Water, a precious resource… often wasted
In commercial buildings, water consumption is often poorly monitored due to a lack of suitable tools. Yet a leak, a faulty valve or poor management can result in astronomical costs, material damage and a considerable ecological impact.
Did you know that 65% of building losses are due to water damage?
Thousands of liters of water can be wasted in just a few hours
A simple undetected leak can generate tens of thousands of euros in losses.
The consequences can range from a simple cost overrun to a total business stoppage.
Smart Buildings offer an effective response to these challenges, thanks to intelligent monitoring of water consumption.
📍 Case study: an undetectable leak without intelligent monitoring
In a 16,500 m² office building, advanced energy monitoring was set up to monitor:
✅ Energy consumption (electricity, heating, etc.)
✅ Breakdown of consumption by use
✅ Water consumption in real time
This monitoring identified a critical anomaly:
💧 Abnormal water consumption of 7.2 m³ per hour!
By way of comparison, an occupant consumes an average of 40 L/day. In this case, consumption was continuous, whereas in a commercial building, water is normally used intermittently (kitchens, toilets, etc.).
🔎 Investigation: an invisible but very real leak
In response, a technical team was mobilized to identify the source of the problem. But no trace of water was visible in the building:
➡️ No flooding
➡️ No apparent leaks
➡️ No complaints from occupants
Further diagnosis finally identified the source of the problem: a faulty solenoid valve.
This device, which alternates the use of city water and rainwater, was malfunctioning:
🚨 As a result, over 7,000 liters of water were going straight down the drain every hour!
Without intelligent monitoring, this leak could have gone undetected for weeks, with disastrous costs and consequences.
💡 A frequent problem with major consequences
Water leaks are often invisible but can have a considerable impact:
🔹 Financial cost: soaring water bills, penalties for exceeding quotas, late repair costs
🔹 Material risks: flooding, seepage, land subsidence
🔹 Business interruption: Premises unusable, production losses
🔹 Environmental impact: Waste of a precious resource, increased ecological footprint
Failure to detect a leak can cost thousands of euros in just a few days.
✅ The solution: intelligent monitoring of water consumption
The installation of a remote meter reading and real-time analysis system makes it possible to:
✔ Detect abnormal consumption immediately
✔ Identify the source of problems before they escalate
✔ Optimize water management in the building
✔ Reduce costs and ecological footprint
Depending on the size of the building, it is recommended to install precise sub-metering:
📍 By location (building, floor, specific area)
📍 By use (sanitary facilities, kitchens, air conditioning, watering, etc.)
Smart Building technologies make it possible to anticipate problems and avoid disasters.
🌍 Better safe than sorry!
The story of this leak shows the importance of continuously monitoring water consumption. Today, solutions exist to guarantee efficient, sustainable and economical management.
💡 And you, is your building equipped to detect this type of anomaly?
