Figure 1.

Total Water use - 6,490 Million Gallens per Day (Mgal/d) Source: USGS

Institutional, Commercial and Industrial (ICI) water use in Georgia represents about 10%
of Georgia’s total water use, as shown in Figure 1.

ICI water use is typically 20-40% of billed municipal water demand and is highly affected by climate and season. In Georgia’s warm climate, there is typically high water use during summer months – for both irrigation and cooling systems. ICI water use is also characterized by complex end uses that involve many different types of equipment such as cooling towers, boilers, parts washers and sanitation equipment, especially in industry

Commercial and Institutional Facilities Water Use

Figure 2.

Source: Vickers 2003

Depending on the facility type, Commercial and Institutional water end uses may include:
· Domestic
· Cooling/Heating
· Irrigation
· Cleaning/Sanitation

A typical breakdown of percentages of water use in Commercial and Institutional
buildings is shown in Figure 2.

See Chapter 2 of North Carolina’s Water Efficiency Manual for ICI Facilities for more information about water end use in various building types.






Industrial Water Use

Figure 3.

Cooling Tower

Cooling and heating systems in industry can account for up to 50% of the facilities’ total water use. There are 3 main types of cooling systems found in industrial facilities: cooling towers, once through, and evaporative. There are huge potentials for water savings by focusing on cooling systems in industry. For more information about how these systems work and how to make them more efficient, see the North Carolina guide for cooling and heating.

Process and equipment water use in industry is highly dependent on the type of facility (i.e., carpet mill, aircraft maintenance, food processor). For more information about water efficiency for specific industrial processes, see the Georgia Pollution Prevention Assistance Division (P2AD) website.

In industrial facilities, domestic water uses are very similar to that of residential and commercial buildings, in that the primary uses are for: toilets, urinals, lavatory faucets, showers, and kitchens. For more information about domestic use water efficiency please see P2AD’s Sustainable Office Toolkit module on water efficiency.

ICI Audits
Performing an audit of an ICI facility helps identify areas of potential water savings.
There are many useful guides for performing these audits available on the Internet. The list below has web site links that provide some guidance for conducting a facility audit:

- http://www.p2pays.com/water/tech.asp
- http://www.ose.state.nm.us/water-info/conservation/pdf-manuals/cii-users-guide.pdf
- http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/downloads/EquipmentGuide.pdf
- http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/subject/hotopics/drought/facts/audit.pdf

Per the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, water providers in the Atlanta area must offer water audits to their customers. If you are a water user in this area contact your local water provider and request an audit.

The Georgia EPD also requires water audits as part of the new Water Conservation Plans that must be prepared in order to obtain a Groundwater Withdrawal Permit.

The Pollution Prevention Assistance Division is available to conduct ICI water audits
throughout the state of Georgia. Please see www.p2ad.org for more information.