Water Tips for Commercial Customers

One of the most popular questions we get from clients is, "how do I save water during the drought?"  There are a few major ways commercial customers can save gallons and dollars, and we generally recommend the following:

• Most water providers offer free water audits for commercial customers.  Take advantage to get personalized recommendations.  Or, you can always contact Sundowner for quotes on an overall sustainability assessment that will look at water, energy, waste, green purchasing, alternative transportation, and occupant behavior/education opportunities at your facility. 
  
  
• Outdoor landscaping can represent 5-30% of a building's water use in commercial buildings, so it's important to check for the following efficiency opportunities:
• If you're thinking about replacing your water-intensive plants with water-friendly ones, definitely check your water provider's rebate opportunities.  Many water providers will NOT provide a smart landscape rebate unless they perform their free water audit first, so don't miss out due to poor timing!
  
• Check the outdoor watering schedule to make sure you're complying with drought restrictions, and test sprinkler coverage.  If hard surfaces instead of the plants are getting sprayed, it's time to adjust sprinkler heads.  There are also some cheap retrofit and equipment options, like installing rotating sprinkler nozzles (~$5/head), getting a rain sensor (free from most water providers), or just doing general repairs to fix leaks.
  
  
• Indoor water use generally comes down to your fixtures:
• Sink aerators can be retrofitted down to 0.5gpm models for very low cost (~$2-$5/sink), with showerheads and toilets at higher cost.
• Don't forget about your commercial kitchen appliances.  There are generally excellent rebate opportunities for major water-using appliances like spray nozzles and ice machines, so don't forget to talk to Sundowner about our free rebate application service to tap into those!
• Occupant behavior is also critical to keeping water use down, so don't forget about signage reminding people to turn off the tap.