look for
Putting WaterSense® to Work
Hotel Installs Water-Efficient
Sanitary Fixtures
Sector: Hotels; Focus: Sanitary Fixtures and Equipment
Case Study
Highlights
Project Summary
As San Antonio continues to grow, water conservation has become an
important part of the city's water management planning. Recognizing
that conservation is more cost-effective than securing new water
sources, in 2007, San Antonio Water System (SAWS) developed its
WaterSaver Hotel program to work with select hotels to retrofit
bathroom fixtures and fittings.
The Holiday Inn San Antonio International Airport (hereafter referred to
as the Holiday Inn) is a 236,000 square foot hotel with 397 guest
rooms. Since its construction in 1981, the hotel's bathrooms had not
undergone major upgrades. When it heard of SAWS' WaterSaver
Hotel program, it was one of the first to volunteer.
Through the program, SAWS paid for high-efficiency toilet, faucet, and
showerhead upgrades in all 397 guest rooms, including the cost of the
fixtures and installation. SAWS only required that specified toilets,
showerheads, and faucet aerators were all properly installed. SAWS
used the efficiency and performance criteria from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense tank-type toilet
and lavatory faucet specifications to select water-efficient, high-
performing toilets and faucet aerators for installation. At the time,
WaterSense had not issued its specification for showerheads, so the
Holiday Inn selected its own showerheads; however, SAWS specified
that they must have a flow rate less than 1.75 gallons per minute
(gpm). Table 1 summarizes the fixtures replaced at the Holiday Inn,
Holiday Inn undertook additional water-saving measures, including reusing the condensate that builds up from
heating and cooling equipment to irrigate the landscape and planting a rooftop herb garden. The hotel is also
reusing backwash water from the swimming pool and blowdown water from the cooling tower.
Hotel: Holiday Inn San Antonio
International Airport
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Potential occupancy: 397 guest
rooms
Building size: 236,000 gross
square feet
Water savings: 7 million gallons
of water per year
Energy savings: 330,000
kilowatt-hours of electricity per
year
Cost savings: $68,000 in water,
sewer, and energy costs per year
Simple payback: Less than 2
years
Table 1. Holiday Inn's Fixtures and Fittings Retrofits
Fixture/Fitting Replaced
Original Efficiency
Retrofit Efficiency
Number of Units
Replaced
Toilets
3.5 gallons per flush (gpf)
1.1 gpf
297
Toilets
5.0 gpf
1.1 gpf
100
Faucet Aerators
2.2 gpm
1.5 gpm
397
Showerheads
2.5 gpm
1.75 gpm
397
PHONE (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) WEBSITE www.epa.gov/watersenseEMAlLwatersense@epa.gov
A rn* EPA-832-F 14-002-G
WtlVA July 2014

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Savings Summary
Before the retrofit, the Holiday Inn used approximately 202 gallons of water per occupied room per day. After
installing the high-efficiency toilets, faucet aerators, and showerheads in all of the guest rooms, water use
dropped 35 percent to 132 gallons per occupied room per day. This resulted in savings of about 580,000 gallons
a month, or 7 million gallons of water each year. Figure 1 illustrates the savings achieved after the retrofits were
completed in late 2007.
Figure 1. Holiday Inn San Antonio International Airport Monthly Water Use
2,500,000
2,000,000
c
o
¦5? 1,500,000
Si
fT3
1,000,000
500,000
2006
2007
2010
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Month
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
The Holiday Inn estimates that it saves approximately $35,000 each year in water and sewer bills from reducing
its water use. Because much of the water saved is hot water, the hotel also saves energy from these upgrades.
Although the Holiday Inn does not currently measure this energy savings, based upon typical hot water use from
showerheads and faucets, the hotel likely saves an estimated 330,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and an
additional $33,000 per year in energy savings, for more than $68,000 in total savings each year.
According to SAWS, the utility spent approximately $100,000 retrofitting the 397 hotel guestroom bathrooms,
which would have resulted in a payback period of less than two years, had the hotel paid for the upgrades. The
hotel has also reported that it no longer receives calls for maintenance of the new fixtures or fittings, compared to
the one to two calls received each day in the past.
Acknowledgements
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense program acknowledges Holiday Inn San
Antonio International Airport owners and managers, SAWS Conservation Planner Brandon Leister, and SAWS
Conservation Director Karen Guz 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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