A plumbing fixture replacement program in low-income (LI) housing has produced
significant water savings for Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), and considerable dollar
savings for program participants. The program has focused on the local public housing
authorities, as well as non-profit low-income housing providers. The program has
provided cost-effective water savings for the utility, and has provided the housing
providers with extremely attractive paybacks on their investments.
The low-income water conservation program has concentrated on the replacement of
toilets, showerheads, bathroom faucet aerators and clothes washers. 9,753 toilets,
showerheads, and bathroom aerators have been replaced, in addition to 529 clothes
washers. Combined, these efforts have resulted in over 368,000 gallons per day of water
savings. For the participants who have completed projects, this totals over $1,100,000 in
annual water and sewer utility savings. Factoring in the rebate, most housing providers
have recovered their portion of the project costs in less than one year.
Working with the low-income housing providers has provided water savings that exceed
those of local single-family and market-rate multifamily housing programs. Reasons for
this may include the LI program emphasis on multifamily buildings, the age of the
buildings receiving conservation services, and the fact that few of the tenants pay directly
for water costs. The program also offers an opportunity to educate both the tenants and
building owners about appropriate water costs and use.
Seattle Public Utilities has used a number of readily-available tools to evaluate the
savings potential of the LI buildings prior to any conservation work being completed.
These tools include billing analysis to compare actual use to optimal (efficient) use, and
time-of-use metering devices to analyze water flow and identify leaks. Such tools have
helped to provide information to housing providers in order for them to make decisions to
proceed with projects. Includes tables.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 290 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 10 |
| Published : | 01/11/2004 |
