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Water audits allow plumbers to partner with customers’ greening plans
Mention the word audit to most people, particularly at this time of year, and something related to just-filed income taxes usually springs to mind. But there’s one kind of audit plumbing contractors can offer that will have customers celebrating the day they heard about it. And, at least one expert said, adding water audits to your lineup of services could also help bring some of tomorrow’s high-tech, environmentally friendly plumbers into the fold.
In simplest terms, a water audit involves working through a detailed checklist that analyzes a building’s water use and then, through training or experience or preferably both, the person conducting the audit can suggest cost-effective ways to conserve water and reduce a pair of often overlooked, but associated costs, energy use and sewer fees.
One way plumbers can learn more about conducting water audits is to get the American Water Works Association’s free water audit software that can be downloaded right here.
Another way, of course, is to receive training from an association or maybe even a utility. One outfit that offers water audit training as part of its curriculum is GreenPlumbers USA. Doug Kirk is a Sacramento-based instructor and director of course materials for GreenPlumbers USA, and he said there are different water audits depending on the goals.
“The one a water utility would conduct would want to locate a leak and resolve an issue with someone who has an inordinately high water bill,” Kirk said. “What we’re looking for is how much water someone is using and what we can do to reduce that use. Then, what we can do is offer them both equipment-and behavioral changes that can help them reduce their water use.”
Water audits are a lot of work and very time consuming if done properly, according to John Smith, president of The Arizona GreenPlumbers/Rooter 2000: “A water audit is a process, not just a one-time visit,” Smith said. “As such, the customer and the contractor are working at a much more personal level and the contractor is seeing more than one area of the home/business.
The catch, Smith said, is there’s not always a return on the investment for the contractor in the time it takes to properly conduct a water audit-Mrs. Hassleman may say “thank you” and you’ll never hear from her again. Couple that with the fact some municipalities conduct audits free and Smith said it makes sense for a contractor to offer two types of water audits.
“A smaller-scale, free water savings evaluation will take less time and still gets you in the home/business,” Smith said. “And then offer a comprehensive water audit for a nominal charge. If your company is active in the community, attending trade shows, home shows, and the like, comprehensive water audits are well-received raffle- or prize items that always generate interest.
Kirk agreed the primary aim is to build a relationship with the customer, “so if they have questions about water or energy they will contact the GreenPlumbers licensee to get answers to their questions,” Kirk said, noting that suggesting more water efficient products, a customer could reduce their water use as much as 30- or 35 percent.
“What we do with the water audit is to try to make both short- and long-term plans with them so they can invest in their home, their property,” he said. “The thing people focus on is the water-savings but depending on where you are in the country there’s also a sewer bill, and the sewer fees are two to four times as much as the water fees. There are also energy savings to be had. If you’re using high efficiency shower heads [or HE washing machines], the energy savings are there because you’re using less hot water to take a shower and you’re not running your dryer as long.
Kirk said discussions with clients include aerators for faucets and recirculation pumps so people aren’t standing waiting a long time for hot water: “What…we’re looking for at the end-and because the water audits class is the last one in the series we teach-is getting property owners a return on their investment. I put together a simulated water audit before I went up to Portland. With that city’s water, sewer, and energy rates, they were saving up to $1,500 a year on the simulated audit.”
Doing water audits, then, benefits the contractor because they get to establish a relationship with their customers. They benefit the consumer because they wind up using less water and energy. Anything else?
“There are dollars there also,” Kirk said. “There’s a return on their investment. That $1,500 in the simulated audit, that represents this year. If rates don’t change, that’s $1,500 they’re going to save next year, too.” There is a substantial return on consumers’ investment.”
Providing customers that kind of ROI as well as the goodwill it creates is the kind of thing that leads to a certain amount of success. If, of course, somebody actually gets out and does something with their training, be it from GreenPlumbers or online or wherever. And therein lays innumerable benefits to the contractor.
“In our company, one of the most exciting side benefits of offering water audits has been the enthusiasm it has built in our technicians,” Smith said. “As we have trained our techs, it has sparked their interest in water conservation and the money-making possibilities it offers them. Our techs are now on the lookout for ways to encourage homeowners to become involved in water conservation. They recommend new water-saving devices and fixtures with enthusiasm and confidence.”
Adding audits to your lineup of services may be a way to attract some youngsters to the industry who may not otherwise make it, Kirk said, citing a projected shortfall of new plumbers over the next few years. Conducting water audits may be a way for a youngster to get his foot in the door and get excited about the green aspects of the business, since it by no means takes a journeyman plumber conduct a water audit.
“And now that we’re talking about green it’s been my experience that the younger generation is very concerned with greenhouse gases and global warming and they want to do something that is going to be positive and give them a better world to live in,” Kirk said. “We’re trying to bring them into the industry where their employment can be a benefit not only to the contractor but to society as a whole.”
Smith spoke highly of GreenPlumbers training program and its water audit checklist, but recommended contractors receive training in water audits and conservation prior to implementing audits at one’s company.
“This program gives contractors useful information and resources that enable them to keep up-to-date on the latest innovations, even after the class is over,” Smith said. “The water audits you do are only as good as how well you are able to interpret the information and move forward with practical, water (and money) saving suggestions.
Just being trained in performing water audits, Smith said, challenged his employees to grow as plumbers: “They’re now thinking outside the box in their approach to their jobs,” Smith said. “They’re excited about and interested in new water-saving products, and that enthusiasm has carried over directly to our customers. Our plumbers are promoting new products and looking at their jobs in a new light. They are seeing potential and making recommendations when they go to a job site, not just completing the one task they have been sent out to accomplish. You might say that they are thinking like a water audit, even when they are not officially doing one. Either way, our mission is being accomplished.”Jack Sweet
Reeves Journal