Water efficiency will become increasingly important to green building efforts in the U.S. during the next five years, according to the newly released “Water Use in Buildings: Achieving Business Performance Benefits through Efficiency,” a SmartMarket Report sponsored by Chicago Faucets. 
   The report, which examines the significance of water use in commercial buildings, indicates that a greater emphasis will be placed on water sustainability and the products that help promote it. The findings indicate that companies planning to utilize water-efficient technology will experience a 15 percent reduction in water use, a 10- to 11 percent decrease in energy use and operating cost reductions of between 11- and 12 percent, on average.

   Commercial building industry players, including architecture/engineering firms and contractors, also stated that water-saving sinks were among the product categories they most closely associated with water efficiency. About 43 percent of industry players said they most frequently thought of water-saving bathroom sink faucets.