Improving Water Efficiency in Business: A Practical Guide
Who is this guide for?
This guide is written for business owners, facility managers and environmental officers who want to bring their water bills and water-related risks under control. It brings together in one place what water efficiency means for a business, the steps involved in achieving it, the information you need to prepare and where mistakes tend to be made in practice.
The aim is to offer a workable roadmap rather than general advice. Because every business uses water differently, you will need to adapt the steps in this guide to your own operations.
What is water efficiency and which businesses does it concern?
Water efficiency is a business's ability to deliver the same service or output using less water and with fewer losses. It is not simply a matter of replacing taps and shower heads; it means managing, as a whole, where water comes from, where and how much of it is used, where it is lost and how it leaves the site as wastewater.
The subject concerns every business that uses water as part of its operations. It is particularly relevant for the following groups:
Accommodation facilities such as hotels, holiday villages and apart-hotels (guest rooms, laundry, kitchen, pools, landscape irrigation)
Industrial facilities that use water in their production processes, such as food, beverage, textile and surface treatment plants
Greenhouse growers and agricultural processing businesses
High-occupancy institutional buildings such as hospitals, schools and shopping centres
Facilities that generate wastewater and treat, discharge or reuse it
From a regulatory perspective, a business's water source (mains supply, well or surface water), its wastewater discharge method and its type of activity determine which permit and record-keeping obligations apply. For facilities that discharge wastewater, matters such as an environmental permit may come into play. Current legislation can be accessed through the Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (Turkish Legislation Information System); however, determining which provisions apply to your business requires a site-specific assessment.
How is a water efficiency project carried out, step by step?
A water efficiency project follows a clear sequence: first measure, then identify losses, then prioritise and implement measures, and finally monitor the results. When this sequence is skipped, the money spent often fails to deliver the expected effect.
1. Measure the current situation
The first step is to gather past water bills, meter readings and, where applicable, well flow records. When monthly consumption is assessed alongside occupancy or production figures, you obtain comparable indicators such as water consumption per room or per unit of product.
2. Map the points of consumption
Every point where water is used on site is listed: kitchen, laundry, cooling towers, boiler room, pools, irrigation, production lines and staff or communal areas. Fitting sub-meters to critical areas in addition to the main meter is the most reliable way to see how much water each area consumes.
3. Identify losses and leaks
If the meter keeps turning at night or when production has stopped, this may point to a hidden leak. At this stage, pipework, storage tanks, overflow lines, cisterns and the irrigation system are inspected on site.
4. Define and prioritise measures
Each opportunity identified is assessed for ease of implementation, cost and expected impact. Low-cost actions such as repairing leaks, fitting flow regulators and adjusting irrigation times generally come first; greywater use, reuse of treated water or process changes require a more detailed feasibility study.
5. Implement, monitor and keep records
Once measures are in place, consumption is monitored regularly and compared with the baseline data. These records can be used both for internal reporting and as evidence in processes such as ISO 14001, carbon footprint work or sustainable tourism certification.
Which documents and information should you prepare?
For a sound assessment, compiling the documents that show how the business uses water in advance speeds up the process considerably. The list below can serve as a starting point:
Water bills and meter reading records covering at least the last year
Well use documents and flow measurement records, if any
Site layout plan and water installation drawings
A list of existing sub-meters and their locations
Activity data such as production volumes, occupancy rates or headcount
Wastewater treatment plant details, discharge point and any analysis reports
Current environmental permit, environmental permit exemption or related correspondence
Details of high-consumption equipment such as irrigation systems, pools and cooling towers
Records of any previous refurbishment or efficiency work
Common mistakes and points to watch
A problem frequently encountered in practice is replacing equipment without taking measurements first. Decisions made without knowing where and how much water is being used can overlook the largest point of loss.
Other points to keep in mind:
Relying on a single meter: The main meter only shows the total; sub-meters are needed to find the problem area.
Treating the bill as the only indicator: Tariff changes can mask real changes in consumption; tracking should be done in cubic metres.
Forgetting landscaping and pools: Especially in the summer months, irrigation and pool filling can account for a significant share of total consumption.
Treating wastewater separately: Reducing consumption also affects wastewater volume and pollutant load; treatment and discharge conditions should be considered together.
Not involving staff: Kitchen, housekeeping and maintenance teams directly affect results through their daily habits; short briefings make a lasting difference.
Treating it as a one-off exercise: If monitoring is not maintained, leaks and old habits return over time.
Notes for businesses in Antalya
In Antalya, water efficiency is a natural requirement of operating in a region where tourism, agriculture and urban use all draw on the same resources. Hot, dry summers mean that the period of highest consumption coincides with the period when resources are most limited.
For accommodation facilities, pools, landscape irrigation, laundry and in-room consumption are the key areas; data from these areas is also used in sustainable tourism and eco-label applications. Greenhouse and agricultural processing businesses need to pay attention to irrigation methods and washing water, while industrial facilities should focus on cooling and process water.
You can find the details of our water efficiency consultancy on our website.
On construction sites, too, planning the water used for dust suppression, concrete and site facilities should be taken into account in terms of both cost and environmental impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should we start a water efficiency project in our business?
The best starting point is to gather past bills and meter records and compare consumption against activity data. Consumption points are then mapped and a leak check is carried out. Without this baseline data, it is difficult to determine which measure should take priority.
Is water efficiency a legal requirement?
Water efficiency is not defined by a single document in itself; however, obligations may arise under current legislation in areas such as water source use, wastewater discharge and environmental permits. Which obligations apply depends on the business's type of activity, water source and wastewater management.
Should a small business also have a water efficiency study carried out?
In small businesses too, leaks, inefficient equipment and habits can lead to unnecessary consumption. The scope of the study can be simplified to suit the size of the business; even a simple measurement and checklist can reveal concrete opportunities.
Does a water efficiency study support other certifications?
Yes; well-kept water consumption records and the measures implemented provide data that can be used in ISO 14001 environmental management system, corporate carbon footprint and sustainable tourism work. For this reason, planning water efficiency together with other environmental work reduces the overall workload.
Contact Us
If you would like to manage your business's water use in a measurable way and in line with legislation, you can find out more about our water efficiency consultancy service and get in touch with us for an on-site assessment.
Written by Uğraş Taylan Sevinç, Environmental Engineer, Asel Çevre Danışmanlık.
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