The economy must be economical. That's how we were taught. In enterprises where economics permeates all areas of the enterprise's activities, savings should come first. But it is not always the case. How do we save, for example, water resources at the enterprise? Those who need it most save.
Often we do not react in any way to any situations with increased water consumption. An unexpected call in the restroom can lead to a 20-minute conversation turning the respondent’s attention away from the problem of the dwindling trickle of “life-giving moisture” in the washbasin. Anyone with mathematical skills can easily calculate how much water and money flew down the drain. It's good if it's your own. Imagine a situation where the costs of the “water element” are allocated to all tenants in the building proportionally. Why should anyone pay for someone else's laxity?
Another good news is that humanity has come up with the idea of installing water meters. This created a real opportunity to pay only your own expenses and not think about what you are paying for someone else. But some even here manage to cheat, transferring the responsible water “according to costs” to their neighboring tenants. The Internet is full of different ways"deception" of water meters. But manufacturers are not asleep, they are coming up with anti-methods to counter “water scammers.” And having received advice from professionals (or having read the information on the website, for example here: Mosvodo Plus) you can identify the dishonest “stealers” of moisture.
We take it lightly that water from our taps can be wasted uncontrollably. Globally, more than 700 million people have limited access to clean, quality fresh water. Every day more and more bodies of water are polluted by unscrupulous enterprises. Water resources are becoming the subject of the world's environmentalists, and we can stand and talk on the phone, and a blue trickle runs into a black “pipe”, carrying away the human well-being of the future.
Drought is becoming a problem in many areas, the planet is under threat, so saving water is of particular relevance. Even if you don't live in an area where water is scarce, your actions can help too. In addition, this way you will strengthen the family budget. There is a whole list of ways to limit your water consumption. Don't worry if you can't use all the methods on the list. Choose at least a few. Even small steps matter. Water is a precious resource, and anything you do to conserve it will be beneficial. So here are twenty ways to save money.
Bucket in the shower
Instead of just dumping the water and waiting for it to warm up, place a bucket nearby and direct the cool water into it. This water can then be used to flush the toilet or water house plants.
Turning off the water while brushing your teeth
The water comes out of the tap at an impressive rate - don't let it just go to waste while you brush your teeth. Turn off the tap after you wet your toothbrush, and turn it on only when you rinse your teeth. 
Turning off the water while washing hands
Do you really need water while you are scrubbing your hands with soap? Save tens of liters by turning off the tap while you wash your hands and only using water when you rinse them.
Using the toilet
Toilet costs are the most significant, so try to flush only when absolutely necessary. This method is not suitable for everyone, but you can still try. There is absolutely no need to wash it off every time.
Fixing leaks
You can do this yourself or hire a plumber. Either way, it's important to fix leaking faucets if you want to save water. 
Using water after pasta
Instead of simply discarding the water after cooking the pasta, leave it in a separate pan. Once the water has cooled, it can be used to water plants. Be sure to wait until it cools down because hot water can kill your plants. 
Car wash
Go to an automatic car wash instead of washing your car at home with a hose.
Shower visit
Some shower heads use tens of liters of water. Try to shower as quickly as possible to save water. 
Proper plumbing
Choose economical taps, toilets with small cisterns, efficient shower heads and dishwasher high class of efficiency. The same applies to washing machine. All this helps to save water.
Lawn care
If you live in a private house, you should not water the lawn. Try decorating your yard differently by using plants that don't require extra watering.
Using a dishwasher or washing machine
Don't start a half-empty car. This approach only wastes water. 
Account control
Keep an eye on your water bills to notice any leaks. If you suddenly see that the flow rate has increased significantly, it is likely that there is a leak somewhere. You need to call a plumber and check all the pipes to save money.
Installing a rain barrel
If you live in a private home, you can install a rain barrel and use its contents to water your plants economically.
Reducing tank volume
If you have an older toilet, it may use too much water to flush. Place a water bottle in the tank! Do not put bricks in the tank because they will break and the crumbs may damage your toilet.
Watering plants
Morning watering requires less water, because coolness guarantees a less active evaporation process. You should not water in the evening - mold may grow. 
Washing dishes
If you wash a lot of dishes by hand, try simply filling the sink with water rather than leaving the faucet constantly running while you scrub away dirt.
