Research Reveals Water Usage Tracking Boosts Conservation
Updated: Oct 30
With rising utility bills, multi-unit managers and owners are under pressure to find cost-saving solutions. Investing in water efficiency is a promising strategy, but how do you know which products deliver real savings?
Dickinson Associates and Gauley Associates Ltd. evaluated DrizzleX’s micrometer system in apartment buildings.
The aim was to measure water savings accurately and provide trustworthy data on how well the system works.
The results of this evaluation reveal compelling insights into how micrometering can significantly cut costs and boost water conservation. Property managers can explore practical solutions that save money and support sustainability efforts to optimize their operations.
Data Set for DrizzleX System
112 California apartment buildings (2,062 suites, approximately 5,901 tenants) meeting criteria:
Minimum of 5 PRE and 5 POST water bills.
All water-using fixtures sub-metered.
What Does the DrizzleX Micrometer Monitoring System Do?
DrizzleX micrometers (sub-meters) monitor water usage at each fixture, transmitting data to a cloud platform. This enables real-time alerts, reports, and AI-powered insights, helping identify leaks and inefficiencies.
With DrizzleX data, property managers can identify high-demand suites, non-compliant fixtures, and leaks. With DrizzleX data, water utility management can identify high-demand suites, non-compliant fixtures, and leaks. They are notified of the specific suite and the exact fixture with the issue.
Benefits of Sub-Metering
Provides detailed water consumption monitoring, helping identify high-demand suites, potential leaks, and non-compliant fixtures.
Enables targeted actions to repair leaks, replace inefficient fixtures, and educate tenants on water-saving behaviors.
Advanced metering systems/infrastructure (AMI) and whole-home flow monitoring are less effective in multi-family water systems due to overlapping demands.They can’t differentiate between water use in individual apartments or accurately estimate the usage of specific fixtures.
Sub-metering each apartment suite gives tenants a direct incentive to reduce water use and report leaks. DrizzleX micrometers provide data that helps property managers identify high-demand suites and specific leaking fixtures, allowing automated water billing and quick issue resolution.
Water Use Reduced by 28+% with DrizzleX System Installation
Average water savings: 28.6% reduction in water use per suite per day.
Pre-installation average: 196 gallons per suite per day.
Post-installation average: 140 gallons per suite per day.
Table 1
ֿThe amount of water saved by the 112 buildings varied from -14 to +455 gallons per suite per day.In California, the water/sewer rate is $16.67 per thousand gallons. DrizzleX helps save 20 thousand gallons per suite each year, which equals a cost savings of $333. This is much more than the $72 subscription fee per suite per year.
Average PRE Gallons per Suite per Day vs. Percent Savings after Installation of DrizzleX System With PRE Demands Capped at 300 Gallons per Suite per Day
Average PRE Gallons per Suite per Day vs. Percent Savings after Installation of DrizzleX System
Water Savings after Installation of DrizzleX System
Figures 1 and 2 both show the relationship between average daily water demand per unit before DrizzleX was installed compared with the percentage of savings after installation in 112 buildings with 2,062 apartment suites and 5,901 tenants. (Figure 2 differs in that it includes only the 100 buildings with average pre-installation demands of less than 300 gallons per suite/unit per day.)
These figures illustrate that higher water savings is achieved in pre-installation demands of less than 300 gallons per suite/unit per day.)
While savings vary from building to building, buildings with unidentified leaks can save a considerable amount of water. Moreover, although buildings with moderate or low per unit demands will achieve less savings than buildings with high demand, all buildings will develop leaks over time. Monitoring systems help managers mitigate water use by providing data and notifications that enable them to take actions to reduce water use.
The level of water savings can vary from building to building depending on many factors, including:
The magnitude of PRE demands
The level of PRE leakage
The willingness of tenants to support more efficient behaviors; and, most importantly
The actions taken by property management in response to the sub-metering data to reduce demands.
Ultimately, water demand reduction is a result of action taken by managers to fix leaks or repair fixtures and by tenants to reduce use.
Occupancy Rates
Water usage per person varies from 16 to 263 gallons per day, while the average American uses 80 gallons a day and a recommended usage is 31 gallons/day.
The average water demand was 69 gallons per capita per day before the program. After the program, it decreased to 50 gpcd. The median demands were 59 gpcd before and 44 gpcd after the program.
DrizzleX helps create water solutions for landlords by using data to reduce demands, with savings differing depending on the building. Some buildings, particularly those with unaddressed leaks, can achieve significant savings.property managers save water by using data to reduce demands, with savings differing depending on the building. Some buildings, particularly those with unaddressed leaks, can achieve significant savings.
Table 2 shows that buildings with higher PRE demands (30-100 gpcd) generally have more potential for savings. Savings increase significantly from 30-40 gpcd to 70-80 gpcd, then stabilize around 25-30%. This suggests that buildings with demands over 70 gpcd may include non-suite uses. These findings rely on a small sample of 89 buildings, and collecting more data could improve the results.
Table 2
Reducing Water Use and Utility Costs
Property managers can significantly reduce water use and costs by using DrizzleX’s advanced IoT water management system. Here’s how:
Teaching tenants to save water. DrizzleX provides detailed reports on water usage, allowing property managers to educate tenants about their consumption patterns. This info can help promote water-saving habits, like shorter showers and turning off faucets when not needed. Tenants may not see a need to save water.However, DrizzleX data can show them why conservation is important. This information can help tenants understand the value of saving water.
Installing efficient fixtures. DrizzleX helps identify which fixtures in the property are consuming excessive amounts of water. With this data, property managers can prioritize upgrading to water-efficient fixtures and appliances. Investing in this can save money on water bills in the long run by reducing water usage and lowering utility bills.
Fixing leaks. DrizzleX's micrometers provide precise and current data on water flow and usage. This information makes it easier to locate and prevent water leaks. Detecting small leaks can be difficult without individual metering. However, DrizzleX's system can pinpoint the exact location of leaks, making it easier to address them quickly. This water leak detection system prevents unnecessary water loss and helps maintain efficient water usage across the property.
Why Choose DrizzleX?
As a multi-unit manager or owner, you are always looking for ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency. DrizzleX is the water management system you have been searching for.
Our tests showed that buildings using more water initially saved the most. However, even buildings using less water can still benefit from our system's tenant water billing solutions and leak detection capabilities. On average, properties experienced a 28.6% reduction in water use per suite per day.
DrizzleX's data helps you find and fix inefficiencies, saving water and money. Plus, with future enhancements incorporating AI and machine learning, DrizzleX will offer even greater accuracy and efficiency. Investing in DrizzleX not only improves your property’s water efficiency but also ensures long-term savings and sustainability.
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