Optimizing Water Management: The Role of Water Efficiency Benchmarks
Water Efficiency Benchmarks (WEBs) are a crucial tool for enhancing water efficiency and achieving sustainable water management, as exemplified by the successful benchmarking program in Singapore.
WEBs offer industries and sectors a comparative metric for water usage, enabling companies to gauge their consumption against their counterparts and spot areas for improvement.
WEBs, essentially numerical targets established for specific sectors, are rooted in comprehensive data, factoring in elements like production processes, climate conditions, and technological innovations. They furnish a straightforward and objective gauge of water efficiency, facilitating companies in evaluating their water consumption and pinpointing improvement areas.
The adoption of WEBs has been on an upward trajectory, with numerous countries and regions incorporating them into their water management strategies. They’ve been employed across diverse sectors, ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to commercial and residential buildings. Besides serving as a water usage benchmark, WEBs kickstart water efficiency programmes by providing companies with tangible targets to strive for.
Water-Efficiency Benchmarks in Singapore
Singapore’s non-domestic sector is responsible for about 55% of the current water supply usage, a figure that is projected to rise to 70% of future water demand by 2060. As part of its strategic water management, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) launched the Mandatory Water Efficiency Management Practices in 2015. This requires large water consumers to report their water consumption, business activity indicators, and water efficiency plans annually to PUB. The amassed data has facilitated the creation of sector-specific water efficiency benchmarks for various industries including hotels, office buildings, retail operations, wafer fabrication and semiconductor plants, commercial laundries, data centres, and biomedical manufacturing facilities.
To evaluate water efficiency, the Water Efficiency Index is calculated by dividing the total amount of water consumed by a business activity indicator. This indicator varies across sectors: for hotels, it’s the number of guest nights; for office buildings and retail malls, it’s the gross floor area; for commercial laundries, it’s the annual amount of wash load processed, and for data centres, it’s the annual operating IT equipment load.
The PUB has also used data from these reports to develop a series of Best Practice Guides in Water Efficiency. These guides, tailored to various sectors, aim to provide those involved in water management with knowledge on designing, maintaining, and operating a water-efficient building or plant.
The Take-Out
By adopting water efficiency benchmarks, organizations can enhance their resource conservation efforts, playing an instrumental role in fostering a more sustainable global water future.
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