Saving electricity
Power plants use thousands of liters of water for cooling. If you save electricity, you save water!
Washing pets
This is another way for those living in a private house. If you wash your pets outside, you can water the plants in your yard at the same time! Just don't use soap that's harmful to them.
Refusal to shower
Do you really need to shower several times a day? By skipping washing at least once a week, you can save a lot.
Using water after washing
If you hand wash your clothes, try using the remaining water in the process to flush the toilet.
An era of total water conservation is coming in Russia. They stubbornly force us to use water meters (under the threat of increasing tariffs), while keeping silent that installing a water meter does not at all mean a reduction in utility costs (I installed a water meter back in July and have not yet discovered any savings, moreover, if I Now I paid by meter, I would pay 30 percent more, this does not take into account the costs of installation, verification and purchase of new meters in 7-8 years).
The time comes when we begin to think about reducing water flows in our apartments.
One technology that the Americans are now implementing (having seen it from the Japanese at one time) will help us save a little on water consumption:
A washbasin mounted on a toilet cistern!
And rightly so. Why pour clean water into the toilet cistern? tap water? It must be used at least once for more noble purposes, and then put into dirty business.
Moreover, after using the toilet you still go to wash your hands (I hope). This attachment was developed by Environmental Design Works (translated as “Ecological design work") and promotes it through his website sinkpositive.com. The nozzle is made of plastic and look how easy it is to install:
Below are the dimensions of this nozzle and the water connection diagram: 
The principle of operation is simple. We went to the toilet, washed away everything unnecessary - water immediately flows from the tap, wash your hands quickly. There is no need to turn off anything, the water will stop on its own (when the tank is full). And you leave the toilet already clean in all respects, you can immediately go to the kitchen or to the TV.
The development company considers the biggest problem for promotion in the American market to be the ignorance of ordinary Americans about the operating principle of the toilet. But we, Russians, have not yet forgotten how it works. Therefore, our people should appreciate this device (especially those who installed water meters for themselves in order to save money).
It seems to me that this device can be invented even simpler for Russians. Do not create a new nozzle from plastic, but use an existing tank cap (for example, by turning it over and making an additional hole in it). Then production costs will be minimal.
From year to year we exchange our time and energy for money. And they quickly and with enviable regularity leave our wallet, forgetting to even “say goodbye.” The reason for this is that the attitude towards their spending is not entirely and not always reasonable. Very often we overpay for unnecessary purchases and loans, we do not receive benefits where we could easily receive them in the form of returning part of the funds to the family budget, we pay exorbitantly communal payments, without trying to minimize costs and refusing to use water-saving devices, economical household appliances, and energy-efficient lamps.
But to streamline your financial life and save at least part of the money spent, freely flowing out of family budget, sometimes it’s not at all difficult. Take this simple example. How much do you think you can save per year by brushing your teeth? Let's do some simple calculations. By brushing our teeth with constantly flowing water (this procedure takes on average 3 minutes), we pour approximately 25 liters of water into the pipe. Assuming that we brush our teeth twice a day, 18,250 liters (50 l x 365 days) are consumed per year, which is 18.25 cubic meters (1 cubic meter= 1000 liters of water).
To imagine daily water consumption more clearly, you can draw the following analogy. If you were a resident of a village in which there was no other way to provide yourself with water other than bringing it from the well in buckets, even if you spent 20 liters you would have to travel to the well (there and back), pull it out by hand and bring it home 2 buckets of water. And if, for example, the monthly water consumption is 20 cubic meters, you would have to go to the well 1000 times. The figure is impressive.
Residents of city apartments, of course, do not need to perform such feats. But it wouldn’t hurt for many of us to try at least once. Probably, after such practical experience, the process of realizing the need to save water would accelerate significantly.
At housing and communal services tariffs in our region (135.87 rubles per cubic meter hot water and 27.41 rub. per cubic meter of cold water), provided that water from both taps is consumed in the same volume, you can save 1,485.8 rubles per year (9.1 m³ x 135.87 rubles + 9.1 m³ x 27.41 rubles). And if a family, say, consists of 4 people, that’s almost 6,000 rubles a year.
