Energy Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment In North America: A WERF Compendium of Best Practices and Case Studies of Novel Approaches

After manpower, energy is the highest operating cost item for most water and wastewater companies.
Over the last decade, energy consumption by the sector has considerably increased as a result of
implementation of new technologies to meet new effluent and potable water quality standards. High
energy consumption will affect the water industry worldwide and is inextricably linked to the issue of
Climate Change. Through its Optimization Challenge program, the Water Environment Research
Foundation (WERF) participated in the Global Water Research Coalition’s (GWRC) project titled Energy
Efficiency in the Water Industry: A Compendium of Best Practices and Case Studies. For this project,
WERF served the role of North America practice coordinator, developing a Compendium of best
practices in the energy efficient design and operation of water industry assets for this region of the world.