We use the equivalant of 360 billion kilowatt hours per year--9% of the nation's total electricity use--to pump, heat and treat water in the United States today. This is 33% more than is generated by all of the nation's hydroelectric dams in an average year and equal to the output of over 100 typical coal-fired power plants. The good news is that this is one of the largest categories of energy use that we could reduce quickly and significantly.

We can't eliminate all water-related energy use, of course. But we could reduce a great deal of it in just a few years through water conservation and efficiency. We could reduce a great deal more of it over the next few decades if we begin now to replace many uses of treated drinking water with harvested rainwater or treated wastewater.

To learn more about how you and your community can start saving energy by saving water, click on the links below (Website under construction, please check back soon for more information).

Individuals

Businesses

Water Utilities

Policy Makers