Reduce water waste while keeping profits afloat utilizing the GreenSmart Energy Reduction Program

"How do I achieve energy reduction without a lot of effort?" This is a leading question today among property owners. The clear-cut answer is water waste. Water and sewer costs are among the highest utility expenses for building owners in New York City; water and sewer costs rose by an astronomical 25% this year, the biggest increase on record. Rising rates and surcharges are an expensive burden borne by the majority of New York City building owners who pay for water and sewer expenses. Therefore, saving money on these expenditures can make a huge difference to any property owner's profit margin. The GreenSmart Energy Reduction Program from Quality Conservation Services, Inc. (QCS) delivers fast, targeted solutions for multi-unit building owners to realize immediate savings in the area of water and sewer. In fact, QCS customers have seen their water expenses drop an average of $40-$50 per unit per month by installing these comprehensive, energy reduction measures. The recurring annual savings add up to $480-$600 per unit on average, just on water and sewer bills; multiplied by a building's total number of units, it's readily apparent how key it is to keep profits from going down the drain with these proactive measures. Decrease Water Waste, Increase Savings Imagine being able to shave 50% from your building's water and sewer bill, just by installing passive, low-cost weatherization solutions such as toilet dams, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators. These energy efficient measures, and others related to air penetration and lighting for example, are the first steps prescribed by QCS after a comprehensive, free energy reduction needs analysis of your building's existing conditions. To top that, these cost-effective weatherization measures provide a rapid ROI, unlike some large-scale projects such as replacing boilers or water heaters. These important steps have helped reduce energy use and costs in low-income housing, multi-unit low, mid and high-rise managed properties, and single-family residential homes. After all, wherever there's real estate, there are tenants; wherever there are tenants, there's energy use and expense. That's where QCS comes in. Reducing energy consumption and delivering savings on a building's utility bills is what QCS does—all day, every day. QCS technicians are experts in installing passive weatherization measures in the multi-unit sector and do so efficiently in hundreds of units a week, all without disturbing building operations or your tenants. So far in 2009, QCS has installed weatherization measures in more than 10,000 residential units nationwide, including thousands of units throughout the New York metropolitan area. Some compelling statistics on water use explain the importance of conserving this resource: * Showering and bathing represent 27% of total indoor water use domestically. * The average American uses 140-170 gallons of water per day. * A leaky faucet can waste 100 gallons of water a day. * One toilet flush uses 6 ½ gallons of water; an average family of four uses 881 gallons of water per week just by flushing the toilet. * An average bath requires 37 gallons of water. * The average 5-minute shower uses 15-25 gallons of water; around 40 gallons are used in 10 minutes. * If every household in America had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away. It's easy to see how this might translate to your building or its tenants...and how decreasing water usage is the central first step towards improving your bottom line. Water Well-being Not only can the GreenSmart Energy Reduction Program help building owners save money on water bills, these measures also assist in taking the important stride toward aiding the environment through responsible water conservation. One sobering fact is that less than 2% of the Earth's water supply is fresh water and only 1% is available for drinking water. Our changing weather patterns have caused severe drought conditions throughout much of the country and have prompted water restrictions in the New York metropolitan area over the years. For these reasons, property owners who can do their part to conserve water are providing a valuable service to their communities and the environment. The GreenSmart Energy Reduction Program provides a straightforward path for property owners to do just that. Melanie Gately is the corporate marketing manager at Quality Conservation Services, Inc., Oak Ridge, N.J.