Water Conservation Tips for
Businesses
Whatever the nature of your business, often simple
changes in behaviour or processes can save water and
reduce your water bill. These water savings can also
result in energy savings if heated or treated water use
is also reduced.
Morgan Cox
Senior Executive Engineer
Water Services
Action Plan
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This simple action plan is a great start to help
take control of your water use.
1. Know Your Business
2. Review your Usage
3. Include your Employees
4. Invest in water saving products
Know your business
• Think about where you use most of the
water in your business - these are the key
areas to target to reduce your
consumption. Producing a sketch of your
site, showing the water use in different
areas will also help you to do this.
Compare this information with the volume
of water recorded on your meter to
undertake a simple water balance for your
site.
Review your bills and meter
readings
• A bill increase from one period to the next, when
there hasn't been any changes on site should be
a prompt for you to consider
– a possible leak internally / externally?
– a piece of equipment running longer than necessary?
• A simple way to check for leaks or unknown use
is to take regular meter readings over a period
when no water should be running, such as the
weekend or overnight.
Include your employees
• Your employees are key to efficient water
use, it is often their behaviour that can
influence water use the most.
• Pay particular attention to how water is
used in wash-down areas and kitchens hoses and taps left running can use
significant amounts quickly.
Invest in water-saving products
• Simply having the right fittings and appliances
can save huge amounts of water.
• Invest in water-saving products - many have
short payback periods.
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Tap / Shower Head Aerators
Dual Flush Toilets
Cistern Displacement / Control
Waterless Urinals
Rain Water Harvesting
Water Charging
• You are charged for
Water in & Water Out
– “Every Drop not taken
or saved is a double
saving”
• Your charge is made
up of 2 parts
– Standing Charge
– Volumetric Charge
Tap Aerators
• Saving between 2 / 5
litres min.
• Typical use 1 hr a day
– 120 / 300 litres
saved = 840 / 2100
litres / week
• An annual saving of
€88 / €220 per tap
Showerhead Aerators
• Saving between 5 /
10 litres min.
• Typical use 1/4 hr a
day – 75 / 150 litres
saved = 525 / 1050
litres / week
• An annual saving of
€55 / €110 per
shower
Dual Flush Toilets
• Saving between 3 / 6
litres per use.
• Typical use 16 times
a day – 48 / 96 litres
saved = 336 / 672
litres / week
• An annual saving of
€35 / €70 per toilet
Rain Water Harvesting
• Sizes between 100 /
1500 litres available.
• Use for Gardens /
Fountains / Yard
Wash
• An annual saving of
€5 / €75 (based on
1Use per month)
Waterless Urinals
• One Valve alone can
save between 40,000
and 50,000 litres of
drinking water!
• At a charge of €1.00
per 1,000 litres both
in & out that a saving
of €800 - €1000 /
Urinal
Urninal Controller
• For Example
• 10 litres x 3 flushes per hour x
24 hours =720 litres per day
720 litres per day x 365 days
=262,800 litres per year
• After Installing a Smart Flush,
cisterns will only flush when
the area is occupied.
• 10 litres x 3 flushes per hour x
8 hours =240 litres per day
240 litres per day x 5 days x 52
weeks =62,400 litres per year
• Savings
262,800 litres - 62,400 litres
=200’400 litres per year
200 cubic metres x €2.50
=€500.00 savings per year
Water Conservation Tips for Businesses
Top Tips
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Appoint a member of staff to monitor water use and identify water-saving measures, i.e. through
regular site checks and meter readings
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Check your meter location and supplies it measures
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Check your meter reading regularly - for larger sites you could consider data logging key metered
supplies to support this
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Develop a water management plan for your site
Educate employees about implementing water saving measures
Ensure new equipment is water and energy efficient - it will pay off in the long term
Fit sub-meters across your site to identify areas of high use
Fit water-efficient devices i.e. push taps, low-flush toilets, flow regulators or restricters. The
payback can be as little as five weeks
Fix dripping taps and leaks as quickly as possible
Get buy-in from management and involve employees with responsibility for facilities, finance and
operations in water-saving measures from the start
Install a hippo or save-a-flush device in toilets to reduce water use
Invest in alternative water sources i.e. Rainwater Harvesting
Lag your pipes to reduce leaks in cold weather
Reduce urinal flushing by fitting a urinal control
Review your plans to reduce water at least once a year
Use treated waste water for industrial uses, toilets and irrigation which will reduce drinking water
use and save you money
Questions ?