Water tends to become an object of attention for property owners only when there are problems with it.
- The bill is unexpectedly high.
- A toilet continues to run.
- A leak occurs somewhere.
- The basement is flooded after a rain.
Or the property manager comes to a conclusion that nobody knows where all the water goes.
This is how modern water management solutions start.
Water conservation and management are not anymore a matter of simple turning off a tap for households, condominiums, apartments, commercial and institutional properties in Toronto and Ontario. Water management involves measuring, understanding, reducing unnecessary use and protecting the property.
WCC Water Conservation Company offers its clients a variety of water management solutions – from water conservation, sub-metering and leakage control to water-saving devices, toilet repair and flood prevention solutions.
What Is Water Intelligence?
Water intelligence involves the utilization of information, monitoring, and solutions in order to improve water decision-making processes.
Rather than simply asking:
“How much water have we used in this month?”
Property owners can start asking themselves questions such as:
- Where is the water being used?
- Is consumption unusually high?
- Is there a possible leak in the pipes?
- Where are the biggest water consumption areas on the property?
- Are inefficient devices contributing to unnecessary consumption of water?
- How can the consumption of water be monitored?
- How can these problems be fixed in time before the expenses pile up?
This move towards proactive water management will make all the difference.
In fact, the City of Toronto offers its customers a service called MyWaterToronto which lets the customer check water consumption day, weekly, monthly or yearly and find any unusual increase of consumption which might point to a leak in the pipe.
In a bigger building, however, property wide water consumption may not always be enough information.
1. Begin with a Water Audit
Before switching out old equipment or upgrading your technology, it would be helpful to know what is going on.
Water conservation audit and inspection could help pinpoint places where the water may be used inappropriately.
For condominium or commercial building, for example, those could include:
- washrooms
- toilets and urinals
- faucets
- mechanical rooms
- laundry rooms
- kitchens
- equipment
- irrigation
- plumbing system
- areas prone to leakages
It is not just about finding the problem.
The purpose is to get a better understanding of the water use pattern of the building.
Find the waste before trying to solve the waste.
Water conservation consulting company provides water audit and inspection services within the scope of the water conservation strategy.
Internal link:
WCC Water Conservation Audits & Inspections
2. Pay Attention to Little Things
A dripping tap could be considered a small problem.
An occasional running toilet could just be an item of maintenance that can be put on hold.
However, water will keep being wasted regardless of the size of the leak.
According to the City of Toronto, a seriously leaking toilet could waste about 20 cubic metres of water each day, or about 600 cubic metres a month.
This is why periodic inspections are important.
A handy guideline for property managers is quite easy:
If there is any water flow without usage, you should determine its reason.
Toronto suggests shutting off the water and checking the water meter.
3. Sub-Metering Makes an Informed Choice
The water meter of a building measures how much water is consumed in the whole property.
However, if one needs to know how much water each apartment consumes, then this approach does not work.
Here is when wireless water sub-metering can be used.
Sub-metering means that the focus is not on the total amount of water in the property but on each unit or area separately.
This allows making conclusions regarding water consumption in the building and investigating any irregularities in the process of consumption.
In this way, WCC provides its wireless water sub-metering services especially for multi-unit buildings and other facilities where more detailed data on water consumption is required.
Internal link:
Wireless Water Sub-Metering by WCC
It is easy to summarize all of it:
Lack of data → Guessing
Additional data → Understanding
Understanding → Informed choice
And this is the main benefit of water intelligence.
4. Replace the Fixtures That Consume Water Daily
You don’t have to completely renovate to become more efficient in the use of water.
Sometimes, the answer is right before your eyes in the form of the fixtures.
According to the City of Toronto, water-saving fixtures include low- or dual-flush toilets (4.8 liters or less), low-flow showerheads and efficient faucets.
In commercial buildings, apartments, condos, offices, and institutions, fixtures that are used frequently daily can account for an important share of water usage.
WCC provides water-saving fixtures like efficient toilets, water-saving urinals, shower heads, and high efficiency faucets.
Internal link:
What’s important about this step is that it should be thought of in the context of the broader strategy for water efficiency, not as an isolated replacement.
5. Leak Detection Goes Beyond Just Water Conservation
Water conservation and property protection go hand-in-hand.
