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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.

Industrial Water Savings Network

This page offers resources, proven solutions, and best practices on water efficiency tailored to the industrial sector.

 

Join the Water Savings Network

Partners across the commercial, public, industrial, and multifamily sectors are working with the U.S. Department of Energy to share successful water efficiency solutions and progress, network with peers, receive technical assistance, and more.

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.

Other Resources

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Guidance

Corporate Water Management Strategy for Manufacturers Guidance

This white paper features insights from leading manufacturers on developing new, or improving existing, water management programs.

EPA WaterSense for Commercial Buildings Guidance

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.

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.

Design Elements of a Net Zero Water Building Guidance

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.

Protect and Conserve Water - Whole Building Design Guide Guidance

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.

Estimating Methods for Determining End-Use Water Consumption Guidance

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. 

Solutions at a Glance

The City of L.A.'s Factsheet on Cooling Tower Efficiency Guidance

This factsheet developed by the City of Los Angeles provides information and recommended options for cooling tower efficiency.

Tools

Developing a Water Management Plan 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.

Water-Efficient Technology Opportunities Tools

These fact sheets, developed by DOE's FEMP, provide an overview of commercially available water saving technologies that offer significant water savings potential.

Water Project Screening Tool Tools

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.

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 EDF-GEMI WaterMAPP Toolkit Tools

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.

Webinar

Financing Solutions that Improve Efficiency in Both Energy and Water: A Focus on Hospitality Webinar

Tune in to learn how market leaders in the hospitality sector finance and deploy projects that tackle energy efficiency and the water nexus.

  • 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.

     

    To learn more about opportunities to get involved with Better Buildings water efficiency efforts, contact us