Saving water means saving money. To help you achieve the largest savings for your business, the following tips are broken up into categories that address the different needs of each industry. Select the industry your business falls under to see what you can do to start saving.
Churches
- Install dual flush toilets and waterless urinals.
- Install high efficiency aerators on all faucets.
Colleges/Universities
- Install low flow showerheads in dormitories.
- Install high-efficiency aerators on faucets.
- Install dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals around campus and in dormitories.
- Recirculate water used for cooling.
Education (K-12)
- Restrooms typically account for 50 percent of water used at a school. Install dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals.
- Create a schoolwide conservation program to get students motivated to conserve water. The program can also provide information for them to take home and share with their families.
Grocery Stores
- Collect the water used for washing and watering produce and re-use it to water plants in the floral department.
- Recirculate water used for cooling.
- Install high-efficiency aerators on faucets.
Healthcare
- Install dual-flush toilets, waterless urinals and low-flow showerheads. Showers and restrooms typically make up about 40 percent of water use in hospitals.
- Check flow rates of sterilizers and make sure that more water is not running off than what the manufacturer suggests.
- Replace older sterilizers with models that recirculate water and have the option to be turned off when they are not being used.
- Check the X-ray processor to make sure more water is not being used than what is necessary.
Turn off water when it is not being used. One of the most effective ways to save water is to be conscience of when it is used unnecessarily.
Hotels and Lodging
- Request customers staying more than one night to keep the same sheets on the bed and to use the same towels in the bathroom. Most people don’t change their own sheets and towels every day and this is a great way to cut down on the water required for washing.
- Use a pool cover when it is not in use to help reduce evaporation.
- Install low-flow showerheads in all guest rooms.
- Install dual-flush toilets in all guest rooms.
- Install high-efficiency aerators on all faucets.
Manufacturing
- Re-use cooling water.
- Monitor your meter. If you are aware of where your water is going, you will be able to tell where you can conserve and where you may have a leak.
Multi-Family Housing
- Install low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets.
- Install coin-operated machines in common areas, instead of having one in every home.
- Install a rinse water reclamation system on washing machines to save rinse water for wash water in another load.
- Individually meter each unit.
Office Buildings
- Install dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals. Restroom use is typically where water is used most in the office environment.
- Recycle cooling water.
Restaurants
- Serve customers water only upon request. If a customer does not want water, you save what is in the glass as well as the water it takes to wash it.
- Don’t use running water to defrost food. Instead, try using the refrigerator, microwave or a filled sink.
Make sure dishwashers are full before they are used. - When using a conveyor belt as part of dishwashing, make sure that water isn’t running when nothing is on the belt.
- Use dishwater run-off when running the garbage disposal to avoid using fresh water.
- Try to use soft water for making ice to reduce the bleed-off that is necessary to make clear cubes.
- Use ice flakes instead of ice cubes; they take less water to make.
- Install high-efficiency aerators on all faucets.
Retail Stores
- Install low-flow toilets and waterless urinals.
- Install high-efficiency aerators on all faucets.
