WaterSense and its stakeholders have developed resources, tools, and trainings to help commercial and institutional (CI) facility managers, building owners, water and energy managers, and other CI stakeholders understand facility water use and identify best management practices (BMPs) to use water most efficiently.

If you own or manage a CI facility and need help reducing facility water use, please take advantage of the following free resources:

On This Page

• CI Water Assessment Tools

• Water Use Tracking Tools

CI Water Assessment Tools

Conducting a water assessment (for example, a tour or walk-through) of your commercial and institutional (CI) facility is an important first step to understanding water use and identifying savings opportunities. Check out these water assessment tools designed to help facility managers, building owners, utility managers, water conservation specialists, sustainability managers, and other CI facility personnel get a handle on facility water use.

Simple Water Assessment Checklist for All CI Facility Types

• WaterSense Simple Water Assessment Checklist for Commercial and Institutional Facilities(14 pp, 1.3 MB, About PDF): This simple checklist can help you quickly identify and target potential projects and best management practices (BMPs) that can save water, energy, and utility costs at your facility.

Water Assessment Worksheets for All CI Facility Types

• WaterSense Sample Worksheets for Water Management Planning (308 pp, 6 MB, About PDF): Target and gather important information throughout your facility using sample worksheets including:
  • Building Water Survey Worksheet
  • List of Water Meters Worksheet
  • Water Consumption History Worksheet
  • Existing Plumbing Equipment Worksheet
  • Water Use Inventory Worksheet
  • Sample Worksheets for Water Management Planning:  ws-commercial-excel-writeable-table.xlsx(7 pp, 90 K)
  • Sample Worksheets for Water Management Planning:  ws-commercial-doc-writeable-table.docx(10 pp, 94 K)
  • From Appendix B in WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices for Commercial and Institutional Facilities; adapted from stakeholder resources.


• EDF-GEMI Sample Water Audit Forms: ExitThese sample water audit template forms created by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Global Environmental Management Institute (GEMI) can help you conduct a water assessment and define the unique water profile of your facility.

Water Assessment Tools for All CI Facility Types

• City of Boulder Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Water Assessment Tool and User’s Guide: ExitThe City of Boulder, Colorado’s Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Water Assessment Tool is a resource for conducting a basic water conservation assessment for a CII facility. It is an Excel-based tool intended for use by various groups, including municipality/utility staff, technicians, and/or end users without a technical background in water efficiency. While it is not intended to recommend specific projects, the tool can be used to find potential water conservation opportunities.

• Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Water Screening Tool: ExitThis Excel-based tool enables federal agencies to quickly screen sites for water-efficiency opportunities. General information related to a site’s water use is entered into the file, and the tool provides qualitative recommendations on potential water efficiency projects. The tool generates outputs about water-savings potential for specific water end uses and cost-effective potential.

• EDF-GEMI Water Management Application (WaterMAPP) Tool: ExitThe EDF-GEMI Water Management Application (WaterMAPP) is an Excel-based multi-tabbed spreadsheet with three primary components: the Water Scorecard, Water Efficiency Calculator, and Cycles of Concentration Estimator. The Scorecard helps facilities or companies assess water efficiency and can be used to create visibility for water performance at facilities. The Calculator estimates water and financial savings from cooling tower or free-air cooling improvements. The Cycles of Concentration Estimator takes information about your water quality and estimates the recommended maximum cycles of concentration from your cooling tower.

Water Assessment Tools for Hotels

• WaterSense’s Water Use and Savings Evaluation (WaterUSE) Tool and Water Assessment Worksheets: Hotel operators and facility managers can use WaterSense's Water Use and Savings Evaluation (WaterUSE) Tool and associated Water Assessment Worksheets to identify and prioritize cost-effective water efficiency projects and best management practices to reduce water and energy use and save on operating costs. Based on facility-specific inputs entered by the user, the WaterUSE Tool provides recommended best management practices and calculates potential water and cost savings for water-saving projects. 

Top of Page

Water Use Tracking Tools

WaterSense subscribes to the old adage “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Before you undertake any major water efficiency program at your facility, you should start by gathering and tracking your water use data. Tracking your water use over time and analyzing it monthly can help you identify seasonal water use patterns, leaks, high-water-using or malfunctioning equipment, or other issues at your facility.

ENERGY STAR®’s Portfolio Manager® Exitis a free online tool for tracking utility data over time. You can use the tool to track both water and energy use, as well as download more than 150 metrics in template or custom reports for managing your water and energy consumption.

Users have entered water data into Portfolio Manager for more than 50,000 buildings. In 2012, ENERGY STAR reviewed the data Exitto see how water use varied between and among different types of buildings.

As an alternative, anyone can track water use information in an Excel workbook or with a program designed to manage utility data and billing information.

Top of Page