How smart water technology can actually decarbonize our buildings

Heatwaves in Spain. Searing temperatures in Pakistan. Not forgetting the recent sweltering high of 36.7 °C in Singapore. We know that climate change is not slowing down anytime soon. This has led to a pressing need to limit warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. To achieve this, it is imperative to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and hit net-zero by 2050.

Water, energy and sustainability in buildings  

While reducing carbon emissions by burning less fossil fuels like coal, oil or natural gas can help directly, water conservation in buildings also plays a critical role in reducing carbon emissions worldwide. Many might not know, but buildings account for 38% of global carbon emissions. Fossil fuel, the main culprit for carbon emissions, is burnt for energy and electricity, to power lighting, air-conditioners and other appliances in buildings. Energy is also needed to filter, heat and pump water into buildings and homes, and cool thermal turbines or even wash solar panels.

But here’s the catch – in that process of generating energy to power building operations, large volumes of water are used. Water is also used for extraction, cooling and cleaning, which also requires more energy to transport, resulting in a never-ending vicious cycle between energy and water use. What’s more, wastewater in buildings are often disposed of instead of being reused or recycled, which results in water wastage.

We all know that water is a limited resource. Though water seems like an abundant resource covering 71% of the Earth, many fail to realize that these water bodies that we are surrounded by are not suitable for consumption or industrial use. About 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater and out of that small percentage, only 1.2% is available for consumption. And as the global population expands and industries boom, there’s only so much longer we can sustain our current water supply.

Smart technology for building sustainability

As the world evolves with technology, organizations are moving towards embracing smart technology and digitizing buildings to mitigate rising carbon emissions. Governments worldwide have also recognized the importance of greening their buildings, with Singapore being a prime example as it aims to green 80% of buildings by 2030. Today, Singapore is more than halfway on track with 49% of buildings already greened. 

Water efficiency in buildings can be incorporated through technologies such as IoT and AI to improve and regulate energy and water usage without affecting user experience. For instance, buildings can utilize building management software systems to track historical data and movements of occupants to cool populated zones in buildings at specified timings, saving both energy and water.

Smart water treatment solutions like the HANS Premium Water RO System uses a smart reverse osmosis (RO) process to not only provide clean water for consumption but also treat wastewater sustainably to maximize water saving by up to 95% in recovery rate and reducing 85% of wastewater stream. This allows businesses to continuously recycle wastewater without needing a continuous supply of clean water, thus consuming less energy.

In addition, the HANS Premium Water RO System is modular and scalable, allowing businesses to scale up or down depending on their needs. Its plug-and-play function allows easy maintenance of each unit without shutting down the entire system.

The system can also be synced with the HANS Mobile and Enterprise App to track and analyse water usage, quality, pressure, filter life, and total dissolved solids (TDS) levels in real-time, which will be saved to the cloud intelligence. This helps businesses streamline system management and gather essential data for analysis for future call-to-actions.

 Businesses as leaders of water conservation 

While governments play an extremely important role in global water conservation, this does not mean that they should be left to bear sole responsibility. In fact, a shocking half of carbon emissions are contributed by conglomerates which carry out activities in agriculture, forestry, and transport. This means that a small step from businesses towards water sustainability can mean a big leap for the world. 

Businesses can take the lead by mobilizing their wealth of resources and working together with government bodies, other businesses and individuals to reduce their impact on the environment. Furthermore, with their influence on the public, businesses serve as the initial catalyst to affect public consciousness and steer their opinions. By promoting sustainable lifestyles, these businesses can bring about fundamental changes in social norms and behaviours in the long run and create a herd mentality amongst their employees and consumers to be part of the sustainable movement.

Renew Group: Leading the way towards water sustainability 

Looking into the future of our world can be daunting. We face the life-threatening challenge of conserving and managing our water use, but looking at it through a different lens, the world also has the ability to mitigate this emergency. Without affecting their current operations, some businesses can look toward water-sustainable options and play their part in this water crisis.

With the initial goal to create smart water treatment solutions for philanthropic causes in water-stressed countries like India, Renew Group has since expanded to promote water sustainability throughout the region. Working toward our mission to provide sustainable clean water supply to domestic and commercial sectors, Renew Group continues to invent solutions like our  HANS 720 GPM 1000000 GPD – Industrial HANS Premium Water Solution

As our world makes the shift into more sustainable practices, Renew Group remains committed to making a difference and benefiting mankind through innovative products and influence.