The Commercial Water Audit Checklist: 7 Things to Review Before Your Next Bill

Review 12 months of water and sewer bills

Look for anomalies — months where consumption spiked without a corresponding change in occupancy or operations. Unexplained spikes typically indicate leaks, meter errors, or irrigation system malfunctions.

Identify your meter size and type

Meter size determines which Smart Valve™ unit is compatible. Most commercial properties use 2" to 6" meters. Turbine and compound meters are the most common types compatible with Smart Valve™.

Check your sewer billing method

Call your utility and ask: "Is our sewer charge calculated from our water meter reading?" If yes — and it usually is — any water savings will produce compound savings on both line items simultaneously.

Audit your cooling tower

Cooling towers are often the single largest water consumer in commercial buildings. Check blowdown cycle frequency, conductivity controls, and drift eliminator condition. Overblowdown is a common source of unnecessary consumption.

Inspect for leaks with a meter test

Read your meter at 10 PM and again at 6 AM with zero water use in between. If the reading changes, you have an active leak. The EPA estimates commercial facilities lose 10–20% of water to undetected leaks.

Review irrigation scheduling

Irrigation is often running on a fixed schedule regardless of rainfall or seasonal need. Smart irrigation controllers and soil moisture sensors can reduce irrigation water use by 20–30% with no landscaping changes.

Assess your fixture inventory

Older toilets (pre-1994) use 3.5–7 gallons per flush vs. 1.28 gpf for modern commercial fixtures. In a high-traffic building — office, hotel, hospital — this adds up to thousands of gallons per day.