TLDR; Energy Conservation in Water and Wastewater Facilities

TLDR; is a series dedicated to books that I have read and might benefit your career. If you work as an integrator or plant engineer in the water or wastewater field, this is a must read.

In the USA, water and wastewater plants have two big, reoccurring costs: salaries and power. Energy Conservation in Water and Wastewater Facilities covers places you can save with just a little logic changes. It is published by the Water Environmental Federation, the experts on this subject. (If you are in this field, you should join!)

This book is utterly painful to read. It is also incredibly nice to cut costs without cutting jobs, so it earned a special mention. Let's check the chapters...

1. Energy efficiency

2. Utility billing procedures and incentives

3. Electric motors and transformers

4. Pumps

5. Variable controls

6. Energy use in water treatment plants

7. Energy use in wastewater treatment processes

8. Aeration systems

9. Blowers

10. Solids processes

11. Energy management

If I were short on time, I would skip to either chapter 6 or chapter 7, then read 8 & 9. Those sections have been the most relevant where I work. The other chapters are more relevant for designing new systems than optimizing old ones.

You would be amazed how much money has been saved by some logic improvements. Our team has implemented one recently that cost us about 80 man-hours and saved $495,000 last year (and will continue to do annually). No wires lifted, no tools bought, just some sequence changes.