
The Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences, is a gateway to up-to-date information on integrated 'whole building' design techniques and technologies. The WBDG Sustainable Committee organized this overview of improving water efficiency in buildings, making recommendations for water use efficiency and water quality, summarizes DOE FEMP best management practices, and links to relevant codes, laws, and standards.
Solution at a Glance
The City of L.A.'s Factsheet on Cooling Tower Efficiency Solutions at a Glance
This factsheet developed by the City of Los Angeles provides information and recommended options for cooling tower efficiency.
Tools
DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) outlines the general steps for creating a water management plan, which charts a course for water efficiency improvements, conservation activities, and water-reduction goals.
This Excel-based tool developed by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) enables federal agencies to quickly screen sites for water-efficiency opportunities. It features general information related to a site’s water use and offers recommendations on potential water efficiency projects. The tool provides a qualitative score that indicates low-to-high water savings potential for nine end uses.
These fact sheets, developed by DOE's FEMP, provide an overview of commercially available water saving technologies that offer significant water savings potential.
Water Budget Tool Tools
The excel-based Water Budget Tool was developed by EPA's WaterSense program to comply with section 4.1.1 (Landscape Design) of Version 1.2 of the WaterSense New Home Specification or to ensure a measure of efficiency and regional suitability for the amount of water applied to a landscape based on local climate data.
The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) teamed up to scale adoption of the EDF-GEMI Water Management Application (WaterMAPP) toolkit. The EDF-GEMI WaterMAPP is a set of tools and resources that can help organizations build their own program to reduce water and energy use in buildings. It is a MS Excel-based spreadsheet with three complimentary tools: the EDF-GEMI Water Scorecard, the Water Efficiency Calculator, and the Cycles of Concentration Estimator.
WaterSense Rebate Finder Tools
The WaterSense Rebate Finder provides a partial list of rebates that WaterSense partners offer for WaterSense labeled products.
Webinar
Tune in to learn how market leaders in the hospitality sector finance and deploy projects that tackle energy efficiency and the water nexus.
Additional Information
For more information on water-saving practices and equipment, please visit the WaterSense program offered by the Environmental Protection Agency. See below for a few essential tools to help you get started in the process.
- WaterSense Simple Water Assessment Checklist: Writable PDF to help quickly identify and target potential projects and best management practices
- WaterSense Operations and Maintenance Checklist: Checklist of low- or no-cost changes to operation and maintenance procedures can start saving water, energy, and costs quickly
- Sample Worksheets in Appendix B of WaterSense at Work: Building Water Survey, List of Water Meters, Water Consumption History; Equipment and Water Use Inventory
To learn more about opportunities to get involved with Better Buildings water efficiency efforts, contact us.