Chapter 11 - Commercial Buildings, Hospitals and Institutional Buildings

Abstract

Commercial and institutional buildings—such as office buildings, shopping malls, universities, hospitals and prisons—can account for significant water consumption. The commercial and institutional property sector needs to respond to the energy needs by becoming energy- and water-efficient. Most of the fixtures in commercial and institutional buildings are similar (with slight variations) and are therefore considered together in this chapter. The solutions for water savings are similar for hotels. The commercial property sector consists of offices, shopping centers (retail), industrial parks, hotels and car parks. Trusts known as Listed Property Trusts (LPT) or Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) own the majority of the premier locations. LPTs are often keen to reduce their water and energy consumption as a result of market pressures. Figures show that an average office building's water use can be minimized by one-third by arresting leaks. Cooling towers account for 29% of water usage. There are opportunities to save water in cooling towers and in amenity blocks, where the majority of water leaks occur. As a group office buildings are the largest energy user within the commercial property sector. The water conservation strategies need to be geared towards reducing energy consumption which will result in a stronger business case. Water usage in shopping centers is shown with most of the leakage occurring in restrooms and cooling towers. Given that leakage accounts for a large part of water wastage, water efficiency can be improved with some easy steps before considering complex solutions. Some suggestions are listed in the chapter.