What the Five-Site Caliber Car Wash Bill Review Found

Why Car Washes Are High-Performers for Smart Valve™

Car washes use enormous volumes of water per cycle — a tunnel wash can use 40–70 gallons per vehicle, and a busy location may process 300–500 vehicles per day. The volume is consistent, the infrastructure is centralized on a single main supply line, and that line is almost always accessible. These factors make car washes one of the highest-ROI property types for Smart Valve™ installation.

Unlike hotels or office buildings, car wash water consumption is almost entirely tied to operations — not occupancy. This means savings are predictable, consistent, and verifiable quarter over quarter.

The Caliber Car Wash Result

Five Caliber Car Wash installations in Georgia and Florida were reviewed using bill-level utility data and prior-year baselines. The analysis found a 20% average overall daily-water-use reduction and 23% weighted matched-calendar-month savings. Comparable periods varied by site, with at least four post-install billing periods reviewed for each site.

For the full methodology and limitations, visit the Caliber Car Wash case study.

How Exceptions Were Handled

Variable water and sewer charges were analyzed with fixed charges excluded. Benbrooke's missing branch was excluded from the analysis. Flagler Beach had increased wash volume, so its result was normalized per wash rather than treating the higher total volume as a like-for-like comparison.

For more on the car wash industry results and water cost breakdown, visit the Car Washes industry page.

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