Southern California Industrial Real Estate Blog

Commercial Water Conservation Rebates

 The department of Water and Power wants to motivate you to conserve water by enticing you with rebates.

Commercial Property Sales Up in 2007

Commercial Property Sales Up in 2007
Despite the credit crunch, $759 billion of direct real estate investing
occurred worldwide in 2007, an 8% increase from the year before, according
to Jones Lang LaSalle. About 52% of the volume occurred in the first half
before the credit crunch began thwarting commercial property sales. Most of
the second half slowdown in sales occurred in the United States and the
United Kingdom. Even with the second-half slowdown, full-year investment
volume for the U.S. increased 7% to $191 billion last year.

Provided by Commercial Real Estate Direct

Water Conservation Plan for Your Business

Water Conservation Plan for Your Business
  A 10 STEP APPROACH FOR YOUR BUSINESS
 How Much Water Can You Save?
 Ways to Save Tips
 There is no more fresh water on Earth today than there was a million years ago. Yet today, 6 billion people share it. Since 1950, the world population has doubled, but water use has tripled.  Californians use nearly 23 trillion gallons of water a year, much of it coming from Sierra Nevada snowmelt. But climate change is producing less snowpack and is causing it to melt faster each year, jeopardizing future supplies.
  LADWP continues to stress the importance of using water wisely. Continued growth in population and commerce, and unpredictable climatic conditions are constant reminders that our water must be managed and used wisely. Since approximately 84 percent of the City’s water is imported from hundreds of miles away, it simply does not make sense to waste it.
 In view of this situation, LADWP encourages everyone to conserve water. Cooperation from our customers, including commercial and industrial businesses, has been outstanding. However, the effort must continue as water conservation is a necessary and important part of water supply planning for the future.
 Here is 10-step approach to a Water Conservation Program for Businesses. These basic guidelines have been proven essential to a successful conservation effort, plus a bonus….
 1. Start with a desire to eliminate waste
 Prior experiences have revealed that for any program to be successful, the desire to conserve water must be present from the highest level of management on down. Upper management should understand and accept the fact that water conservation is necessary, and be fully committed to its support.
 2. Appoint a Conservation Manager
 It has been shown that those companies which have placed an individual in charge of their conservation program have far better results than companies which never assign such a responsibility to someone. Place someone in charge of your conservation program, making it part of their regular duties. Such a move will enhance the likelihood of positive results.
 3. Determine where your water is used
 Before implementing any kind of conservation program, know where your water is being used. It is also important to know how much water is being used for each of your firm’s industrial processes and/or domestic needs.
 4. Check your system for leaks
 Learn to read your water meter. It’s simple. LADWP can provide information that will guide you through this very important procedure. Leaks can be detected by having a periodic shutdown of all water-using facilities and reading the water meter at intervals of the shutdown. If any movement of the meter dials occur, water is leaking. If a leak is detected, locate and repair it as soon as possible.
 5. Set a conservation goal
 It is important to have goals. Be realistic. However, the conservation goals should be high enough to require substantial effort. Allow these goals to serve as progress reference points. They will illustrate the effectiveness of your water conservation program.
 6. Apply common sense
 Use a little common sense to eliminate waste. Request information from LADWP regarding water conservation measures. Look for common conservation opportunities in restrooms, kitchens, laundries and water-using processes. Encourage suggestions from employees to reduce your water consumption.
 7. Involve your employees
 Teach water awareness. Many companies have posted signs throughout their facilities which help to create an awareness of water conservation among the employees. Creating competition among employees (for instance, establishing which work shift can use the least amount of water) is another idea. Once employees start thinking about their water use, water consumption usually decreases.
 8. Install low flow devices
 Replace non-water saving toilets and urinals with ultra-low-flush models (LADWP offers rebates for such replacement). If you already have these types of toilets, make sure they are adjusted to use the minimum amount of water required per flush. All showering facilities should be equipped with low-flow showerheads. Showerheads equipped with on-off valves provide the opportunity to conserve more water than those without valves. Install low-flow aerators on all faucet fixtures.
 9. Be aware of water efficient equipment
 As you replace the equipment in your plant, be aware of how much water the new equipment will use. Equipment manufacturers have become more aware of the need for water conservation and often offer equipment that uses less water. Explore all of your options. You may find that you have a choice in your equipment purchases and water conservation should be a determining factor in the selection process.
 10. Monitor your results
 Each water bill includes your consumption history. It is possible for you to follow this history and get an immediate idea as to how well you are doing compared to any one of the past 14 billing periods. Use charts, graphs, and other records to keep track of your conservation progress and share it with employees.
 11. Other things you can do
  • Check facility for leaks and repair immediately.
• Save water by participating in any of LADWP’s Commercial Rebate Programs.
Rebates are available for:
• High efficiency toilets
• High efficiency urinals
• Smart controllers
• Cooling tower pH controllers, and more.
• Encourage employees to conserve and to report water waste.
• Instruct landscape maintenance staff to reduce water use by repairing leaks, adjusting sprinkler heads to minimize overspray, adjust the sprinkler timer seasonally OR replace timer with a smart controller.
• Eliminate hosing-down of walkways and driveways.
• Retrofit restrooms with self-closing faucets.
• Install water saving faucet aerators in all restrooms. Call 1-800-544-4498 and press “0” for more information on the availability of FREE aerators for your business.
 For additional commercial programs please go to the LADWP water conservation page.
 For additional tips and conservation information, visit www.bewaterwise.com