Smart Valve™ vs. Low-Flow Fixtures: Which Saves More on a Commercial Property?

How Low-Flow Fixtures Work

Low-flow fixtures (toilets, faucets, showerheads) reduce water consumption by limiting the volume of water delivered per use. A low-flow toilet uses 1.28 gpf vs. 3.5–7 gpf for older models. The savings are real — but they require replacing every qualifying fixture in the building. For a 200-room hotel or a 300-unit apartment building, that's a capital-intensive, disruptive, multi-month process. Tenants notice. Operations are affected. Contractors are needed on every floor.

How Smart Valve™ Works

Smart Valve™ installs directly after the water meter on the main service line — one unit per building, subject to site assessment. It holds controlled back pressure that helps keep entrained air compressed as it crosses the billing meter. AWS reports average savings just above 22% across its North American projects; individual results vary. No fixtures are replaced. The planned installation shutdown is confirmed with the site, and building operators coordinate any needed notice.

For a full explanation of the mechanism, see: What Is Smart Valve™?

Direct Comparison

The Additive Case

Low-flow fixtures and Smart Valve™ are not competing solutions — they address different parts of the water bill. Low-flow fixtures reduce actual water consumption at the fixture level. Smart Valve™ reduces metered air billed as water at the supply line level. A building with both installed will see additive savings from both mechanisms simultaneously.

For properties with existing low-flow fixtures, Smart Valve™ captures savings that fixture replacement cannot — because fixture replacement does nothing to reduce the entrained air that the meter is already counting as water.

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