While facility managers wrestle with ways to make their buildings more cost effective and energy efficient, they often overlook green options for retrofitting restrooms where small changes can have large impacts on water use, waste reduction and improved image.
Reducing water use is the main goal and that when it comes to getting people to use less water, the best way is to make physical changes – most of which will be unnoticed by everyday users. And the key is to control water use without sacrificing comfort and sanitation. That’s according to Cambria McLeod of Kohler Company, speaking at a “Green Commercial Bathrooms” workshop held at the California Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego, Calif., in April.
The quickest and easiest way to reduce commercial restroom water use is to start at the sink. Many older faucets use more than three gallons per minute, but can be modified by simply attaching a low-flow aerator that reduces water at various flows down to half a gallon per minute.