09/10/2024
If your condominium building's water is a common property resource (i.e., units do not have their own water meter), the Association can implement a policy to promote water conservation and reduce expense. Recently, an Oak Park condominium association that serves twenty-one units implemented a water conservation policy. The association started with a communication to all unit owners asking that they check their units for plumbing issues that may contribute to increased water usage. The quarterly usage continued to creep up each quarter until the association adopted a water conservation policy. Following the policy's implementation, water usage is projected to decrease by 25%+ versus the prior quarter resulting in an annual savings of $1,788.70 (estimate). Key aspects of the policy include:
- all owners were notified in advance that a licensed plumber would be hired to inspect each unit for malfunctioning plumbing fixtures / toilets (e.g., dripping faucets, running toilets, etc.).
- to establish a baseline, the association conducted multiple water meter readings at various intervals prior to the plumbing inspection.
- the plumbing inspection of each unit generally took less than 5 minutes. Following the inspection, the association formally requested that the unit owners address the identified plumbing issues.
- contributing to the higher consumption was a silent toilet malfunction – water was running into the overflow tube and no sound was produced. In all cases, the plumber was able to adjust the water level to resolve this issue during the inspection.
- the association conducted multiple water meter readings post inspection. The result has been a reduction of water usage by 31,800 gallons (estimate) in the current quarter vs. the prior quarter.
Additional notes:
- The Village of Oak Park's Water Meter Dept. can provide a data log of daily water usage (gallons) for your building. In the future, building management will be able to monitor water usage remotely. The roll-out date of this technology could not be confirmed.
- Even if each unit in your building has its own water meter, it is worthwhile or each unit to identify and address plumbing issues. What may appear to be a minor drip will result in wasted water and possibly a greater expense than the cost of addressing the plumbing issue.
