Water Utility Management: Strategies for Savings & Efficiency

Utility management is a structured approach to monitoring and optimizing resources like water and energy usage. It’s a process property managers and business owners rely on to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of their building’s energy usage.

For water utility management, this approach becomes even more important.

Water is a resource we often take for granted but managing its use efficiently can save you money and support sustainable practices.

Adopting smart water utility management strategies can allow property and business owners like you to cut unnecessary expenses and maintain better control over resources.

This guide will explain utility management, suggest strategies for applying them, and give you insights on how to better manage your water utilities.

Understanding Utility Management

Utility management refers to systematically tracking and optimizing resources, including energy, waste, and water. This can include getting services and adopting new technologies to monitor your energy consumption.

It can include installing water and gas submetering to help track usage for individual units or tenants. These systems provide detailed insights into your tenant's consumption patterns and encourage fair billing,

For water utility management, this means focusing on monitoring and adapting strategies to reduce water costs and encourage fair resident billing.

Why Is Water Utility Management Important?

Utility management is crucial in maintaining efficient and sustainable operations for property owners and residents. By actively monitoring and optimizing water usage, you can reduce waste, cut costs, and ensure compliance with local regulations.

Saves Money

Tracking your water use allows you to find issues that might increase your bills. Fixing these issues before they get worse allows you to save time and money. It can also help your residents pay less money for their utilities. You can also see improvements in your net operating income due to savings on utility bills and avoiding hidden costs.

Improves Sustainability

The average household can waste 180 gallons of water per week from leaks. With utility management, you can help reduce the water wasted by your tenants and support efforts toward better sustainability.

Supports Compliance

Many regions have rules about water conservation. Effective management ensures you stay compliant with your state's local laws and regulations.

Utility Management Metrics That Matter

Here are some metrics you need to monitor for better utility management. Tracking these metrics not only helps manage budgets but also highlights the areas you can improve:

• Total consumption: How much water is being used over time.

• Peak usage times: Identifying when the most water is consumed.

• Losses from leaks: Unaccounted water usage, often due to system inefficiencies.

• Cost/gallons per unit: Understanding the price for every unit of water helps track expenses.

• Gallons per tenant per day: Provides a better way to compare consumption when there are many variables to consider to the overall consumption (e.g. number of tenants and bedrooms, and local water rate)

Strategies for Savings and Efficiency

Once water usage is measured and monitored, the next step is implementing strategies to save water and improve efficiency.

These strategies go beyond simply reducing consumption—they focus on smarter use of resources, optimizing utility usage, and more.

The Role of Submetering

A submeter is a device for measuring and monitoring utility consumption, such as water, electricity, and gas. Submetering means installing these devices so you can have detailed usage data for resources within your property. 

Water submetering means installing a second meter(s) after the main water meter. These secondary meters measure each tenant's actual water usage in multifamily units or commercial properties.

• Better accountability: Tenants become more conscious of their water consumption when they know they pay based on use.

• Fair cost allocation: Submetering allows property managers to bill based on actual usage, preventing disputes with tenants.

• Detecting leaks: Submetering lets you address unusual spikes in specific areas which indicate leaks or inefficiencies you can address.

Example: After implementing submetering in a 68-unity property Sierra Vista Avenue, DrizzleX was able to reduce the water bills of the property by 49%, with a yearly savings of $22,743.  

Monitoring Utility Costs With Technology

Modern tools make it easier to monitor and manage water usage in real-time. Smart meters and IoT (Internet of Things) devices provide instant insights and detailed reports.

You can install these smart water meters to track water use remotely and get alerts whenever a potential leak happens in one of your apartment units. These devices can also notify you of irregular water use caused by leaks or tenant negligence.

You can also undergo personalized training in these technologies to understand how they work and even install and maintain them yourself.

Water Conservation Practices

Reducing water waste is one of the most straightforward ways to cut utility costs and improve efficiency. Even small changes can lead to significant savings.

• Upgrade water fixtures: Install low-flow faucets, showerheads, and dual-flush toilets to reduce consumption without sacrificing performance.

• Detect and fix leaks promptly: A dripping faucet,leaky toilet and other types of water leaks can waste gallons of water if left unattended.

• Use water-efficient appliances: Dishwashers and washing machines with water-saving settings can significantly lower water usage.

How DrizzleX Can Help You With Your Utility Management Efforts

DrizzleX detects hidden leaks and stops water waste before it becomes severe. It also alerts you to excessive water overuse by your tenants. Typically, buildings that use DrizzleX reduce their water bills by 20-40% or more.

Buildings with DrizzleX save enough water to cover the entire cost of DrizzleX within about 9 months on average. You can expect a pretty quick return on investment (ROI) with us.

Usage Reports

One of DrizzleX's solutions is the “Tenant’s Overuse” report. Since many people aren't really aware that they're overusing water, an accurate report can help you prevent unnecessary expenses. Using these reports, you can enlighten your tenants about their water consumption habits.

Leak Detection

Leaks can go unnoticed because they aren't always visible. With proper inspection, you can find these leaks before they cause too much damage. DrizzleX gives you water control because you can monitor the water flow in your building. The system will notify you about where and how much water is being lost.

E-mail Notifications

DrizzleX will notify you via email when it spots a leak. The email you receive will include all the details about the exact apartment and fixture that is the culprit, how many gallons were used, how much it will cost you if the problem isn’t fixed, and even possible causes for the water waste and how to fix it.

Billing

DrizzleX also allows you to bill your tenants. Tenants conserve water when they are the ones paying for it. You can easily create water bills based on accurate water consumption collected and bill them fairly.

FAQs About Utility Management

What is the meaning of utility management?

Utility management is the process of monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing resources like water, energy, and waste to reduce costs and improve efficiency. It helps property owners make informed decisions for sustainability and operational savings.

What is a utility management service?

A utility management service helps businesses and property owners monitor and optimize their utility usage, often through advanced tools, audits, and efficiency recommendations. These services aim to reduce waste, improve billing accuracy, and ensure regulatory compliance.

What is a utility manager?

A utility manager oversees the tracking and efficient use of resources like water and energy, ensuring cost savings and compliance with regulations. They identify inefficiencies, manage budgets, and recommend improvements for better utility usage.

What is utility management in healthcare?

Utility management in healthcare focuses on optimizing water, energy, and waste usage in medical facilities to reduce costs and maintain compliance. It ensures resources are used efficiently while supporting critical operations and sustainability goals.