Water Efficiency
Water efficiency in buildings requires a set of strategies for reducing water consumption.
Water-saving appliances and fixtures are an inexpensive (often cost-neutral) way to achieve greater efficiency. Rainwater or graywater reuse and even blackwater treatment are ways to push the envelope.
Water Efficiency
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Cost-Effective Green Retrofits: Opportunities for Savings in Existing Buildings
Feature Article
Between lighting, water use, mechanical systems, the building envelope, and occupant health, existing buildings are rife with cost-effective retrofits and operational opportunities that also offer environmental benefits. Improvements range from the painfully obvious to the more complex and involved.
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Water Policies: Encouraging Conservation
Feature Article
Conserving water goes beyond building design and technology. Water use is governed by federal, state, and local policies, from maximum flow requirements to pricing structures that encourage or discourage conservation.
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Alternative Water Sources: Supply-Side Solutions for Green Buildings
Feature Article
Water efficiency should be a top priority for our buildings. At the same time, finding alternative sources of water is also important for sustainability and passive survivability. Several sources of water can be harvested at the building level as well as through municipal-scale wastewater treatment and desalination.
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Water: Doing More With Less
Feature Article
The U.S. uses about 400 billion gallons of water a day, and water shortages are becoming more common. Water-saving products and technologies, some currently on the market and others in development, can reduce that wasteful flow to a trickle.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Graywater Collection and Use
Explainer
If properly stored and separated from potable water, graywater collected from sinks, showers, and clothes washers can be used to irrigate landscaping.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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How Low-Flow Can You Go with Plumbing Fixtures?
Product Review
BuildingGreen-Approved toilets, urinals, showerheads, and faucets automatically meet CALGreen and LEED v4 water-efficiency standards.
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BuildingGreen Announces Top 10 Products for 2017
Product Review
Our innovative Top 10 product selections reduce stormwater and wastewater, improve efficiency and IAQ, and contain fewer hazardous materials.
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A “Waterless” Urinal Without the Odor
Product Review
Sloan’s Hybrid urinal is water efficient and uses a pre-programmed, bi-weekly rinse that minimizes odor and maintenance problems.
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Sewage-Source Heat Pumps Turn Wastewater to Warmth
Product Review
International Wastewater’s heat pumps provide heating or cooling using sewage and don’t require dual plumbing.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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EPA Ignoring Hundreds of Toxic Chemicals in Wastewater
News Brief
An investigation finds that only a fraction of hazardous wastewater pollutants are regulated, and of those, only a handful are monitored.
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EBies for 2014 Shine (Efficient) Spotlight on Existing Buildings
News Analysis
Urban Green Council rolls out the green carpet and rewards exceptional achievements in energy, water, lighting, and more.
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Emerging Technologies Address the Water-Energy Nexus
News Brief
DOE is highlighting technologies that simultaneously save water and energy, including supercritical carbon dioxide recompression for power plants.
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Companies Slow to Act as Water Issues Erode Profits
News Brief
A survey found 60% of U.S. companies expect water issues such as extreme weather to hurt their business, but few plan to invest more in risk management.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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