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Benchmarks for water use
Compare your water use with similar businesses
We've developed simple benchmarks so you can see how your business's water use compares. Benchmarking helps you measure your performance, compare your performance against other similar businesses, identify potential inefficiencies, determine realistic operating targets and better plan for changes in your operations. Find the appropriate benchmark for your business type.
Benchmarks
Each business type has its own benchmark measure for efficient water use.
An important part of your benchmark is the Key Business Activity Indicator (KBAI). This is a measure of how much water an efficient business uses for specific activities.
Follow these steps to work out your benchmark.
- Determine your water use in kilolitres a year.
- Identify your yearly KBAI.
- Divide the kilolitres of water you use a year by your KBAI. This is your benchmark.
Find the appropriate benchmark for your business type below.
Knowing your benchmark helps you operate more efficiently.
Aquatic leisure centres
Rating |
Benchmark litres per bather |
Benchmark litres per patron |
|---|---|---|
Best practice |
<20 |
<10 |
Efficient |
20 to 40 |
10 to 25 |
Fair |
40 to 60 |
25 to 40 |
Inefficient |
>60 |
>40 |
For more details, read our Best practice guidelines for water management in aquatic leisure centres (5.6 MB).
Clubs
Club facility type |
Benchmark |
|---|---|
With no cooling tower or swimming pool |
20 litres per customer per day |
With cooling towers and no swimming pool |
22 litres per customer per day |
With cooling towers and swimming pool |
28 litres per customer per day |
For more details, read our Best practice guidelines for water efficiency in clubs (11 MB).
Commercial kitchens
Rating |
Benchmark |
|---|---|
Efficient |
<35 litres per food cover |
Fair |
35 to 45 litres per food cover |
Inefficient |
>45 litres per food cover |
Commercial laundries
Rating |
Benchmark without reuse water |
Benchmark with reuse water |
|---|---|---|
Efficient |
17 to 22 litres per kilogram linen |
12 to 15 litres per kilogram linen |
Fair |
22 to 26 litres per kilogram linen |
15 to 18 litres per kilogram linen |
Inefficient |
> 26 litres per kilogram linen |
> 18 litres per kilogram linen |
Commercial office buildings and shopping areas
Ratings |
Benchmark with cooling towers |
Benchmark without cooling towers |
|---|---|---|
Best practice |
0.77 kilolitres/m2/ year |
0.40 kilolitres/m2/ year |
Efficient |
0.84 kilolitres/m2/ year |
0.47 kilolitres/m2/ year |
Fair |
1.01 kilolitres/m2/ year |
0.64 kilolitres/m2/ year |
Hotels
Rating |
Benchmark |
|---|---|
Best practice |
0.4 kilolitres per room per day |
Efficient |
0.4 to 0.45 kilolitres per room per day |
Turf irrigation
Rating |
Best practice benchmark |
|---|---|
Elite |
4 to 9 megalitres per hectare per year |
Regional |
2.5 to 5 megalitres per hectare per year |
Local |
1.5 to 3.5 megalitres per hectare per year |
Passive |
0 to 2.5 megalitres per hectare per year |
For more details, read our Best practice guidelines for holistic open space turf management (6 MB).
Get help
If we've assigned a relationship manager to you, we can help benchmark your business's water use. We'll organise a relationship management meeting to help you:
- identify your key business activity indicator (KBAI)
- track your historical water use
- determine your benchmark
- compare your benchmark against other similar businesses
- recommend efficiency improvements.
Contact your business customer representative on 1300 985 227 or businesscustomers@sydneywater.com.au.