10 Water Efficiency Solutions for Homes and Buildings
- DrizzleX
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Have you ever looked at a water bill and questioned how it became so high? Plumbing issues, such as leaks and old appliances, can drive up water usage and monthly bills.
These problems often go unnoticed until they start to affect operations.
Water efficiency solutions help you find where water goes and use it more responsibly. This article will show you how to cut waste, lower expenses, and practice better water habits.
What Does Water Efficiency Mean?
Water efficiency means using less water while still meeting daily demands. It focuses on steps that help conserve resources and lower costs.
In commercial settings, this often starts with water-efficient fixtures such as low-flow faucets and faucet aerators. These upgrades reduce water consumption while maintaining comfort and convenience.
Water efficiency also supports long-term water conservation. When you reduce water waste, you help protect clean water resources and lower energy bills.
10 Simple Water Efficiency Solutions You Can Try
Reducing water consumption starts with practical changes you can apply across your property. Some involve upgrades to plumbing fixtures, while others use data to detect water leaks early.
Together, these steps help you save water, control expenses, and support responsible water management.
1. Conduct a Water Audit
A water audit helps you measure how much water your property uses and where waste occurs. It also identifies leaks, outdated fixtures, and inefficient systems that increase your water consumption.
Follow these steps to complete a basic audit:
Review your water bills: Compare usage over several months. A sudden increase usually points to a leak or a malfunctioning fixture.
Inspect restrooms and kitchens: Check every faucet, toilet, and pipe connection. A dripping faucet or running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons each week.
Record flow rates: Use a flow meter or bucket test to measure how much water comes from each fixture. Replace high-flow models with water-efficient fixtures that use less water per minute.
Check outdoor systems: Broken sprinkler heads and leaking hoses often cause unnoticed waste that drives up bills.
If your property covers multiple units or buildings, schedule a professional audit. Specialists use flow sensors and pressure tests to locate leaks behind walls or underground.
2. Fix Leaks Immediately
Leaks are one of the easiest problems to overlook and the most expensive to ignore. Even a slow drip can waste thousands of gallons over time, raising your water usage and monthly bills.
Inspect your plumbing fixtures regularly. Check faucets, toilets, and visible pipes for steady drips or hissing sounds.
Look for stains on walls or ceilings that suggest hidden leaks behind the surface. Water that seeps through walls or floors can damage your property and raise maintenance costs.
Repair leaks as soon as you find them. Replace worn washers, cracked seals, or corroded parts that cause continuous flow.
If leaks return often, upgrade older fixtures with water-efficient fixtures that use less water per cycle.
3. Install Submeters and Micrometers
Most buildings use a single meter to track total water usage. This makes it hard to see which units or fixtures use the most.
Submeters and micrometers solve that problem by giving you detailed data on water consumption across your property.
A submeter measures how much water each unit uses. Meanwhile, a micrometer tracks flow from individual plumbing fixtures such as faucets, showers, and toilets.
Together, they help you locate leaks, detect overuse, and save water.
DrizzleX offers fixture-level tracking that presents detailed usage data. The system alerts you to leaks and highlights which fixtures consume the most water.
You can review this information anytime and take quick action to reduce unnecessary water use. The information collected through DrizzleX also supports researchers, cities, and manufacturers.
Installing submeters and micrometers reduces waste, lowers expenses, and supports sustainable water use across your building.
4. Upgrade to Water-Efficient Fixtures
Old fixtures waste more water than you might expect. Replacing them with water-efficient fixtures lowers water consumption and improves performance at the same time.
Focus on areas with the highest use. Install low-flow faucets and faucet aerators in restrooms and kitchens.
Swap out older toilets for efficient toilets that use less water per flush. These upgrades help you save water every day.
Choose products with a WaterSense label. This mark confirms that a fixture meets performance and water efficiency standards verified by testing.
Reliable products save more water and reduce your long-term maintenance needs.
Inspect new fixtures regularly. Clean aerators and check for wear on seals or valves to keep water flow consistent. Proper upkeep keeps your fixtures performing well for years.
5. Use Smart Irrigation Systems
Outdoor watering often consumes more water than necessary. Smart irrigation systems help you apply water efficiently and reduce overall water consumption.
They adjust schedules based on rainfall, temperature, and soil moisture so your landscape gets water only when needed.
Follow these steps to make your irrigation system more efficient:
Install smart controllers: They monitor weather data and soil conditions to prevent unnecessary watering.
Inspect sprinkler heads regularly: Check for leaks, clogged nozzles, or uneven spray patterns. Replace damaged parts right away.
Switch to drip irrigation: This system delivers water directly to plant roots, minimizing runoff and evaporation.
Plant native vegetation: Native plants adapt to local climates and need less watering throughout the year.
Track water usage: Use built-in monitoring features to compare water usage across seasons and identify overuse early.
Smart irrigation systems help you maintain healthy landscapes while you save water.
6. Reuse Non-Potable Water
Non-potable water hasn’t been fully treated, so it’s not safe to drink. It often comes from treated wastewater, air conditioner condensate, or collected rainwater.
When used responsibly, it’s a practical way to reduce overall water consumption.
You can use non-potable water for toilet flushing, irrigation, or certain industrial tasks. These applications ease demand on local water utilities and help you reach your water management goals faster.
Always make sure the water meets safety standards before use. Proper filtration and disinfection remove harmful contaminants and keep the water safe for reuse.
Label non-potable lines clearly so no one confuses them with drinking water systems.
