30%
of water wasted due
to inefficient equipment
20%
of water stolen
due to water theft
40%
of water wasted due to
inefficient distribution
Non-Revenue Water
Non-revenue water refers to water supplied to the organization that is not sub-sold to other parties. The three major pain points related to non-revenue water are: End-use efficiency, distribution efficiency, and water theft.
Each of the pain points, if not properly monitored and acted on, can lead to significant water loss or additional cost. Abnormal water consumption or loss can also indicate malfunctioning equipment, unattended taps, or pipe leakage, and thus can be used as an early fault detection mechanism.
End-use efficiency
End-use efficiency refers to how efficiently a particular equipment (e.g. water fountain or cooling tower) or zone of area (e.g. toilet) uses the water supplied to it. Poor efficiency, as compared to a historical period, to other similar equipment or areas, or against a standard benchmark, can be a result of wasteful practices, poor building design, inefficient or malfunctioning equipment.
Poor end-use efficiency can result in as much as 30% of losses. The ability to identify the cause(s) is one of the important functions of a good water management program.
Distribution efficiency
End-use efficiency refers to how efficiently a particular equipment (e.g. water fountain or cooling tower) or zone of area (e.g. toilet) uses the water supplied to it. Poor efficiency, as compared to a historical period, to other similar equipment or areas, or against a standard benchmark, can be a result of wasteful practices, poor building design, inefficient or malfunctioning equipment.
Poor end-use efficiency can result in as much as 30% of losses. The ability to identify the cause(s) is one of the important functions of a good water management program.
Water theft
Water theft is a major problem in some countries. Tapping of water fixtures and pipes, diversion of canals, and draining of tanks can be significant especially if water is stolen for industrial use.
Unattended water theft can lead to 5% to 20% of water loss.
