Tools for CI Facilities
WaterSense and its stakeholders have developed resources, tools, and trainings to help commercial and institutional (CI) facility managers, building owners, water and energy managers, and other CI stakeholders understand facility water use and identify best management practices (BMPs) to use water most efficiently.
If you own or manage a CI facility and need help reducing facility water use, please take advantage of the following free resources:
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CI Water Assessment Tools
Conducting a water assessment (for example, a tour or walk-through) of your commercial and institutional (CI) facility is an important first step to understanding water use and identifying savings opportunities. Check out these water assessment tools designed to help facility managers, building owners, utility managers, water conservation specialists, sustainability managers, and other CI facility personnel get a handle on facility water use.
Simple Water Assessment Checklist for All CI Facility Types
- WaterSense Simple Water Assessment Checklist for Commercial and Institutional Facilities(14 pp, 1.3 MB, About PDF): This simple checklist can help you quickly identify and target potential projects and BMPs that can save water, energy, and utility costs at your facility.
Water Assessment Worksheets for All CI Facility Types
- WaterSense has a series of worksheets to aid in water management planning. They are available in:
- The worksheets are based on Appendix B in WaterSense at Work and can help you gather important information throughout your facility:
- Building Water Survey Worksheet
- List of Water Meters Worksheet
- Water Consumption History Worksheet
- Existing Plumbing Equipment Worksheet
- Water Use Inventory Worksheet
Water Assessment Tools for All CI Facility Types
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City of Boulder Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Water Assessment Tool and User’s Guide: The City of Boulder, Colorado’s Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Water Assessment Tool is a resource for conducting a basic water conservation assessment for a CII facility. It is an Excel-based tool intended for use by various groups, including municipality/utility staff, technicians, and/or end users without a technical background in water efficiency. While it is not intended to recommend specific projects, the tool can be used to find potential water conservation opportunities.
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South Florida Water Management District Water Efficiency and Self-Conducted Water Audits at Commercial and Institutional Facilities Guide: Step-by-step instructions to conduct a water audit at your facility.
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Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Water Screening Tool: This Excel-based tool enables federal agencies to quickly screen sites for water-efficiency opportunities. General information related to a site’s water use is entered into the file, and the tool provides qualitative recommendations on potential water efficiency projects. The tool generates outputs about water-savings potential for specific water end uses and cost-effective potential.
Water Assessment Tools for Hotels
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WaterSense’s Water Use and Savings Evaluation (WaterUSE) Tool and Water Assessment Worksheets: Hotel operators and facility managers can use WaterSense's Water Use and Savings Evaluation (WaterUSE) Tool and associated Water Assessment Worksheets to identify and prioritize cost-effective water efficiency projects and best management practices to reduce water and energy use and save on operating costs. Based on facility-specific inputs entered by the user, the WaterUSE Tool provides recommended best management practices and calculates potential water and cost savings for water-saving projects.
CI Operations and Maintenance Tools
Significant water, energy, and cost savings can be achieved with low- or no-cost changes to the operation and maintenance procedures in a facility. Check out this checklist of minor changes designed to help facility managers, building owners, utility managers, water conservation specialists, sustainability managers, and other CI facility personnel start saving water today.
- WaterSense Operations and Maintenance Water Waste Checklist for Commercial and Institutional Facilities (pdf) : This checklist of low- or no-cost changes to operation and maintenance procedures can start saving water, energy, and costs quickly.
Water Use Tracking Tools
WaterSense subscribes to the old adage “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Before you undertake any major water efficiency program at your facility, you should start by gathering and tracking your water use data. Tracking your water use over time and analyzing it monthly can help you identify seasonal water use patterns, leaks, high-water-using or malfunctioning equipment, or other issues at your facility.
ENERGY STAR®’s Portfolio Manager® is a free online tool for tracking utility data over time. You can use the tool to track both water and energy use, as well as download more than 150 metrics in template or custom reports for managing your water and energy consumption.
Users have entered water data into Portfolio Manager for more than 50,000 buildings. In 2012, ENERGY STAR reviewed the data to see how water use varied between and among different types of buildings. In 2023, ENERGY STAR and WaterSense developed water use intensity metrics for a variety of facility types based on data in Portfolio Manager.
As an alternative, anyone can track water use information in an Excel workbook or with a program designed to manage utility data and billing information.