Commercial Water Conservation

Conserving water at home and at work is critical in our semi-arid climate. Commercial water use accounts for 37 percent of Greeley's total water consumption. Using water-conserving measures will save your business money in water, wastewater, and energy bills. Using water-wise techniques will not only change the quality of service your business or institution provides, but also make you more efficient.

Water Audits

Free water conservation audits are available to all commercial, industrial, multi-family and institutional properties in Greeley.

The commercial assessment finds areas of water waste and develops targets for improvement. Once problem areas are located, Greeley's Conservation Program will help businesses implement efficiency improvements by offering technical support and rebates. If your business would like to participate in a commercial indoor or irrigation audit, call 970-336-4229 to make an appointment.

On commercial accounts, consumption that correlates with business patterns is difficult to measure. We have, however, been able to document some success for rebates and irrigation audits of commercial properties. For example, a restaurant may have installed an air-cooled ice machine, but if more customers are served, consumption will likely increase — even though the actual gallons per meal are reduced. Likewise, if it’s a new installation, there may be no pre-installation consumption data.

Here’s some information on water-saving projects:

• In 2012, an apartment building retrofitted 394 older toilets with Niagara Stealth toilets. These use only 0.8 gallons per flush, compared to the 3.5 gallons per flush the old toilets used, saving almost 6 million gallons of water in the first six months of the retrofit.
• During the summer of 2012 — per audit recommendations — conservation staff met with and guided HOA board members and contractors during irrigation upgrades at five HOAs. The staff also created a program and helped with watering scheduling at those needing assistance or a follow-up audit. A few of the HOAs got rebates on products to improve lawn watering. 
• A large apartment complex recently took advantage of Greeley’s rebate program and replaced 153 toilets and 17 commercial washing machines. They also replaced showerheads, bathroom faucet aerators, and kitchen faucets. Savings for a three-month period —October through December 2011 — resulted in a 911,000-gallon savings when compared to the previous year’s use. The apartment manager will continue replacing toilets all are upgraded.
• In 2011, a toilet replacement pilot project took place in the 11th Avenue corridor between 20th Street and 13th Street, an area with high indoor water use. During the first winter (October through March), these properties used 1 million gallons less water when compared to the previous year’s winter use. The project is estimated to save 25 – 30 percent of indoor water use on participating properties

We Work with Schools and Colleges on Water Efficiency Projects. 

In 2011, 250 urinals were replaced with high-efficiency models through rebates from the city. Another school was assisted by the rebate program to replace 39 old flush-valve toilets with 1.28 models. And a student housing facility replaced 102 toilets in 2008, and now uses about 114,000 gallons less per month than before the upgrade. 

City-Owned Buildings

We install water-efficient fixtures in city owned buildings. In 2007, City Hall, City Hall Annex and A Street buildings were retrofitted with low-flow toilets. The combined savings are, on average, 300,000 gallons of water per year. A project to upgrade toilets at the Union Colony Civic Center is in the works. 

Avoid Raw Water Surcharges

Some commercial and industrial customers receive an annual allotment of water based on tap size. When annual usage exceeds a user's allotment, a raw water surcharge is assessed. When a customer receives a surcharge, the water conservation program works with these customers to move them off the surcharge list. 

Since the program began, 43 percent of surcharge customers got off the list with help from Greeley's water conservation programs.

We’re Here to Help!

We collaborate with other Northern Colorado water providers to create resources and tools to assist industrial, commercial, and institutional customers with water conservation. Visit Northern Colorado Collaborative Efforts in ICI Water Conservation website to get more information.

If you have any questions or would like to share your water conserving ideas, please contact the Water Conservation Program. Please tell us if you use or plan to use any of these tips in your facility. You can reach us at 970-350-9204 or Conserve@greeleygov.com.