by WSSAdmin | May 14, 2018
“What gets measured gets managed,” Peter Drucker once said. The management guru knew that measuring something is the first step to improving it—and measurement verification proves that Water Saver Solutions’ water conservation solutions have helped Redlands Community Hospital improve its bottom line.
In just 0.9 years, the independent hospital in Redlands, CA, experienced proven savings and ROI. Water Saver Solutions reduced the hospital’s water costs by 52.7% and its natural gas costs by 23.6% from 2015 to 2016, according to measurement verification performed by independent third-party company Ecom-Energy Inc., using EnerVisor Software. As of December 2017, natural gas usage had been reduced an additional 29.8% and water usage an additional 10.6% compared to 2016.
Water Saver Solutions began installing low flow showerheads, faucet laminar flow control devices, wall dialysis adapters, and pre-rinse sprayers at the 229-bed hospital beginning in December 2015. By finding and capitalizing on Southern California Gas incentives, Water Saver Solutions slashed Redlands Community Hospital’s costs for the project by more than 50%.
Water Saver Solutions delivered even more savings by auditing Redlands Community Hospital’s cooling tower evaporation and providing engineering calculations to show that the hospital was being overcharged for sewer usage. Thanks to this audit, in 2016 Redlands Community Hospital received a sanitation rate adjustment that significantly reduced its sewer usage costs.
WSS audits hospitals’ water and energy use and makes recommendations for conservation. The company then works with local utilities to find, negotiate and manage rebates and incentives that drastically reduce the hospitals’ cost of implementing the recommendations. In addition to saving water and gas, WSS helps protect faucet spouts from bacteria growth by installing faucet laminars with an antimicrobial component and providing an ongoing maintenance program.
by WSSAdmin | Feb 26, 2018
Even when a hospital’s water costs are so low that it seems there are no more savings to be had, Water Saver Solutions helps clients find a way. Just ask Greg Eikam, Director of Facility Maintenance for the University of California Irvine Medical Center (UCIMC) in Orange.
“The best aspect of working with Water Savers Solutions is their depth of knowledge and their tenacity. They found a faucet laminar with an antimicrobial component, which not only saves money and reduces water usage, but also protects patients. They got really creative and supplemented [my budget] with rebates and incentives from the Metropolitan Water District, MWDOC and The Gas Company. I would never have had the knowledge to find the rebates Water Saver Solutions found.”
Greg Eikam Director, Facility Maintenance University of California Irvine Medical Center
UCIMC enlisted Water Saver Solutions to audit its 31-building campus during the recent drought, after Gov. Jerry Brown called for a 20% reduction in water usage statewide. During the audit process, University of California President Janet Napolitano set an additional goal of reducing per capita water use throughout the UC system 20 percent by the year 2020, and 36 percent by the year 2025.
From cooling towers to domestic fixtures and sterilizers, Water Saver Solutions identified many opportunities to save water at UCIMC. There was only one problem: UCIMC’s water costs were already so low that Eikam was worried about ROI.
“The City of Orange [where UCIMC is located] has one of the lowest costs for water in California,” he explains. “That makes it hard to do a project like this and have any kind of payback.”
So before Water Saver Solutions started work on the project, they went to work finding ways to help UCIMC supplement its budget. By capitalizing on more than $150,000 in utility and water company rebates and incentives, Water Saver Solutions was able to deliver an average project ROI of 2.7 years-for some projects, less than 1 year.
“I would never have had the knowledge to find those rebates,” says Eikam. Water Saver Solutions worked with the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) Water Savings Incentive Program, Southern California Gas, the Metropolitan Water District, and the City of Orange Water Division to obtain and manage rebates.
Thanks to Water Saver Solutions, UCIMC has already surpassed its 2025 conservation goal, cutting water usage by 37 percent. But the project delivered more than just cost savings and water conservation: By installing faucet laminars with an antimicrobial component and providing an ongoing maintenance program, Water Saver Solutions also helped the hospital protect patients.
As the UCIMC campus adds more buildings to its 1.3M GSF, Water Saver Solutions will continue working with the facility to reduce landscape water usage with water-saving irrigation systems.
by WSSAdmin | Jan 31, 2018
Water Saver Solutions Senior Project Manager Michelle Tarian will be a featured panelist at “Making Waves in Water,” sponsored by Women in Cleantech and Sustainability Tuesday, February 6, in San Francisco.
The prestigious event brings together women in the water industry to discuss water use and efficiency, water conservation, and water treatment across multiple sectors. The goal is to spotlight issues and create solutions to help the world move from water scarcity to abundance.
Michelle’s expertise encompasses comprehensive survey and project management at large multi-building healthcare campuses, all supporting Water Saver Solutions’ mission to enhance water efficiency in the healthcare industry.
The panel will discuss topics such as:
- How water conservation efforts have shifted in light of California’s transition out of drought
- The intersection of infectious control standards with healthcare industry water conservation efforts
- Emerging Water Policy
- What can we do to help conserve water in our everyday life?
Additional panelists will include:
- Ora Cahiken, VP Customer Success Water Smart
- Maureen Erbeznik, Water Technical Advisor for the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge, a DOE sponsored national leadership initiative
- Alexandra Causey, Business Development Manager, U.S. Water
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability is a nonprofit organization that fosters an influential network of professionals to further the roles of women in growing the green economy and making a positive impact on the environment.
“Making Waves in Water” will be held Tuesday, February 6, 2018 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Hult International Business School, 1355 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94111. Learn more and register for “Making Waves in Water” here.
by WSSAdmin | Dec 18, 2017
Water Saver Solutions has completed the retrofit of approximately 8,000 water saving devices at Fort Knox in Kentucky. The iconic United States Army post is home to more than 12,000 people.
Prime contractor Clark Energy Group (CEG) contracted with Water Saver Solutions to retrofit more than 4,600 faucets and 3,300 showerheads in more than 400 buildings at Fort Knox. The biggest project yet for Water Saver Solutions, the retrofit will yield more than 20 million gallons in water savings per year.
Conserving water and energy is a way of life at Fort Knox, which has been implementing conservation technologies for over 20 years. In 2015, Fort Knox became the first military installation to achieve energy independence, using natural gas deposits underground to provide its own energy.
Water Saver Solutions is a federally certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) founded by Charles Bragdon, a retired United States Navy Chief. Although the company primarily serves healthcare facilities, Bragdon’s military background combined with his expertise in water conservation made the company an ideal vendor for the Fort Knox project.
by WSSAdmin | Dec 1, 2017
Ontario, CA-based Prime Healthcare has retained Water Saver Solutions to audit all of its hospitals served by Southern California Gas. Named “The Fastest Growing Hospital System” in the country by Modern Healthcare, Prime Healthcare is an award-winning health system operating 45 hospitals in 14 states, including 11 in California.
The contract is part of an innovative program that Water Saver Solutions developed with Southern California Gas in 2016 to help hospitals reduce their use of water and natural gas for water heating.
Southern California Gas contracts with Water Saver Solutions to audit Level 1 and Level 2 hospitals it serves. Audits are conducted at no cost to the hospitals. Water Saver Solutions identifies areas where natural gas is being wasted. Following the audits, the company can also consult with the hospitals to recommend changes, install new equipment and provide ongoing maintenance. Southern California Gas offers hospitals rebates on selected equipment, including flow-restricting faucet laminars, to incentivize these conservation measures.