The amount turns out to be impressive. And this money can be spent on something useful and enjoyable for the whole family. It is enough to perform one simple action: when brushing your teeth, you need to turn on the water only at the beginning and at the end of the morning hygiene procedure. Better yet, rinse your mouth with water from a glass. This amount is quite enough. And this is just one of the most basic ways to save water.
- The habit of soaking in the bathtub instead of a shower leads to the consumption of 140-160 liters of water instead of 30-50 liters, respectively.
- 10-16 liters flow out of an open tap per minute. 25 liters of water are drained into the pipe in 5 minutes when applying a scrub in the shower or when shaving. With daily use of such procedures, more than 9,000 liters of water per year are wasted. At the water tariff in my region, it will be approximately 250 rubles. And this is only for cold water.
- A faulty leaking tap can leak up to 144 liters per day, and up to 5,000 liters per month.
- From a dripping tap, up to 24 liters leak into the pipe per day, and more than 700 liters per month.
- One toilet flush consumes up to 9 liters.
- If the toilet cistern is leaking, more than 250 liters are wasted per day, and up to 8,000 liters per month.
How to reduce water consumption using modern faucets and water-saving attachments?
There are many ways to save water (we have already written about some of them), and constantly growing tariffs for housing and communal services stimulate us to look for new effective opportunities. It was this circumstance that forced our family, along with the use of the most simple ways savings, move on to finding new solutions to this problem.
An additional impetus was the fact that our family moved to permanent place residence in another city, in a new spacious apartment. The joy of the move was somewhat overshadowed by the numbers in the first payment received for public utilities. And naturally there was a desire to somehow reduce them. First of all, the focus was on saving water. Moreover, based on personal experience, the consumption of this resource can most easily be optimized through reasonable consumption.
This time our efforts were focused on technical issues, namely the possibilities of using modern economical household appliances and special devices, which, according to experts, can reduce water consumption by 50-70%. But, before putting into practice what we had planned to re-equip our home, we had to work hard studying specifications various devices and the possibility of using them in your apartment.
Which mixer should you choose?
Present on the market different kinds taps that help save from 30 to 50% of water. In any case, this is evidenced by reviews of their owners and expert calculations. Of course, implementing this method of reducing water consumption will require certain costs, which, as a rule, pay off quickly. Although some models (for example, sensor faucets, faucets with sensors) cannot be called budget.
Single lever mixer
It makes more sense to install a regular single-lever faucet in the kitchen and bath instead of the outdated model with two levers (hot and cold water mixes in such taps more slowly, which leads to greater consumption). Trying to install optimal temperature, you have to rotate the taps for about a minute. During this time, up to 8 liters of water are drained into the sewer. If there is one lever on the mixer, temperature adjustment is faster. And it’s much more convenient to do this.
Mixer with aerator
Without delving into the technical component of the issue, we can say that thanks to the aerator modern models mixers are capable of creating a flow of water with good pressure at a relatively low water consumption - 5-8 liters per minute (at a water consumption rate of normal conditions 13-15 liters per minute). Many modern faucet models are equipped with such a device. And this makes the choice much easier.
Technical household innovations are not only convenient, attractive and reliable, but also allow us not to spend too much. Such models constantly appear on the market. There are plenty to choose from. Get your bearings in time, get acquainted with new products, learn a lot useful information about smart devices, allowing you to reduce utility costs and choose something suitable for yourself from a variety of ergonomic devices with different designs and functionality, you can find out on specialized resources.
By the way, we’ll talk about that another time. I hope you find the information useful. For now, for now...
Industrial enterprises are large consumers of water. Water is used for industrial, drinking and fire-fighting purposes. The largest industrial consumers are metallurgical and oil refineries, thermal power plants (TPPs) that use water for cooling, pulp and paper and mining enterprises, where a significant amount of water is used for washing raw materials and obtaining products. These costs reach 80...90% of the total water consumption of the enterprise.
Water is also used to produce steam and its condensation, hydraulic transport (removal of ash and slag from furnaces), dust collection and for other industrial purposes.
Depending on the purpose of water in production, different requirements are imposed on water quality. For example, water used in thermal power plants (CHP) must have a minimum salt content, water for the textile industry must not contain iron and manganese, for enterprises Food Industry and household and drinking needs of workers, water must meet the requirements of GOST “Drinking Water” and SanPiN. Water of almost any quality is suitable for fire extinguishing.
