Water Efficiency Makes Good Business Sense

The Capital Regional District's industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sectors use about 11 billion litres of water per year, which is nearly 26% of all municipal water use in Greater Victoria.

CRD ICI water efficiency programs can help you to reduce your water use and save you money, while helping the environment and reducing the demand on our drinking water resources.

Using water efficiently means lower water bills for you and defers the need to expand water infrastructure, protects water quality, and reduces environmental impacts for the whole region. Additionally, efficient hot water use reduces energy bills which lowers a building’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Once-Through Cooling Systems: Regulation and Rebates

Once-through cooling systems, also known as single-pass cooling systems, are expensive to operate and waste large amounts of potable drinking water. The CRD Board has approved an amendment to the Water Conservation Bylaw (CRD Bylaw No. 4099) to prohibit the use of water for once-through cooling. Before the regulation goes into effect, businesses in the capital region can receive a rebate of up to $2,500 to replace once-through cooled condensers in a range of equipment, including industrial air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers and ice machines. Learn more on our Once-Through Cooling Systems page.

Free Hand Wash Faucet Aerator Program

We are currently offering to come to any business facility or institution that uses water supplied by the CRD and assess the faucets on all hand wash sinks. If the faucet is not operating at the maximum water efficiency, we will remove the aerator (the little piece on the end of the faucet) and replace it with a new low flow aerator at absolutely no cost.

The new aerator uses less than two litres of water per minute, compared to 11 litres per minute on older faucets, and will dramatically reduce the amount of water a facility uses, while saving money and greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.

Sign up here for this free service or call us at 250.360.3103.

Audits and Technical Services

The CRD offers free water use and efficiency audits to businesses in Greater Victoria and provides assistance with measurement and cost-benefit analysis of various measures to conserve water. Learn more on our Audits and Technical Services page.

Research & Reports

CRD conducts research to support water efficiency programs. These resources enable Greater Victoria residents and businesses to access the best advice from local and international experts in water efficiency and conservation. Learn more on our Water Efficiency Reports page.