A water leak could waste water, but it could also cause damage to:
- Flooring
- Walls
- Ceiling
- Cabinets
- Electrical wiring
- Construction materials
- Personal property
- Common areas
The city of Toronto recommends that property owners check for unexplained increases in water usage because a leak could keep water usage high until it is fixed.
As a result, leakage control in large properties could serve two functions at once:
Conserve water and minimize the risk of water damage.
Water leakage control by WCC includes leak detection, shut-off devices, smart water monitoring, and sensors for high-risk areas.
Internal Link:
WCC Water Leakage Control Services
6. Smart Building Concept: Putting Together the Pieces
This is where things get interesting.
A building doesn’t necessarily have to be supplied with just one miraculous product.
It may be supplied with different types of products.
Such as:
Audit
Figure out how water is used.
↓
Monitoring
Monitor abnormalities.
↓
Sub-metering
Learn even more about water consumption.
↓
Water Efficient Fixtures
Cut down on waste.
↓
Leakage Detection
Identify abnormal water flow.
↓
Flood Prevention
Protect the property from water disasters.
This concept is increasingly useful for Toronto’s condos, apartment buildings, commercial buildings and institutions.
The services currently offered by WCC include: water audits, wireless sub-metering, water saving devices, toilet parts repairs, leakage prevention and flood protection.
7. What Should Be Done by Toronto Building Owners?
There is not one approach that applies universally to all buildings.
The priorities in a 10-unit condominium will be entirely different than those in a commercial building.
Five questions that should be asked include:
- 1. Do we know what our typical water use is?
- 2. Can we detect any abnormal usage quickly?
- 3. Is there anything wrong with our toilet and faucet efficiency?
- 4. How do we plan on detecting leaks?
- 5. What happens in the event of a water leak without anyone being around?
These questions will determine where the greatest possibilities lie.
An audit may be the first step in some buildings.
For other buildings, this may consist of upgrades, sub-metering, leak detection and flood prevention.
This depends on knowing the property itself.
Water Conservation Is Evolving into Water Management
The dialogue about water has shifted.
What was once said was:
“What is our plan to reduce water usage?”
But today, a better question might be:
“What is our strategy to manage water more effectively?”
This involves understanding where the water goes, recognizing any abnormalities in water usage, maintaining plumbing systems, increasing efficiency of fixtures, and implementing preventive strategies.
In the context of property management in Toronto and Ontario, this could help bring together sustainability and property management.
And here is how water conservation becomes good building management.
Building a Smarter Approach to Water at WCC:
WCC Water Conservation Company offers solutions related to saving water and energy in multi-family residential, commercial and institutional properties.
These solutions comprise water conservation audits and inspections, wireless water sub-metering, water-saving fixtures, toilet parts repair, leakage control, flood protection and other innovative water management technologies.
With presence in Toronto and Ottawa, WCC collaborates with property owners and managers who seek innovative ways to conserve water and avoid unnecessary wastage of water.
With Derek Wadeel as the CEO, WCC constantly aims towards providing solutions related to water conservation and property protection.
Water conservation of the future is not merely about using less water.
It is about knowing more, reacting quicker and conserving water in a smarter way.
If your property is facing problems with unexplained water consumption or leakage, then you can take help from professional water assessment and know how to start with it.
Water conservation solutions by WCC for Toronto and Ontario.
Visit WCC Water Conservation Company
Frequently Asked Questions
How can an office building save on its water use?
Identify the present use of water, any leaks, high-water fixtures, as well as the potential for making use of water-efficient products and monitoring.
How can I tell if there is a water leak in my home in Toronto?
Toronto suggests that you check your water consumption level and water meter when all the water use in the building is shut off. The movement of the meter then would be a sign of a potential water leak.
What is wireless water sub-metering?
Wireless water sub-metering offers additional detail concerning your water use within different parts of the building other than using the main meter of the building.
Should I consider installing water saving devices?
Water saving toilets, faucets, and showers can help avoid the unnecessary water use without affecting your daily activities. Toronto suggests several water-efficient devices.
Why should you do water monitoring?
Water monitoring helps set standards for water use and makes the changes in water use more easily recognizable.