Huge volumes of water consumption in industry require special attention to issues of its economy and rational use. One of the most important factors for reducing water consumption is the introduction of fees for water resources and limited water supply to industrial enterprises.
For circulating water supply systems of industrial enterprises
it is necessary to maximize the use of recycled water consumption, and minimize the consumption of fresh water taken from the source.
Determination of water consumption for production needs
Water consumption for the production needs of enterprises is determined based on water consumption standards or specific water consumption per unit of output.
Daily water consumption is determined, m 3 / day:
Where N– the number of products produced per day;
q beat– rate of water consumption per unit of production, m3.
Water consumption standards or water consumption per unit of output are determined:
● the nature of production, the composition of raw materials and the resulting product;
● the role of water in the production process;
● water supply system;
● quality of the water used;
● conditions of water use (heating temperature, degree of contamination).
For different enterprises, water consumption per unit of production varies widely, q beat,m 3 /t:
● coal industry enterprises – 3…5;
● metallurgical plants - 150…200;
● non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises – 30…40;
● oil refineries – 100…120;
● plastics production – 200…250;
● synthetic rubber plants – 600…1000;
● light industry enterprises – 40…80;
● pulp and paper industry enterprises – 500..800;
● food industry enterprises – 10…20.
Significant water consumption is also typical for thermal power plants (TPPs), which generate about 80% of all electricity consumed in the Russian Federation.
| Power, thousand kW | |||||
| Water consumption, m 3 / h |
With such large water flows at thermal power plants, as a rule, water recycling system with fresh water replenishment from a source within 3...5% of the total daily water consumption.
In addition to the specified water consumption standards, individual enterprises have their own departmental standards for individual production cycles, operations and types of equipment used, which are given in the relevant literature. for example, railway transport enterprises have introduced “Standards for water consumption and wastewater disposal in technological processes of the industry” OH 016-01124328-2000, which define how unit costs, as well as water quality requirements.
Water consumption mode. The mode of water consumption at industrial enterprises mainly depends from features technological process and can be: uniform throughout the day, uneven or episodic.
In many cases, uneven water consumption is caused by seasonal changes in water consumption. Seasonal changes in water consumption are recommended to be taken into account with coefficients K years And K winter
Using large quantity water consumption for cooling will be greater in summer and less in winter, because In winter, the cooling water temperature is lower. For example, for metallurgical plants K years = 1,15; K winter= 0,9.
The unevenness of water consumption is also characterized by daily coefficients K days and sentry K h unevenness. On daily irregularity coefficients influenced by seasonality of production and water quality, K days= 1,1…1,3, hourly irregularity coefficients are the result of production shifts and uneven product output across shifts, K h= 2,0…3,5.
Determination of water flow rates during water and
Evaporative cooling
Water consumption for cooling are a significant, and for many enterprises, the determining part of water consumption for production needs, reaching 90-95% of it.
When cooling a unit that has thermal load A,(kcal/h), water consumption Q in,(m 3 / h), necessary to remove the generated heat at the temperature of the outlet heated water t 1 and incoming cold t 2 determined by the dependence:
, (12)
Where With- heat capacity of water, kcal/degree kg.
Water consumption increases with increasing heat load A and a decrease in temperature difference Δt.
For increase Δt need to increase t 1 or reduce t2. Meaning t 2 depends on the temperature of the water at the source or at the cooler (swimming pool, cooling tower). In summer, cooling conditions are worse, which means more water is needed. Meaning t 1 depends on the design of the cooling system and process conditions. For water cooling systems, the temperature of the heated water leaving is usually within t 1≤ 40…50 0 C.
With a significant content of hardness salts and heating to 40...50 o C or more, abundant scale formation occurs. This limits the water heating limit. Considering the relationship Δt And Q in for various objects, it is possible to determine the most economically advantageous temperatures t 1 And t2. Taking into account the above, when optimal design and operation of cooling systems, it is possible to increase the efficiency of water management of an industrial enterprise.
