Cement, Energy and Environment

water flow rate. However, it may be necessary to use a stopwatch and a bucket to determine the actual water flow rate. Irrigation systems also can be a significant water user. The inventory should include the number of systems, the number of sprinkler heads attached to each system, the flow rate of the systems and types of controls installed. Note, if each system is equipped with ground moisture sensors to prevent activation during or immediately following a rainfall. In addition to identifying all water use points and flow rates, the inventory should identify if the water being used is hot or cold, or if it undergoes special filtering or treatment. Reducing water use in applications that use hot or treated water will produce savings that go beyond solely the cost of the water. When completing the inventory, pay attention to any unexplained water flow. As piping systems are modified over the years, it is easy to lose track of what piping serves what equipment. Don't be surprised to find water flowing from equipment that is no longer used or even installed. S tep 2: Metering Unfortunately, most facilities only have a single, master water meter. Readings from master meters will provide an indication of how a facility compares to other facilities, but it will not show where to look for areas where water use can be reduced, particularly if the facility is large or complex. Narrowing use down to possible areas where use can be reduced requi res sub-metering. Where and how sub-meters are installed depends to a great extent on the design of the water system serving the 1acility. Ideally, sub– meters would be installed on individual zones or floors of the facility. Equipment with large water use rates, such as cooling towers and process cooli ng equipment, would each have separate sub-meters. Each meter should be read at least monthly. If there are suspicions that the readings for a particular meter are high, or if the readings for a meter suddenly increase, it will be necessary to read that meter more frequently ; even on a daily or twice-daily basis. Meter readings taken while the facility is closed and processes are shut down is one way to narrow the search for leaks and losses. All meter readings shou ld be logged and reviewed on a regular basis for unexplained changes. Tracking water meter readings will provide a baseline of water use for the facility. Just as energy use for different types of facilities was tracked on a use-per-square-foot basis to allow comparison between similar facilities, so can water use. However, other · measures than square footage will likely be more meaningful For example, in hotels, use can be tracked on a per-occupied room basis. For restaurants , it could be on a use per-meal-served basis. Office facilities may use a square-foot basis or per– building occupant basis . Again, the key to gaining useful information from sub-meters is to have the meters read on a regular basis, and as frequently as possible. Frequent readings help to quickly identify and locate leaks. S tep 3: Review Maintenan ce Pract ices If water conservation has not been a priority in the past, chances are no one individual or group has the overall responsibility for conserving water. And as with many things in the world of facility management, if no one individual has responsibility for an item, then it is not a priority for anyone. As a result, specific water use related problems may have been seen by a number of people but not really noticed or acted upon. Preventive maintenance programs have long been recognized as effective tools for improving system performance while reducing overall operating costs. With water use historically being an ignored or low priority item, chances are few preventive maintenance steps have been put in place to specifically address water use. How often are restrooms checked for faucets that don't fully shut off or flush valves that leak or stick on? Does anyone ever test once-through cooling systems to determine that they are operating at the proper flow rate? How often are cooling towers and boilers checked to see that the make-up water systems are operating properly? When maintenance issues occur within the facility, there is a system established whereby building occupants can report the problem. Does that process include water-use related issues? Do building occupants even know that they can and should report instances of excessive water use or waste? Finally, what mechanism is in place to review water using I