7. Choose Water-Efficient Appliances
Old appliances waste both water and energy. Replacing them with water-efficient equipment helps you lower utility bills and save money each month.
Focus on areas that use the most water. The laundry room and kitchen usually top the list. Modern dishwashers and clothes washers use far less water than older models.
When you shop, check the water factor rating on each appliance. A lower number means the machine uses less water per cycle.
Choose appliances that meet federal standard models for efficiency. Many adjust water levels automatically based on load size, so you can run full loads instead of multiple small ones. This simple habit helps reduce both water waste and energy use.
Inspect hoses and connections once a year. Replacing worn parts prevents leaks and extends the life of your appliances.
8. Optimize Cooling Towers
If your building uses cooling towers, you already know how much water they need to keep systems running. Regular maintenance helps you control that water use.
Inspect your towers often. Look for leaks, clogs, or mineral buildup that can slow circulation and increase water consumption.
Cleaning debris and tightening loose parts improves tower efficiency and prevents breakdowns.
Pay close attention to water treatment. Balanced chemical levels stop scale, rust, and biological growth from spreading through the system.
When the water stays clean, your equipment works better and lasts longer.
Smart controls can help too. Automated systems adjust water flow based on temperature and demand, keeping performance steady while using less water.
Log water usage for each tower section. Comparing readings helps you spot inefficiencies early, reduce waste, and lower overall utility costs.
9. Educate Tenants and Staff
People often use more water than they realize. Simple reminders help change habits and reduce daily water consumption.
When tenants and staff understand how their actions affect usage, they start using water more responsibly.
Here are a few ways to guide them:
Share specific examples: Remind people to turn off the tap while brushing teeth or washing dishes. Ask them not to leave hot water running longer than needed. These actions save hundreds of gallons of water each month.
Encourage mindful use: Recommend water-efficient products like faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads. These fixtures maintain steady water pressure while using less water.
Communicate regularly: Post monthly updates that show total water consumption and how collective habits lead to real cost savings.
Train maintenance staff: They should check water-using fixtures for leaks, mineral buildup, or pressure issues. Early repairs prevent waste and keep the plumbing system in excellent condition.
10. Track Water Usage Data Over Time
Monitoring water consumption helps you see how your property performs throughout the year.
Review your usage reports every month. Compare data between seasons to see how water heating, occupancy, or landscaping affect overall use.
If numbers rise unexpectedly, inspect for leaks or outdated water using fixtures that may be wasting water.
DrizzleX makes this process easier. It records data from each fixture and shows where water use is unusually high.
With this information, you can adjust your water-saving measures and make sustainable and cost-effective upgrades.
Tracking data also helps you prepare for the future. Use your records to support long-term plans, from system replacements to water recycling projects that reduce demand on local supplies.
Monitor and Manage Water Use With DrizzleX Fixture-Level Insights
If you manage a property, you know how tricky it can be to keep track of water use. One main meter only shows total usage, not where it’s wasted or why.
DrizzleX changes that by tracking water at every fixture, giving you a complete picture of what’s happening in each unit.
Each micrometer measures water from sinks, showers, and toilets. Together, they form a submetering system that helps you find leaks, spot overuse, and manage water consumption with confidence.
The Water Consumption Insights Report turns that data into clear information you can act on. You’ll see how much water each tenant uses, detect hidden leaks early, and bill fairly based on actual use.
Most properties that install DrizzleX reduce their water bills by 20–40% and recover installation costs within months.
A property in Los Angeles installed DrizzleX across 65 units and saw results in just eight months.
Daily water use dropped by 38%, saving more than $65,000 in a single year. The data also helped managers find leaks quickly and talk with tenants about responsible water use.
See the Bigger Picture With DrizzleX Data
DrizzleX doesn’t just measure water use. It creates a valuable record of how water moves through your property.
Over time, this data reveals usage trends that help you plan maintenance, budget resources, and make smarter operational decisions.
The insights collected also serve a wider purpose. They can inform water management strategies, guide product development, and support regional planning efforts.
This growing network of information helps improve how buildings, cities, and manufacturers use and conserve water.
FAQs About Water Efficiency Solutions
What are ten ways to conserve water?
You can conserve water by fixing leaks as soon as you find them and installing low-flow faucets and toilets. Turn off taps when they’re not in use.
Use rain sensors to stop irrigation after rainfall and choose plants that don’t require irrigation controllers.
Set up a rain barrel to collect rainwater for your garden. Lastly, cover pools to reduce evaporation and remind tenants to report leaks right away.
What are three examples of water efficiency?
You can improve water efficiency by installing high-performance plumbing fixtures and upgrading to submetering systems like DrizzleX. These systems track how much water each unit uses and help cut unnecessary flow.
Encouraging better household water habits, such as shorter showers or turning off the tap while brushing, also helps save gallons per day.
What are the best water-saving devices?
Low-flow faucets, dual-flush toilets, and water-efficient showerheads are great starting points. Smart water monitoring systems go further by helping you find leaks and overuse early.
Small changes like adjusting a refrigerator's overnight defrost cycle can also save a considerable amount of water and energy.
How can we improve the efficiency of water use?
Start by tracking how and where water’s used in your building. Submetering and fixture-level monitoring help detect leaks and control overuse.
Reuse gray water for landscaping and upgrade old plumbing to reduce waste. You can also plan new construction to manage runoff from hard surfaces.
When many communities follow these practices, they protect local water supplies and promote long-term conservation.
