Get Started
Outdoor water use can make up a significant portion of a homeowner association’s water use and overall water bill, especially for those HOAs with landscape irrigation. By understanding and reducing your HOA’s water use outdoors you can save both money and water while maintaining an attractive and inviting landscape. Start understanding your property’s water use with the resources below.
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Understand Your HOA's Water Bill
The first step to saving water outdoors is understanding how much water your association currently uses. This is often easier said than done, but the best place to start is with your water bill, which you may have to request from your HOA Board or property management company. Work with your local water utility to learn about your rate structure and isolate outdoor water use trends. They can help you understand your HOA’s water use for common areas (e.g., pools, fitness centers, clubhouses, landscaping). Once you understand your bill you can then find trends that could alert you to leaks and identify effective ways to reduce your water use.
For more on understanding your water bill check out this breakdown.
Collect Data on Water Use
Are you not sure how to talk to your utility or what to ask? Remember, they are here to help water users like you. When we eliminate wasteful water use, everyone wins. Prior to calling your water utility on behalf of an HOA, it will be useful to gather some baseline data and background information to help guide the conversation, including:
- Approximately 12 months of water bills the HOA has paid on behalf of the community (or as many months as you have access to);
- The size of each type of landscape that is irrigated (e.g., how many acres of turfgrass, how many square feet of planted beds) and a map of your landscape and irrigation system if you have it;
- The type of irrigation system that is installed on your common spaces (e.g., sprinklers, drip irrigation);
- The type of irrigation controller used (e.g., WaterSense labeled irrigation controller, clock-based timer); and
- Other end uses of water included in your HOA bill (pools, clubhouses, public restrooms, resident lawns, etc.).
Talk to Your Water Utility
Once you’ve gathered what you can about how your HOA uses water, it is time to make the call to your water utility. Start the conversation by telling them you are part of an HOA that is looking to reduce its water use, and you are hoping they can help you better understand your community’s water bill. Communicate the different ways your HOA uses water and the size of your irrigated landscape. Then you can begin asking them some or all of questions listed below to get the conversation started:
- Can you help me understand my HOA’s water bill?
- Is our water use consistent year to year? Or does it greatly fluctuate?
- Does it fluctuate as expected with weather and seasons? Are we cutting back on irrigation water use during periods of precipitation or freezing weather?
- Are there any unexpected spikes or dips?
- How does our water use compare to other HOAs or businesses with similar uses and landscape areas?
- Do you have any recommendations for how we could reduce our water use? Do you have any or can you refer us to any rebate, incentive, or grant programs that our HOA could participate in?
- Do you provide irrigation system audits?
- How have water costs changed over time? Do you expect a rate increase within the next few years?
- Are we receiving a sewer service deduction for our irrigation water use (since the water applied goes to the landscape, not the sewer system)?
- Can you connect me to any other local HOAs who have reduced their water use significantly?
Consider Submetering
If your irrigation system doesn’t have a dedicated water meter, consider installing one to more accurately track your irrigation system’s water use and identify leaks or other issues. If your water bill includes your irrigation water use among other sources, it may be more difficult to monitor your irrigation system so a dedicated water meter may be helpful.
You could consider going a step further and installing a “smart water meter” which will collect water use data frequently to allow problematic trends and anomalies to be quickly identified. WaterSense at Work, Best Management Practices for Commercial and Institutional Facilities, Section 2.1 Metering and Submetering provides more information to help your HOA decide what type of irrigation meter is best for your community.
You are not alone on this journey. You can explore existing resources from professionals in your area and across the nation to find the right tools that work for your HOA. There may be existing landscape designs and plant lists recommended for your region that can be found online. Your local water utility or Cooperative Extension Service may know about rebates, grants, incentives, and other funding opportunities for retrofits, native landscape transformations, turfgrass removal projects, and other outdoor water efficiency projects in your area. They may also offer free consultations, irrigation system audits, or other advice. With the right tools, your HOA can maintain beautiful landscapes with costs, water efficiency, and the environment in mind.
To help you identify expertise and funding for your HOA’s water efficiency projects, consider reaching out to your:
- Local Water Utility (find contact information on your water bill)
- Local Municipality
- Local Cooperative Extension Service
- Regional Wild Ones Chapter
Have an Irrigation Audit
Further understand your HOA’s outdoor water use by working with an irrigation professional certified by a WaterSense labeled program. These professionals can help improve your irrigation system to meet plants' needs without overwatering and move your landscape toward water efficiency. They can help you design an irrigation system best suited for your landscape; install, maintain, and repair your system; and/or conduct an audit to evaluate your system’s efficiency.
Many grant programs require an irrigation audit to ensure your irrigation system is properly evaluated for efficiency. If your water utility or other allies don’t offer irrigation audits for free, consider using WaterSense’s Find a Pro tool to find a certified irrigation professional who can conduct an audit.
If your community has a water efficiency champion or irrigation expert who would like to evaluate the HOA’s irrigation system, they can visit WaterSense’s Sprinkler Spruce Up web page and use the Find It, Flag It, Fix It Checklist to help them get started.
Become a Promotional Partner
Demonstrate your association's commitment to water conservation, gain access to additional WaterSense resources, and join a diverse community of organizations nationwide by becoming a WaterSense promotional partner. Promotional partners carry the WaterSense message by promoting reliable information on high-performing, water-efficient products, programs, and practices. Together we can raise awareness about the importance of water efficiency and create lasting impact in our communities. WaterSense partnership is free of charge, helps you distinguish your HOA as a water efficiency ambassador, and allows you access to exclusive WaterSense tools and resources, such as social media content, graphics, and more.
Non-profit HOA are eligible to become promotional partners! Learn how.