Massive Multifamily Water Savings

I came across an article this weekend that caught my attention. The title, One Property Owner Saves Half a Million Gallons of Water, enticed me to investigate their methods. As it turns out, a year after installing water efficient improvements the managers of the property could quantify their savings.

“The... rental property is a 16 unit apartment building with 17 showers and bathtubs, 17 toilets, 34 sinks and 2 washing machines. The toilets were retrofitted into dual-flush models. Old shower heads were replaced with the latest 1.5 gallon-per-minute models. Bathroom and kitchen sink faucet aerators were swapped out with more restrictive flow models. In a year’s time, ....(they have) saved a total of 565,000 gallons of water and more than $3,000 as a result of these simple replacements.” -ROTOGreen via PR Web

Since the apartment building has one master meter the owner pays for all water use. The annual savings from these water efficient improvements is forecasted to pay back the cost of materials and labor within 18 months. After that point, the owner can expect nearly $200 net increase in rent per apartment per year.

What made me smile about this information is that they are all simple maintenance improvements that we recommend at Rent It Green. The owners also have additional water saving opportunities we endorse with efficient landscaping around the apartment building. The amount of water these owners has saved is impressive. 565,000 gallons of water is a lot - so much that it could completely fill Celine Dion’s 2 ridiculous pools and lazy river surrounding her mansion.

Seeing the actual numbers helps owners get a clearer understanding of the savings. If your property is not sub-metered (meaning that you pay for all water use) this illustrates the advantages. We’ve added this case study to our Water Fixtures section which will help advise of each saving opportunity.