| Education / Resources |
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| Case Studies |
| Introduction |
| Learn how Seattle-area companies and organizations saved money by conserving water! |
| Apartment Building Owners |
| Magnolia Apartments |
- 16 unit building
- Replaced all toilets and bathroom faucet aerators
- Project completed in December of 2001
- Water use reduced by 27%
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The Magnolia Apartments replaced 5 gallon per flush (gpf) toilets with 1.6 gpf models. They also installed 1.0 gpm bathroom faucet aerators. Since the project was completed in December of 2001, monthly water use has been reduced by an average of 27%. Dollar savings will vary by water and sewer utility rates. Projects completed to date are showing average paybacks (after rebate) of six months to five years.
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| Pardee Townhouses |
- 9 unit building
- Replaced 19 toilets (3 and 4 bedroom units), as well as showerheads and bathroom faucet aerators
- Project completed in November of 2001
- Water use reduced by 17%
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The Pardee Townhouses replaced 19 toilets, showerheads and bathroom faucet aerators. Since the project was completed in November of 2001, monthly water use has been reduced by an average of 17%. Dollar savings will vary by water and sewer utility rates. Projects completed to date are showing average paybacks (after rebate) of six months to five years.
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| Vine Court |
- 55 unit building
- Replaced 52 toilets, as well as showerheads and bathroom faucet aerators
- Project completed in December of 2001 Water use reduced by 48%
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| Medical Facility Case Study |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center |
| The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center implemented a multi-year program to substantially reduce water, sewer, and other utility costs at its South Lake Union Center. Combined savings for this project is estimated at 30,000 gallons per day, resulting in annual savings of close to $94,000 per year. Payback times on the various activities have ranged from one week to less than 1.5 years. Read more about this case study (pdf) |
| Medical Dental Building |
| In 1994, the Medical Dental Building was one of the largest water users in downtown Seattle. Metering and analysis of other building water uses showed that the building's consumption could be substantially reduced by replacing the building's once-through heating and cooling system with an all air system. The project budget was approximately $440,000, with 41 percent of the project cost paid by the Water Smart Technology Program. The building has saved an average of 56,978 gpd. Savings will be much greater during the cooling season. The simple payback for the project, including the financial incentive, received was about two years. Read more about this case study (pdf) |
| Refrigeration Case Study |
| Ivars Acres of Clams & The Salmon House |
| In 2001, Ivar's received an award from the American Water Works Association for extensive cooling and kitchen improvements at Acres of Clams and The Salmon House. Both are full-service restaurants serving lunch and dinner. Each also has a lounge and street side take out fish-bar. In 1999, close to one million customers were served in the two restaurants and take-out bars. The improvements produced end-use water savings of over 50 percent from historical use. Factoring in inflation, Ivar's expects to save more than $1 million in less than 10 years. Read more about this case study (pdf) |
| Cooling Tower success story |
| Virginia Mason |
| Virginia Mason Hospital installed upgrades to their cooling tower control systems. Before making these upgrades, Virginia mason operated its two cooling towers on a mostly manual basis. This caused, by their own admission, excessive Blowdown and overflow episodes, chemical waste, and less than optimal fluctuations in their cycles of concentration. The upgraded system includes external floats that were added to reduce failures to the sump level control causing excessive sump overflows. Conductivity controllers have been added to even out the flow of chemicals, and finally, a proprietary NALCO Chemical Company control system monitors and controls all of the water chemistry parameters. Read more about this case study (pdf) |
| Irrigation Case Study |
| Shoreline School District |
| Working with Seattle Public Utilities, the school district developed a comprehensive program to reduce the amount of water used in irrigation. Conservation strategies centered around installation of a weather-based control system. As a result, the school district's cost for irrigation water has dropped by up to 50 percent. Rising water costs during the 1990s have increased the value of these conservation efforts to over $50,000 per year. Read more about this case study (pdf) |
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