Water is an essential component for every successful business – whether it’s used for drinking, cleaning, flushing or irrigation.
Unfortunately, many large companies are guilty of overusing water, which can negatively affect the environment and their bottom line. With that in mind, the professionals at Indiana American Water discuss how businesses can conserve water.
Tips for Businesses to Conserve Water
Educate Employees on Water Conservation
One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways for businesses to limit water usage is to educate employees on water conservation. This could be as simple as sending out an email or posting an internal blog online about water conservation tips, or even hosting an educational seminar. Some potentially water-saving things to discuss might include:
- The benefits of using reusable water bottles.
- Washing only full loads of laundry and taking shorter showers if your business has these facilities.
- Turning off the faucet while using soap to lather your hands.
Use Low-Flow Fixtures
Installing water-saving devices such as low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilet fixtures is a great idea for any type of business, whether it’s an office setting or factory. For example, an older toilet can use 3 gallons of water or more per flush, while a newer, high-efficiency toilet uses 1.6 or fewer gallons of water. Low-flow faucet aerators, meanwhile, use 1.5 gallons of water per minute, compared to about 2.2 gallons for standard faucets.
Contact a Water Auditor
Consider contacting a professional water auditor to inspect your business’ water usage to determine how much water it uses and where. After a thorough review is completed, your business will receive an individualized action plan about tips to help conserve water and save money on monthly water bills. Water audits can also identify water leaks that are costing your business money.
Use Recycled Water
Have you heard of water recycling or water reclamation before? This technique is slowly gaining steam. The process consists of converting industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater or stormwater runoff into water that can be used for a variety of purposes, including agriculture, industrial and environmental reuse. For example, Hilton Head, S.C., uses recycled water to irrigate 11 golf courses, which helps sustain $600 million annually in recreational tourism.
Consider Xeriscaping
Businesses spend a lot of money – not to mention use a lot of water – on watering grass and plantings. Consider implementing a technique called xeriscaping to your company’s landscaping. Xeriscaping involves using native, drought-resistant plants that require little to no irrigation. You’ll spend more money upfront adding native plants, but you’ll save water and money in the end with significantly reduced water bills.
You can also consider installing a rain harvesting system to collect rainwater for irrigation.
Buy Water-Efficient Equipment
If you operate a factory, manufacturing facility or run a farm, consider upgrading to water-efficient equipment if such options are available.
Indiana American Water Is Committed to Water Conservation
Indiana American Water continues to look for ways to conserve water to ensure there is plenty available for future generations. Check out our water use calculator to determine how much water your business uses so you can make proactive changes in saving water and money.