WATER SENSIBLE PROGRAM

Program Options

The Water Sensible Program offers solutions to help property managers control water use and manage water costs. Participation options include:

FREE Water Consultation for Your Property

Discover ways to reduce water use throughout your property with a no-cost water consultation with the Water Sensible team. We’ll meet with you to assess your property’s water needs and provide recommendations for ways to lower water use and costs!

Rebates for Water-Saving Products

Take advantage of rebates that offset the cost of water-saving property upgrades.

FREE Resident Education Materials

Engage your residents to help save water!

• Posters for high-traffic areas
• Email newsletter with tips for residents
• Audit kits for residents to help find leaks and water-saving opportunities
• Water Sensible window clings and graphics

Access Your Online Customer Portal

Tips for managing your building’s water use most efficiently!

• Sign up with the Board of Water Supply’s free new online customer portal called WaterSmart at honolulu.watersmart.com.
• Once you’re registered, you can access and track detailed information about your building’s water use.

Common Area Conservation Tips

Landscaping:

• Install an efficient irrigation system (convert to Xeriscaping)
• Check for irrigation system leaks, misdirected and/or broken sprinkler heads
• Set timers to irrigate before 9 AM and after 5 PM or install a Weather-Based-Irrigation Controller, which waters landscapes only when and with how much is needed by using local weather stations. Proper irrigation can encourage deeper root growth and healthier, more drought-tolerant landscapes.
• Use rainwater by collecting it through a rain catchment barrel or tote. This reduces stormwater runoff, and the water can be used for garden care, and washing sidewalks or driveways.

Cleaning of Common Areas:

• For tiled and paved areas, patios, pool decks, and lanais: Use a broom or rake, or bucket and mop, instead of hosing these areas down during cleaning
• Laundry:
  • Install signs urging residents to wash full loads only
  • Check for leaks in the laundry equipment or plumbing fixtures
  • Invest in water-efficient ENERGY STAR® clothes washers.
• Car Wash Areas:
  • Attach a nozzle controller to the hose
  • Provide or require that buckets be used to reduce water loss when washing
• Swimming Pools:
  • Install a pool cover (usually canvas) to reduce evaporation
  • Minimize frequency of pool water changes
• Showers/Bathroom:
  • Install water-saving toilet fixtures, including toilet dams, low flush toilet tanks, or dual flush devices
  • Check for toilet and plumbing leaks regularly
  • Install flow restrictors or other water-saving devices for the shower and faucets.
• Common Recreational Room Kitchen:
  • Display a sign requesting that if residents wash dishes by hand, they use a bowl of soapy water to scrub first, then rinse all at once, rather than letting the faucet run.

Make Water Conservation a Priority

Put up signs in common and high-traffic areas instructing residents, tenants, and others to report leaks for repair.

Download a mini-poster with conservation tips

Wasting water raises your building's water bill and could lead to increase maintenance fees for residents.

The Water Sensible Program offers tips for multifamily building residents to help use water more efficiently.

• Shorten your shower by a minute to save water!
• Turn off your tap when brushing your teeth. This can save approximately 70 gallons of water per month.
• A leaking pipe outside your building or misdirected/broken sprinkler wastes precious water. Report it immediately to your building manager. Remember, an apartment building is a community, and what impacts your building affects everyone.
• Fix drips and faucet leaks in your unit. Drips often go unreported since they seem small, but a constant drip can lead to a spike in water consumption, wasting more than 260 gallons of water a year.
• Use your washing machine with full loads only.
• Check for leaks. The most damaging leaks are silent and happen in water heaters, walls, and floors. They also can be destructive and expensive to fix.
• Inspect bathroom fixtures for leaks. A faulty toilet flapper can waste as much as 200 gallons of water per hour.
• Wash fruits and vegetables in a pan or bowl of water instead of under running tap water.
• Use the water from any leftover ice to water your indoor plants.

Download a mini-poster of these tips

It can be displayed in common areas to remind others to conserve water.

The BWS is committed to providing new and simple ways to help condominiums, apartments, and townhomes conserve water and reduce water costs.

• Finding a Leak
• Sprinkler Valve Replacement
• Broken Sprinkler Fixes
• Fix a Leaking Showerhead
• Replacing a Toilet Flapper and Fill Valve