How to make your office more water-efficient

Many people forget about water conservation measures while at work; the article below outlines some good ways of improving water efficiency at your workplace, including the installation of rain water tanks.

Surprisingly large amounts of water are wasted by pretty much everyone these days and this is definitely true for office buildings. If the office building is a larger one, either because the company in it is a big one or because there are a few firms inside one; the amounts of water that are wasted on daily basis are literally staggering. The worst thing is that wasting water is not just bad for the office economy; it also has an irreparable adverse effect on the environment. So, how does one make their office more water-efficient?

1. Installing controlled water-efficient appliances and fixtures

This is an undertaking that might cost a bit initially but that will soon pay for itself through reduced water consumption. These water-efficient appliances and fixtures can include taps that are timed or spray taps; low flow showers and other appliances that will consume significantly less water than those that are already installed in the office. The savings that can be made this way are just incredible.

2. Planting drought-tolerant and native plants

The water is not only wasted inside, but on the outside as well. Many offices have plants around the building that are wasting far too much water, especially if the plants are not native to the area and if they need much more water than they get from rain. Our suggestion would be to only plant native plants or drought-tolerant plants that will not require gallons of water every day.

Another smart thing to do would be to make sure the sprinkler and/or irrigation systems that you use are efficient and that they are not spending half their time watering the walls or pavement. Collecting rain water in rain water tanks and using it for watering the plant life is also an incredible idea, but we will get to it later.

3. Using rainwater tanks

Today, you can buy or rent rainwater tanks of differing sizes and volumes that you can put on the roof of the office building or next to it. They will collect all and any rainwater that comes down during the year, water that you can later use for many purposes. Some office buildings install entire systems that use this water for flushing toilets while others are content with using it to water the plants, lawns, etc. These systems are excellent anywhere, but especially in climates that have particularly wet periods.

4. Making sure there are no leaks

Every plumbing system will have its leaks which may be more or less significant and, well “leaky”. Sometimes these leaks occur in places that are out of sight and for these to be noticed one needs to be extra observant or organize a water audit which will test the water efficiency of the entire building. If you have problems with leaking taps, you can call up professional plumbers who will come in and take care of these, of course.

5. Educating the employees

One of the most important things to do and one that will have a great impact on how much water is wasted in an office is to educate the employees about the importance of doing this. You should also inform them of the ways in which they can cut down on their use of water when they are in the office. This will not cost you a thing and it will contribute to the savings greatly.

When you implement some or all of these techniques, you will realize how much water and money you have been wasting and you will soon see the impact this will have on the utility bills and your overall budget.

Source: Guest post by James Burbank (James Burbank is a marketing expert on hiatus for family reasons. He currently blogs on matters he is passionate about: green living, business tactics and NBA).

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