Water & Energy Efficiency

Are you still using the Public Housing Authority (PHA) utility allowance?

Our team conducts utility allowance modeling for multifamily affordable housing developments across the United States. Developers and managers of these properties have the option of providing actual consumption data or conducting energy consumption modeling in lieu of adopting local utility allowances. In cases where the actual consumption or the modeled consumption is lower than the published utility allowance, the developer or management company can increase its profit and recover money invested in water and energy efficiency upgrades. The cost of conducting a water or energy consumption model can generally be recovered in less than three months.

We help our clients help businesses save water and money by identifying opportunities to increase water use efficiency and reduce water, wastewater, and associated energy costs.  At no cost to the businesses, we provide water efficiency assessments that include a review of historical water consumption, development of a complete water balance, process mapping, inspection and evaluation of all water-using equipment, specific recommendations for efficiency improvements and a thorough cost/benefit analysis. Our clients use this analysis to provide rebates for qualifying water efficiency projects. The purpose of these types of programs is to promote continued investments in water efficiency by reducing the overall project payback period by as much as 50%.

As an example, our WEES Team has assisted the Dallas Water Utilities ICI Water Conservation Program since 2012. To date, Plummer has conducted water efficiency assessments of more than 300 buildings and identified potential savings of more than 150 million gallons per year.

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, “The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. NAICS was developed under the auspices of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and adopted in 1997 to replace the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.”

At Plummer, we classify our clients’ water customers using NAICS industry codes. This can be an extremely powerful tool when used correctly. NAICS codes enable utility organizations to analyze sector-specific water consumption and to tailor water conservation programs for industries and businesses that exceed water use benchmarks.

What does NAICS coding look like when applied to water utility customer accounts? Here is an example:

Water conservation is an essential element of our clients’ long-term water supply strategies. Using tools such as ICI water efficiency surveys and sector-specific benchmarking, we work with clients to develop water conservation programs that are customized to their specific customer bases and water use profiles. These programs may include education and outreach, rebates and incentives for water-saving equipment, direct installation of water-saving equipment, meter replacement, water main replacement, utility policies, and city ordinances. We also offer turnkey management services for many of these programs.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has developed guidelines and requirements governing the development of water conservation and drought contingency plans for public water suppliers. The objectives of a Water Conservation Plan are to:

• Reduce water consumption 
• Report (or document) the level of water recycling and reuse in the water supply  
• Reduce the loss and waste of water 
• Improve efficiency in the use of water 
• Extend the life of current water supplies by reducing the rate of growth in per capita demand.

The Plummer team has several services to assist our clients in achieving these objectives, such as utilizing the NAICS classification system, performing ICI Water Efficiency Surveys, and developing and managing water conservation programs.