ESCO Water Conservation and Efficiency Flashcards

Which metric is most commonly used by ESCOs to evaluate water efficiency improvements in commercial buildings?

Answer: Gallons per square foot per year

ESCOs typically benchmark water use intensity in gallons per square foot per year to compare buildings and track savings.

What is a cooling tower 'cycles of concentration' (COC) and why does it matter for ESCO water projects?

Answer: The ratio of dissolved solids in blowdown vs. makeup water; higher COC reduces makeup water consumption

Increasing COC reduces the volume of makeup water required by the cooling tower, directly lowering water and sewer costs.

Which fixture retrofit typically delivers the highest water savings per dollar in a commercial restroom ESCO project?

Answer: Low-flow toilets (1.28 gpf)

Toilets account for the largest share of restroom water use, so replacing high-volume flush toilets with 1.28 gpf models yields the greatest savings.

An ESCO is analyzing a hospital laundry room. Which ozone laundry system benefit is most relevant to a water conservation measure?

Answer: Ozone dissolves soils at cold water temperatures, eliminating hot rinse cycles and reducing rinse water volume

Ozone laundering allows cold-water washing and shorter rinse cycles, cutting both water and energy consumption significantly.

For ESCO measurement and verification of water savings, which IPMVP option is best when a submetered water meter is installed on the retrofitted system?

Answer: Option B — Retrofit Isolation with continuous measurement

Option B uses continuous metering of the isolated system to directly measure actual consumption before and after the retrofit.

What is the primary purpose of a water audit baseline in an ESCO performance contract?

Answer: To establish pre-retrofit consumption figures against which guaranteed savings will be measured

The baseline documents pre-project water use so that post-retrofit savings can be calculated and compared against the guaranteed amount.