The First Steps in Water Efficiency
While our focus here will be on restroom retrofits, when it comes to water, conducting a water audit is always recommended. This can be performed by a building engineer, contractor or even with the help of custodial workers. The goal is to take a detailed look at where water is being used in the facility—plumbing fixtures, HVAC systems, ice makers, irrigation systems, etc.—itemize this information and then analyze it.
Analyzing the information is key. It will likely uncover problem areas, such as leaks, where water is being wasted or is no longer necessary, and by identifying exactly how much water is being used by water-using devices, in this case in restrooms. Changes can be recommended that can help reduce water consumption and use water more efficiently.
An example of an effective water audit is the Denver Federal Center. The building, which was built in 1967, decided in the early 1990s to implement several measures to reduce water and energy consumption. The center is made up of several buildings but the initial work began in what was referred to as “Building 67,” a 14-story building with approximately 350,000 rentable square feet.
Using meters to measure water consumption in the restrooms, the audit revealed that the restrooms were “one of the building’s highest water users,” according to Diana Mirel, reporting on the project. “Thus, they became the focal point of the project.” (Read more in “Every Drop Counts: Water Conservation is a Smart and Sensible Way to Reduce Energy Costs”, By Diana Mirel, Journal of Property Management, July 2008.)
After the evaluation, managers of Building 67 decided to “replace all the toilets, urinals, and water closets in seven of the facility’s restrooms and install sensor-controlled systems for the faucets and toilets” in these restrooms, according to Mirel. “Low-flush toilets and waterless urinals replaced their traditional counterparts.”
We should note that while there is some controversy as to whether sensor-controlled water-using devices actually do reduce water consumption, some of the newest technologies have proven to be beneficial. Most of the problems with early sensor systems, such as “phantom flushes,” where the sensor believes a flush is necessary or someone who really is not there wants water from a faucet, have been alleviated.
After implementing the changes in just these seven restrooms, the estimated annual water savings were 309,400 gallons, which translates into a cost savings of $436.25. Wait, before you say that is not a large amount of money, remember these retrofits were performed almost 20 years ago, when water rates were much lower. Plus, it only involved seven restrooms.
Mark Baca, the property manager of the facility adds that we should not only focus on the dollar amount saved; instead we must focus on changing attitudes, and this is an “attitude that must be changed. Property managers and building owners need to make people understand that water is a valuable commodity.”
And with a growing population, climate change, and the possibility of far more severe droughts in the country’s future, water is likely to become an even more valuable commodity than it is today.
Coordinating and Communicating Restroom Retrofitting
Managers at Building 67 within the Denver Federal Center took a number of steps to make their restroom retrofitting project as painless as possible for building tenants. Among the steps they took were the following:
- Communicating with tenants to explain how the retrofits serve the goal of reducing water consumption.
- Coordinating construction schedules so that they would minimize inconvenience for the tenants.
- Directing tenants to available restrooms when some restrooms are closed.
- Keeping tenants apprised as to how the retrofits are progressing.
- Temporarily converting a men’s restroom into a restroom for women only.