3.3. Determination of water consumption for drinking water and fire-fighting needs of industrial enterprises
Household water consumption. The total consumption of domestic and drinking water at industrial enterprises can be determined by aggregated norms of water consumption and quantity Wastewater per unit of production for various industries. To calculate the utility and drinking water supply system of an enterprise, it is necessary to know the water consumption for individual administrative, domestic and industrial buildings. In this case, costs are determined in accordance with SNiP.
Water consumption for household and drinking needs of workers for workshops with significant heat generation (more than 80 kJ per 1 m 3 / h) is taken 45 l , for other workshops – 25 l for each worker per shift, while the hourly unevenness coefficient is taken accordingly By hour= 2.5 and 3.
Water consumption in showers is determined at the rate of 500 l/h per shower net for 45 minutes after the end of the shift. The number of shower nets in the workshops of the enterprise depends on the nature of production.
In workshops where workers’ clothes and hands are not contaminated, 1 shower net (1 d.s.) is provided for 15 people , if production processes lead to contamination of clothes and hands - 1 d.s. for 7 people, for very dusty workshops where water is used - 1 d.s. for 5 people and for workshops emitting particularly polluting substances - 1 d.s. on 3 persons .
During the main time of the shift, consumption is insignificant, but at the end of the shift it increases. Therefore, in order to reduce the diameters of supply pipelines and reduce costs taken from the city network, spare tanks are installed on the territory of the enterprise, which are gradually replenished during the shift and emptied during hours of maximum water withdrawal.
Water consumption for landscaping industrial enterprises are: for watering improved surfaces of areas 1.2...1.5 l/m 2, driveways - 0.3...0.4 l/m 2; watering flower beds and lawns - 4...6 l/m2. Moreover, for these purposes it is allowed to use water from industrial water supply networks if its quality meets sanitary and agrotechnical requirements.
Water consumption for firefighting needs. In industrial enterprises, fire-fighting water supply systems are usually designed combined with production or drinking water supply.
The number of simultaneous fires and water consumption are taken according to SNiP. Estimated time of fire at the enterprise accepted 3 hours . Water consumption for watering streets, showers, washing floors and washing equipment should not be taken into account.
On average, fire-fighting water consumption at an industrial enterprise is 3...7% of total consumption water. This includes taking into account preventive watering of wood in warehouses, wetting of peat, irrigation of tanks for storing flammable liquids (oil, kerosene, diesel fuel, etc.).
However, the limiting factor is, as a rule, not water consumption, but water pressures , because Most fire-fighting water supply systems at enterprises are designed high pressure . This is one of the reasons for combining a fire-fighting water supply with a drinking water supply, and not with a production one, since for production purposes the pressure is usually 20…40 m.
To maintain the necessary fire-fighting water supply, enterprises install special containers (reservoirs).
3.4. Water balance of an industrial enterprise
When designing water supply systems for an industrial enterprise, a water balance, which indicates water consumption for all categories of consumers, as well as water losses. Water consumers, as a rule, are grouped according to their location, pressure and water quality. Then a water use plan is drawn up, i.e. expenses received by consumers, water losses by consumers and expenses removed from them (indicated by numbers).
Water balance industrial enterprise is necessary in the design and calculation of water supply structures ( pumping stations, water pipelines, treatment facilities, cooling devices, etc.).
During the operation of an industrial enterprise, the water balance affects the economy of the enterprise and the real cost of production.
Basic principles of compilation water balance industrial enterprise:
1. The amount of water in the industrial water supply system is maintained constant, while water losses in the system are compensated by added water from the source.
2. The sources of water entering the system are established.
3. The quantitative characteristics of each source are determined.
4. Groups of consumers requiring water from one
quality.
5. To reduce the amount of fresh water taken from the source, the possibility of sequential use of waste water from one group of consumers to supply water to another group is identified.
IN general view The sources of water supply and loss from the enterprise's water supply system are shown in Table. 3.1.
To maintain water balance, the following conditions are necessary:
ΣQ post = ΣQ dec, (13)
Where ΣQ post– the amount of water consumption received in water supply system,
ΣQ dec– the amount of water consumption decreasing from the water supply system.
In addition to the water balance of water supply systems, it is important to maintain a balance of water quality, thermal stability, biogenicity of circulating water, etc.
