AWE’s Commercial Kitchens Water Use Efficiency and Best Practices Guide will help improve water efficiency in commercial kitchen operations. Unlike other commercial efficiency resources which are designed for planners and utility staff, this guide is specifically designed for members of the commercial kitchens, food service, and hospitality industries. It covers day-to-day best practices, case study summaries, and strategies for efficient management of the most common high-use equipment.
Our Work
The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) partners with our members and other organizations to produce the research, tools, resources, and information they need to advance water efficiency in their communities. Our work has helped water professionals seize new opportunities, uncover challenges, and break down barriers to achieve sustainable water use. To get involved and help define the work we do, join the AWE network today.
2017
Associated with Single-Family Package Graywater Systems
Planners, designers, decision makers, and researchers currently lack the information necessary to determine if graywater reuse systems are viable, safe, and provide cost-effective potable water savings. At the same time, these professionals and other stakeholders are increasingly under pressure to promote and/or incentivize the use of single-family packaged graywater reuse systems.
2016
A summary of the year's activities.
After years of strong involvement and hard work, the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) is undeniably a nationally recognized leader in advocating for water conservation. This year we were invited to a White House Water Summit on World Water Day, focused on a sustainable, secure water future for the nation and engaging key stakeholders in the discussion.
A Water Loss or Non-Revenue Water Policy Template for Local Adoption.
What California Can Learn from Australia's Millennium Drought
Lessons learned during Australia’s worst drought on record are helping California through its own water crisis.
A 2016 report shows that strategies developed and mistakes made during Australia’s decade-long millennium drought provide a powerful resource for California, as the state enters its fifth year of severe drought.
On Indoor Plumbing Water Efficiency
This paper advocates for the incorporation of higher minimum performance and efficiency requirements for indoor plumbing into legislative, regulatory, and codes and standards initiatives.
2015
A research report assessing the impacts of increasing water-use efficiency on demand hardening. Funded by a number of water utilities and The Walton Family Foundation, the report discusses whether consumer demand can be “hardened” by the continued pressure of demand management programs. The report was prepared by Anil Bamezai, PhD, of Western Policy Research under the direction of the Alliance for Water Efficiency and a project committee composed of water utilities that provided data for analysis.
Description of the Project
Net Blue is a collaborative initiative of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the Environmental Law Institute, and River Network to support sustainable community growth. The project team developed a model ordinance that communities can tailor and customize to create a water demand offset approach meeting local needs.
A report detailing the research compiled to date and identifying where the gaps in the research occur. The report is the first step in AWE’s project to help clarify what programs, practices, and irrigation technologies save the most water. The report was prepared for AWE by the project team of Peter Mayer, Paul Lander, and Diana Glenn. Funding for this phase one report was provided by the California Urban Water Agencies.
Description of the Project
2014
A summary of the year's activities.
2014 was a fantastic year for the Alliance for Water Efficiency. We were awarded the prestigious 2014 U.S. Water Prize, receiving recognition from our peers that we are doing significant and valuable work. We were invited to testify before the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on water and energy issues, demonstrating that our opinions on this issue are valued within this important sector of our government.
This paper explores drought planning in a changing world and highlights important considerations to be included in the process.
An Initiative to Help Water Managers Build Better Rates - Handbook and Rate Model Help Create Rate Structures to Support Revenue Stability and Sustainable Resource Management
A white paper examining market-based strategies, such as derivatives and insurance, which are available to water managers and can be applied to help them mitigate the revenue risks associated with unpredictable weather.
2013
An article that presents an analysis of water use trends and avoided costs.
There is a commonly held belief in the water industry that declining per capita usage due to water conservation is forcing rate increases to compensate for fewer units of volume billed. But the rate increases necessitated by conservation are actually much smaller than the rate increases that would be necessary to account for population growth in the absence of conservation.
As the nation’s administration carves a path to combat the effects of climate change through more sustainable resource management, a report released today reveals gaps in the understanding of the relationship between water and energy.
Never Waste is a national campaign from the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) that aims to raise awareness about the amount of water we waste in our daily lives and encourage consumers to take action to reduce water waste.
The campaign quantifies the amount of water wasted by comparing it to an everyday object – a water bottle – and encourages consumers to take simple steps to eliminate their water waste. Water supplies in the United States are increasingly under pressure from a growing population, with more than 36 states facing shortages this year.
2012
A summary of the year's activities.
The year 2012 marked the Alliance for Water Efficiency’s fifth birthday, a marvelous moment that allowed us to celebrate our hard-won successes as well as reflect on the challenges still before us.
The Alliance for Water Efficiency, with funding from the Great Lakes Protection Fund, assessed five representative industries within the Great Lakes watershed that are supplied with treated drinking water and that discharge to a local wastewater utility. The assessments that were conducted focused on four factors: