GREEN BUILDING
Tips for saving water in the workplace
By Brett Marlin
With the water shortages that we have been experiencing over the past
number of years, particularly the current water crisis in Cape Town,
perhaps we should all be taking responsibility to save water when and
wherever we can. Here are some tips on how to go about it.
•
The saying goes “you can’t monitor what you don’t measure”.
It is a very simple exercise to keep track of your water bills and
compare them each month to establish if there is a problem with
your consumption.
Perhaps, just for monitoring purposes, you could install water
meters on different equipment such as the fire main, toilets and air-
conditioning system which will help you isolate any possible leaks.
• Aerators on bathroom and kitchen taps can also reduce consumption.
• A very interesting initiative is to save all the leftover water in drinking
glasses and kettles, which can add up to a surprising amount. This
water can be used in the gardens or pot plants in the building.
• Remove features like water fountains and living walls. Replace them
with eco-friendly features like sculptures or artificial plants.
• Some water-wise buildings have stopped washing their exterior
window surfaces. Only internal windows in customer-facing areas
are cleaned using minimal water combined with state-of-the-art
water minimising cleaning chemicals.
•
Make sure that every basin in the building is fitted with a plug.
10
Large amounts of water are lost when dishes and cups are rinsed
or washed under running water.
• The collection of condensate from the air conditioners like we do at
Prime Plaza produces an amazing amount of water for the gardens.
• Consider water-wise landscaping.
• Cleaning methods can have a major impact on your water
consumption. Consider swapping the wet extraction carpet
cleaning method for powder or encapsulation methods.
• Investigate using treated grey water, which is ideal for watering
gardens.
• Over the last five to seven years we have only installed waterless urinals.
Only a single water consuming urinal is installed at the top of the branch
discharge pipe to ensure the system is flushed every now and again.
There are numerous other water saving measures that you can put into
place. It really is amazing how little these items cost, but astounding
how much water they will save. This is not a cost-saving exercise, but
rather the right thing to do when you live in an arid area like we do.
ISSUE 33 - MARCH 2018