Water conservation is one of the practices of using water efficiently to reduce unnecessary water usage. Water conservation is now a global concern since fresh clean water has become a limited resource. Apart from residential complexes, industrial units and commercial buildings require fresh water in large volumes. Water saving can be achieved in industry and commercial buildings through a combination of changing behavior, modifying or replacing equipment with water saving equipment to reduce overall water consumption and increase internal reuse. One of the best ways to identify suitable water conservation measures is to establish a water saving plan. There are many ways that industrial units and commercial areas can save water.
Understanding the Usage of Water
Understanding the use of water will identify saving water and will allow industrial units to find appropriate savings targets to be established, and a monitor to watch over the usage.
This is the first step in a water efficiency program. It can also be cost-beneficial to hire a professional with expertise in industrial water use efficiency to carry out a survey.
Learnings from Other Industries
Case studies from other environmentally successful industry will provide insight into what works, what doesn’t, and what efficiency solutions are most cost-effective and target-effective.
Creating Water Conservation Awareness among Employees
Creating a workplace culture that focuses and takes pride in water usage efficiency can be a very beneficial component of the water conservation plan. Awareness amongst employees will ensure a better monitored water use.
There are a few things that could be incorporated within industrial & commercial premises:
- Give recognition to those who initiate water-efficiency procedures and processes.
- Make resource conservation part of performance reviews spanning across all departments.
Learning more about Operations
- Reduce the flow of water.
- Modify the equipments or install water saving devices.
- Indulge in water treatment, recycling, and reuse.
- Change to a waterless process.
Using Non-Potable Water for Industrial Process
Often, potable water is not required for many industrial and related process uses and can be substituted with non-potable or reused water. A few sources of non-potable water include air conditioner condensate, cooling tower blow down, and rainwater.
Using Cooling Towers
Cooling towers often contribute as the largest percentage of water consumption in industrial operations. Industrial units can improve the efficiency of cooling towers and reduce water use by adapting the following:
- Eliminate once-through cooling.
- Install a conductivity controller on each cooling tower.
- Equip cooling towers with overflow alarms.
Install Water Efficient Restrooms
Very often, commercial and industrial units have domestic water usage facilities like toilet flushing, sinks for hand washing, and showers. These represent great opportunities for saving water. Examples of fixtures that can be retrofitted include:
- High-efficiency toilets.
- High-efficiency urinals.
- Faucet aerators in sinks used for hand washing.
- Efficient showerheads.
Steps Inconsideration for Landscapes
Many commercial and industrial facilities have landscapes that require irrigation. Taking the following actions to attain landscape efficiency can save a lot of water:
- Use native plants or other plants that require little water to thrive.
- Organize landscape into hydrozones – Areas of landscape with plants and vegetation that have similar water requirements, which prevents overwatering of some plants and avoids under-watering of others.
- Keep soil healthy and add mulch to prevent water loss through evaporation.
- If watering with a hose, make sure it has a shut-off nozzle.
Helping in the conservation of water and protection of the environment is not just a noble cause but also a cost-efficient approach. This helps to reduce unnecessary water spend on the subjects avoidable or unrequired with proper knowledge.
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