WATER SENSIBLE PROGRAM
Cooling Tower Equipment
A water-cooled cooling tower is a type of heat exchanger that uses water to expel building heat into the atmosphere. The cooling towers’ role is to receive warm water from the chiller and cool it down so it can return to the chiller to pick up more heat. Cooling towers lose water via evaporation and blowdown. Blowdown occurs when water is dumped out of the cooling tower basin to prevent scaling.
Operators can save up to 584,000 gallons of water, and $5000 in water and sewer costs per year by purchasing and installing a conductivity controller, overflow alarm, and flow meter on their cooling tower.
Equipment Rebates (Cooling Tower):
- Conductivity controllers are a technology that receives water quality data from sensors and are programmed to automatically control cooling tower operation. New, efficient equipment allows the cooling tower system to be recalibrated and reduce blowdown frequency. You will begin to see significant water savings and improved cooling tower system performance upon installation of the rebated devices.
- Rebate Amount: The cost of the controller and install up to NOW $2,000.
- Any conductivity controller must be installed to automate blowdown based on conductivity.
Flow Meter:
- Flow meters measure the amount of water flowing through a pipe. This provides benchmarking of water usage and measurement of water savings (or waste) over time.
- Rebate Amount: The cost of the flow meter and install up to NOW $2,000.
- Flow meter must be on this approved list:
- Sensus USA: SR, SRII, Omni R2, Omni T2
- Neptune: T-10
- Badger Meter: LP, 25, 35, 55, 70, 120, 170
- Master Meter: Multi-jet
- Flow meter must be on this approved list:
Overflow Alarm:
- Overflow Alarms alert the building facility manager and/or vendor that the cooling tower is overflowing water, allowing a quick response to fix the issue and prevent additional loss of water.
- Rebate Amount: The cost of the overflow alarm and install up to NOW $1,000.
- Must alert the operations manager, building maintenance or vendor when there is an overflow so they can troubleshoot. (Alert options include audible alarm, flashing light, or cell phone alert).
| Equipment | Rebate Amount | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Conductivity Controller | Up to $2,000 | Any conductivity controller must be installed to automate blowdown based on conductivity. |
| Flow Meter | Up to $2,000 | Flow meter must be on this approved list:
|
| Overflow Alarm | Up to $1,000 | Must alert the operations manager, building maintenance, or vendor when there is an overflow so they can troubleshoot. (Alert options include audible alarm, flashing light, or cell phone alert.) |
*Calculations based on 200-ton tower that increases cycles of concentration by installing new conductivity controller. Savings will vary based on system size and preventative maintenance triggered by overflow alarm and data collected from flow meter.
How to Redeem:
By Mail:
Fill out the form and print. Mail the completed form AND the sales receipt to:
Board of Water Supply Water Sensible Rebate Program
P.O. Box 1440
Honolulu HI 96806
By Email:
Fill out the form AND and email it and the sales receipt to watersensible@boardofwatersupply.com.
Download the Rebate Form (includes Terms and Conditions)
Update: 01/01/2026