The Alliance for Water Efficiency produces cutting-edge research on diverse water efficiency issues to advance investments in sustainable water management. Our reports highlight and uncover water efficiency opportunities, barriers, and challenges. We work with partners to design, plan, and execute groundbreaking research projects tackling important issues practitioners need to understand, such as outdoor water use, the water-energy nexus, water loss, and drought.
Ongoing Research Initiatives
An Assessment of Water Affordability & Conservation Potential in Santa Barbara, CA
AWE has partnered with the City of Santa Barbara, CA to evaluate the City's water affordability and the extent to which water efficiency and conservation can help families, particularly disadvantaged families, lower their water and sewer bills. The analysis also includes a community outreach and engagement effort to better understand the challenges community members face in managing their water use and bills and help shape potential solutions taken by the City. Stay tuned for the final report in Spring 2024.
Evaluating & Optimizing Large-Scale Landscape Irrigation Management and Transformation Strategies
AWE's latest Outdoor Water Savings Research Initiative is analyzing water savings from landscape transformation and irrigation optimization programs targeting commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) customers across 20+ participating utilities in California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, and Oregon. The project is also exploring the strategies and market readiness for utilities to design and implement programs to transform or optimize water use on large-scale landscapes. Thank you to our project sponsors, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Colorado Water Conservation Board for supporting our research! Stay tuned for the final report in Fall 2024.
A Practical Primer of the Many Uses for AMI in Water Conservation & Efficiency
Advanced Metering infrastructure (AMI) is becoming more prevalent as utilities upgrade their metering infrastructure. But with great data, comes great responsibility. The AMI Primer research project aims to outline the many potential ways to utilize AMI data for conservation and efficiency purposes, including case study examples, considerations, and recommendations. The project will empower its 8 participating utilities to confidently create and/or enhance AMI programs that deliver grater savings in a more efficient and effective manner. Stay tuned for a final report in Fall 2024.
Understanding Water Use in Mobile Homes
AWE is partnering with Colorado Water Conservation Board to improve the understanding of water use in mobile home parks in three Colorado communities - City of Thornton, City of Fountain, and Colorado Springs Utilities. The project will provide no-cost service to mobile home park residents to audit and replace low-efficiency fixtures and detect and repair leaks. The project will also identify barriers and opportunities to work with this segment, and research submetering solutions and equity issues in current metering and billing systems. Stay tuned for a final report in 2025.
Latest Research Initiatives
Non-Functional Turf: 2023 Summary of Programs and Policies
AWE’s latest report, Non-Functional Turf: 2023 Summary of Programs and Policies, is a culmination of our work with water agencies from across the Colorado River Basin, who signed a joint memorandum of understanding in late 2022, committing to take additional actions to increase water efficiency to help protect and conserve water in the CRB region.
Water and Energy Savings Estimates for CII Landscapes Upgrade Projects
In 2022 AWE collaborated with Regional Water Authority (RWA) to prepare a report titled "Water and Energy Savings Estimates for CII Landscapes Upgrade Projects". The report evaluates 10 projects from RWA's CII Landscape Upgrades Program and uses a water budget approach to estimate water savings post-installation using AWE's customized Water Budget Tool and Water Conservation Tracking Tool.
An Assessment of Water Affordability & Conservation Potential in Houston, Texas
AWE’s report, An Assessment of Water Affordability and Conservation Potential in Houston, Texas, evaluates water affordability in Houston and the extent to which water efficiency and conservation can help families, particularly disadvantaged families, lower their water and sewer bills.
Smart Practices to Save Water: An Evaluation of AMI-enabled Proactive Leak Notification Programs
AWE’s report, Smart Practices to Save Water: An Evaluation of AMI-enabled Proactive Leak Notification Programs, analyzes water savings from AMI-enabled leak notification programs at four participating utilities - Forth Worth, TX, Sacramento, CA, Sacramento Suburban Water District, and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
2022 State Policy Scorecard for Water Efficiency and Sustainability
The 2022 U.S. State Policy Scorecard for Water Efficiency and Sustainability (Scorecard) evaluated and ranked each U.S. state based on its adoption of laws and policies that advance water efficiency, conservation, sustainability, and affordability. California was the top ranked state followed by Texas, Arizona, Washington, Georgia, New York, Nevada, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Minnesota to round out the top ten.