How Water Conservation Elevates Energy Savings
We often talk about the benefits of using less energy. At Budderfly, it’s something we’re passionate about. Using less energy comes with so many benefits: it lowers monthly utility costs to helps businesses thrive, it streamlines operations and improves customer comfort, and it reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere that contribute to climate change.
We also care a lot about water conservation. We know water is a precious resource we need to protect, as its usage has more than doubled in the last thirty years and continues to grow. At the same time, water has become more expensive, and water rates are increasing every year by up to 25%. Since we announced the launch of our water-saving solutions in 2024, we’ve been excited to help our customers get even more cost savings and environmental benefits through improved water efficiency, and we aim to reduce on-site water usage by 20-30%.
But there’s another reason we care about water conservation that many people are not aware of: saving water has a significant impact on saving energy. Water conservation technologies not only lower water usage, but they also take energy costs and emissions reductions to the next level.
LESS HOT WATER LEADS TO LESS ENERGY…AND MORE SAVINGS
Every business uses water to a certain degree, but certain industries need a lot of water to function, from restaurant kitchens that use water to cook and clean, to gyms that offer showering facilities in their locker rooms. What these businesses have in common is that they don’t merely need water: they need hot water.
Heating water takes a lot of energy. In fact, 18% of the gas used by the average restaurant is used to heat water.
Lowering the amount of water used each month—by installing low-flow fixtures like sink faucets and shower heads and other high-efficiency equipment—reduces the amount of water that needs to be heated as well. As a result, less energy is needed, and energy bills are lowered.
USING LESS WATER REDUCES YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT TO HELP THE PLANET
Energy is used to heat water on site, but energy is also spent just to have water arrive at your facilities in the first place. It’s easy to forget that water doesn’t magically appear out of the faucet. It has to be treated to become safe for consumption, which requires a lot of energy. In fact, water treatment makes up for roughly 2-5 % of total global electricity consumption. Plus, it has to be transported to various locations through pumping, which demands a high level of energy usage as well.
The energy needed to move, treat, and use water in the U.S. produces nearly 290 million metric tons of CO2 annually. That’s the equivalent of 5% of the country’s overall carbon emissions.
At the same time, it is estimated that 25% of the water entering a building, construction site, or industrial facility goes to waste. That means a high percentage of emissions are occurring to treat and transport water that isn’t even being used. Reducing water usage improves your impact on the planet by not only conserving water itself, but also by lowering the related energy and emissions generated in its consumption.
The benefits of water conservation are far reaching, reducing business operating costs, minimizing waste, and protecting the planet.
To learn how you can maximize your energy savings by incorporating Budderfly’s water solutions, contact one of our experts or your account manager today.