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Water & Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Facilities
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Step-By-Step Guide
How can water and wastewater facilities operate more efficiently? By implementing energy efficient and water efficient management practices! Such practices have economic and environmental benefits: they can save money, reduce climate impacts and lead to sustainability.
Energy Efficiency
Water and wastewater facilities are among the largest and most energy-intensive systems owned and operated by local governments and account for approximately 30-50% of municipal energy use. EPA estimates that U.S. drinking water and wastewater facilities annually spend about $4 billion on energy costs alone.
There are many benefits to using energy more efficiently at drinking and wastewater facilities. Reducing energy use not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions—it also reduces operating costs, freeing up funding for training, hiring additional staff and/or funding capital improvement projects. More and better-trained employees using more advanced equipment will lead to improved effluent quality, improved surface water quality, and more compliant facilities.
EPA has developed a step-by-step process to assist facilities to become more energy efficient:
Please review our process and contact us if you have any questions or are interested in making your water or wastewater facility more efficient. Our home page lists trainings and other upcoming events that may be of interest to you as well.
EPA has also developed the following resources to assist facilities to become more energy efficient:
- A step-by-step workbook to help utilities use an EMS approach to reduce energy use at water and wastewater facilities:
Ensuring a Sustainable Future: An Energy Management Guidebook for Wastewater and Water Utilities (PDF) (113 pp, 2M, About PDF)
- Workshops (link to section on homepage) to promote our process and provide an introduction to the comprehensive EMS approach:
Innovative Energy Management Workshop for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants in the Southwest
- ENERGY STAR provides a powerful platform for utilities, state agencies, and other organizations implementing energy efficiency programs to make a bigger difference in their communities. Using ENERGY STAR strategies and tools, like Portfolio Manager, organizations can reduce program costs and implementation timelines while increasing the efficacy of their programs.
- Wastewater treatment facilities: Use EPA’s Portfolio Manager to track and improve energy efficiency! All you need is the following information:
- Zip code
- Average influent flow
- Average influent biological oxygen demand (BOD5)
- Average effluent biological oxygen demand (BOD5)
- Plant design flow rate
- Presence of fixed film trickle filtration process
- Presence of nutrient removal process
Water Efficiency
Water efficiency can stretch our limited water supplies further and delay the need to construct additional infrastructure right away. Wastewater and water utilities across the nation are saving substantial amounts of water through water recycling and reuse and by encouraging water efficiency and conservation. Programs like EPA’s WaterSense are helping facilities promote water efficiency by enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs, and practices.