EM-120 Utility Customer Profile Guide for Water Conservation Planning

Abstract

Conservation coordinators and managers often seek recommendations for best management practices (BMPs) that produce the greatest amount of water savings at the least cost. In practice, it is difficult to create a hierarchy of BMPs based on cost and water-savings effectiveness because numerous factors may affect those results, including available conservation funding, how conservation affects revenue generation, differences in customer classifications, conservation goals set by the utility or provider, staff availability and training, economic and social values of water, and customers’ attitudes regarding conservation. Therefore, performing a customer profile in each utility service area is necessary for determining the BMPs that may help achieve water conservation goals.