‘Energy and Water’ Article from the Partnership for Water Conservation

In November 2009, the Partnership for Water Conservation (PWC) held a workshop entitled Saving Energy Through Water Conservation, which featured keynote speakers: Bevan Griffiths-Sattenspiel (River Network) and Heather Cooley (Pacific Institute). After the workshop Mori Wallner, then a grad student and now the PWC's Conservation Specialist working on the Nisqually Project, wrote an article outlining some of the linkages between water and energy.

The Partnership for Water Conservation is a unique public-private collaboration between concerned citizens, water utilities, businesses and environmental interests that actively engages the Puget Sound region in conservation efforts generating measurable water savings that support communities, provide long-term economic benefits and protect watersheds by helping to sustain necessary flows in rivers and streams.

The Saving Energy Through Water Conservation workshop took place just outside Seattle, WA at Bellevue City Hall. The workshop was videotaped and copies can be purchased by contacting the PWC office.

Below is Mori Wallner’s article on water and energy, reproduced in its entirety with permission from the author and the PWC:

Most people do not see a direct link between energy and water yet the two are integrally related. Using water efficiently is one of the easiest ways to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

According to the River Network, 290 metric tons of carbon dioxide is emitted due to water use in the United States each year. This figure is equivalent to the annual emissions of over 53 million cars or 26.4 million homes. What is more astonishing is the fact that 520 million MWh of energy is used to pump, heat and treat water in the US. This output of energy is equivalent to the output of 150 coal power plants, and 13% of our electric supply. US water utilities spent $4 billion on energy costs to pump, treat and deliver water. In some cities this accounts for nearly 60% of the city’s energy bill.

What does this mean? Small conservation efforts can have major impacts. If only one percent of households were to install WaterSense toilets, the amount of energy consumed would be reduced by 38Mkwh each year. This would be enough energy to supply 43,000 houses with electricity for a month or 3,600 houses for an entire year. In 2008 those people who installed WaterSense appliances saved 9.3 billion gallons of water, 1.25 billion Mwh, with a savings of $55 billion on their utility and sewer bills. The reduction in CO2 emissions was equivalent to nearly 1 million metric tons, which is equivalent to 180,000 cars on the road.

If we take a larger step, if every house had efficient appliances, an estimated savings in energy would be over 41 million Mwh and 240 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The reduction in gas would save an estimated 38.2 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Just using simple conservation methods, 8% of household energy use can be cut. There are indirect benefits to reducing consumption as well. The reduced water usage would save the utilities 9.1 million Mwh in water treatment costs, and roughly 5.6 metric tons in CO2 emissions.

The California Energy commission found that water conservation investments could yield 95% of energy savings at 58% of the costs of traditional energy conservation investments. Water conservation is a simple, cost effective method of reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions.

Saving energy also saves water. This is because energy production is a highly water intensive process. According to the Energy Information Administration, thermoelectric power accounts for 90% of our power generation. Here's a breakdown:

• 49% coal power
• 20% natural gas power
• 19% nuclear power
• 2% petroleum power
• 90% of thermoelectric power generation

Thermoelectric power accounts for 25% of all non-agricultural water consumption in the United States. Of all the freshwater withdrawals from lakes and rivers, power production accounts for 39% of the withdrawals. On average, electricity in the United States requires an estimated 2 gallons per Kwh. Power production is the largest polluter of our waterways, releasing heavy metals, acidification of the water, toxic solid waste (ash and slurry).

In Washington State, 74% of all energy produced is attributed to the water intensive hydroelectric generation. Hydropower accounts for nearly 3.8 billion gallons of water loss in the United States, an average of 3.2 gal/ Kwh. In the next 30 years energy consumption is expected to increase by 50% and water consumption for power could more than double.

What does this mean for energy consumption? According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the amount of water used per person per day for food production is nearly 510 gallons, for household energy production it's 465 gallons. Direct use of household water for drinking, bathing, laundry, watering yards, etc. accounts for only 100 gallons per day. The amount of water used for producing electricity for each household is more than 4 times greater than the actual water used in each household.

With growing concerns over climate change issues, the Northwest could experience adverse effects to our energy production. Warmer precipitation could lead to lower snowpack levels and could mean less reliable water supplies. More rain and less snow could mean lower river flows during the warmer summer months. There could be potential losses in hydropower generation capacity with increased temperatures and lower water supplies.

What can we do? Understanding the relationship between water and energy can help people make better-informed decisions. Efficient use of water helps reduce our energy use, and vice versa; more efficient use of energy helps lower water usage. The most cost effective way to lower energy and water consumption is the use of more efficient devices (i.e., low flow toilets) and appliances (water efficient clothes washers and dishwashers). Supporting new technologies that lower the water intensiveness of energy production, such as increased wind and solar energy production, can help minimize the effects of lower water supplies, as well as provide new growth in energy and water technology. By learning more about the integral ties between water and energy we can all make better decisions that will conserve both for the future.

Mori must have been paying close attention during the workshop because he does an excellent job capturing the key messages that Heather and I were trying to convey!