GSA Guidance - Alternative Water Treatment Systems for Cooling Towers

Between 2014 and 2017, GSA's average water rates nationwide increased 41%. Rapidly escalating costs, mandated water-reduction targets, and the fact that on average, 28% of commercial office-building water use is associated with heating and cooling led the GSA Proving Ground (GPG) to select six alternative water treatment (AWT) technologies for in-field validation. AWT technologies claim significant reductions in the amount of water consumed by chilled water plant cooling towers, which provide cooling for 80% of GSA floor space. This report summarizes the first four evaluations, which were evaluated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).