Issues in Energy Consumption by Municipal Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Energy consumption is a large cost for municipal water distribution system utilities. Approximately 80% of municipal water processing and distribution costs are for electricity. There are several components that contribute to the total cost of drinking water. In the US, 4% of the nation's electricity use goes towards moving and treating water and wastewater. According to the EPA, drinking water and wastewater systems spend about $4 billion a year on energy to pump, treat, deliver, collect, and clean drinking water. If drinking water and wastewater systems reduce energy use by just 10 percent through cost-effective investments in energy efficiency, collectively they would save about $400 million and 5 billion kWh annually. The paper presented here will discuss the current issues in energy consumption, case studies of approaches to energy reduction, solution procedures for optimizing energy use, and the possible use of renewable energy to possibly reduce the life-cycle cost for municipal drinking water distribution system utilities. This paper will aid utility managers in making sustainable energy management decisions.