look for
Putting WaterSense® to Work
Texas Hotel Upgrades to
Four-Star Water Efficiency
Sector: Hotels; Focus: Sanitary Fixtures and Equipment
Project Summary
San Antonio, Texas, has seen its hospitality industry grow by 85
percent in the past decade and currently attracts 21 million visitors per
year. Recognizing that this growth makes water conservation in hotels
a priority, San Antonio Water System (SAWS) created the WaterSaver
Hotel program—a comprehensive approach to water and utility cost
savings in the city's hotels that includes rebate incentives and
providing high-efficiency fixtures to participating hotels. The Hilton
Palacio del Rio Hotel (built in 1968 and the oldest hotel in downtown
San Antonio) participated in the program and worked with SAWS to
increase water efficiency in its 470-guest room facility.
On average, water use for sanitary fixtures (e.g.,
/Vj&S- »	toilets, faucets, showerheads) accounts for 30
[ ^	° I percent of a hotel's total water use. Beginning in
w 0 ^ / 2007, the WaterSaver Hotel program paid the
ovei"head costs for the Hilton Palacio to replace its
old, inefficient guest room toilets, faucets, and
showerheads with new WaterSense labeled or high-efficiency fixtures.
For example, SAWS replaced 616 bathroom faucet aerators flowing at
2.2 gallons per minute (gpm) with 1.5 gpm models and replaced 525
toilets with WaterSense labeled models, which were the only
WaterSense labeled product types available at the time of these
retrofits. WaterSense labeled products, which now include toilets,
showerheads, faucets, urinals, weather-based irrigation controllers,
and commercial pre-rinse spray valves, are independently certified to use at least 20 percent less water and
perform as well as or better than standard models. Table 1 summarizes the fixtures replaced at the Hilton Palacio.
Table 1. Hilton Palacio's Fixtures and Fittings Retrofits
Fixture/Fitting Replaced
Original Efficiency
Retrofit Efficiency
Number of Units
Replaced
Toilets
5.0 gallons per flush (gpf)
Dual flush - 1.28 full/.8half
525
Faucet Aerators
2.2 gpm
1.5 gpm
616
Showerheads
2.5 gpm
1.5 gpm
479
Water-Cooled Ice
Machines
Single-pass cooled
Efficient, air cooled
22
EPA°^J
Case Study
Highlights
Photo credit: Hilton Palacio del Rio
•	Hotel: Hilton Palacio del Rio
Hotel
•	Location: San Antonio, Texas
•	Number of guest rooms: 470
•	Water savings: Reduced water
consumption by 49 percent,
saving 26 million gallons or 80
acre-feet of water per year
•	Cost savings: $160,000 in
water, sewer, and energy costs
per year
PHONE (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) WEBSITE www.epa.gov/watersense EMAlLwatersense@epa.gov
A rr>A EPA-830-F 14-002-D
\-/CrH July 2014

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In addition, in 2004, the Hilton Palacio completed a project with SAWS in which the hotel eliminated water-cooled
ice machines, which can consume as much as six times the water used in air-cooled models. SAWS recognized
potential water savings in eliminating this single-pass cooling application—which uses water to remove heat—in
the hotel's ice machines. To encourage the Hilton Palacio to commit to this retrofit, SAWS offered a rebate for
replacing the water-cooled ice machines with water-saving, air-cooled models. Although ENERGY STAR®
qualified models were not available when Hilton Palacio completed its retrofit, ENERGY STAR qualified ice
machines are now recommended for all facilities replacing older equipment.
As a result of these improvements, the Hilton Palacio reduced the total gallons of water per room from 209 to 107
between 2004 and 2011, achieving a total reduction of 49 percent. Together, the upgrades contribute to savings
of 26 million gallons of water, $80,000 in water and sewer costs, 480,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, and $80,000
in energy costs per year. Figure 1 illustrates the hotel's water use over time. SAWS spent $110,000 on the
upgrades, corresponding to a payback period of less than two years, had the hotel paid for the upgrades.
Figure 1. Water Use at Hilton Palacio from 1993 to 2009
Hilton
Travel shojld take you places'
4,000.000
TAP #159690
3.500.000
Pre Ice Machine
Retrofit
3.000.000
2.500.000
Retrofit began March 2007
2 2.000.000
1.500.000 ¦
1.000.000
Record Occupancy Rates Resulted in Increased Water
Consumption
500.000
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
*—2007 ^"AVG (93-00)	AVG (01-06)	2008 —2009
Acknowledgements
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense program acknowledges San Antonio Water
System Conservation Planner Brandon Leister for providing information for this case study.
Learn More
To learn more about water efficiency in commercial and institutional buildings, visit the WaterSense website at
www.epa.gov/watersense/commercial to access WaterSense at Work best management practices, tools, case
studies, and more.

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