Glossary and regulations
Every term behind water, energy, air and operations, explained.
112 standards, regulations and operating terms, each with a plain definition, who it applies to, what evidence it needs and how Aqueduct helps.
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AASHE STARSEducation, airports and industry · Higher educationAASHE STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, is a self-reporting framework from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Colleges and universities use it to measure sustainability performance across academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration, and can earn ratings such as Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.ACI Airport Carbon AccreditationEducation, airports and industry · AirportsACI Airport Carbon Accreditation is a global program of Airports Council International that independently assesses and recognizes airports' efforts to manage and reduce their carbon emissions. Airports progress through levels, from mapping their footprint to reducing emissions, engaging partners and reaching more advanced stages of decarbonization.Airport water balanceAirports · Airports, GlobalAn airport water balance is an accounting of all water entering an airport compared with all water used, metered and lost across terminals, tenants, cooling towers, irrigation, aircraft services and fire systems. When supply and use do not reconcile, the gap is unaccounted water, usually leaks in large buried networks or unmetered use.Airside and landside utilitiesAirports · Airports, GlobalAirside and landside utilities are the networks that supply an airport with electricity, water, chilled water, heating, wastewater and other services. Airside covers the secure area with aprons, stands, airfield lighting and hangars. Landside covers terminals' public areas, car parks, roads and commercial buildings. Each has different owners, access rules and meters.America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA)Water loss, utilities and public funding · USAAmerica's Water Infrastructure Act, or AWIA, is a 2018 US federal law that, among other provisions, requires community water systems serving more than 3,300 people to complete risk and resilience assessments and emergency response plans, certify them to the EPA, and review them on a recurring cycle.Ammonia refrigerationDairy and food processing · GlobalAmmonia refrigeration is an industrial cooling system that uses ammonia, refrigerant R-717, to move heat. It is common in dairies, cold storage and food plants because it is thermodynamically efficient and has no ozone depletion potential, but it is toxic, so plants run it under strict safety codes and process safety programs.ASHRAE 170Healthcare · USAASHRAE 170 is the standard Ventilation of Health Care Facilities, published by ASHRAE with ASHE. It sets minimum requirements by space type for air changes, outdoor air, pressure relationships, filtration, temperature and humidity, to control infection, odors and comfort in hospitals, outpatient and residential care settings.ASHRAE 188Healthcare · USAASHRAE 188 is the ASHRAE standard Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems. It requires covered buildings to have a water management program that identifies hazardous conditions, sets control measures and limits at defined locations, monitors them, takes corrective action when limits are not met, and documents the results.ASHRAE 241Education, airports and industry · USAASHRAE 241 is the ASHRAE standard Control of Infectious Aerosols, published in 2023. It sets requirements for equivalent clean airflow per occupant by space type, which can be met through outdoor air, filtration and air cleaning, and asks buildings to have a plan for operating in an infection risk management mode.ASHRAE 55Air quality standards · USAASHRAE 55 is the ASHRAE standard Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy. It defines the combinations of temperature, humidity, air speed and radiant conditions, together with occupant activity and clothing, that a substantial majority of occupants will find thermally acceptable.ASHRAE 62.1Air quality standards · USAASHRAE 62.1 is the ASHRAE standard Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality for buildings other than low-rise residential. It sets minimum outdoor air rates by space type and occupancy, gives procedures for designing ventilation, and allows demand-controlled ventilation that adjusts outdoor air to actual occupancy.ASHRAE 90.1Energy standards and regulation · USAASHRAE 90.1 is the energy standard for buildings except low-rise residential, published by ASHRAE with IES. It sets minimum requirements for the building envelope, HVAC, service water heating, power, lighting and controls, and it is referenced by most US commercial energy codes.ASHRAE 90.4Data centers · USAASHRAE 90.4 is the ASHRAE Energy Standard for Data Centers. It sets minimum energy efficiency requirements for the design, construction and operation planning of data centers, using a mechanical load component and an electrical loss component to assess cooling and power distribution efficiency. It works alongside ASHRAE 90.1 for the rest of the building.ASHRAE Guideline 14Energy standards and regulation · USAASHRAE Guideline 14 is the ASHRAE guideline for measuring energy, demand and water savings. It describes how to build a baseline model, adjust it for conditions such as weather, compare it with measured use after a change, and state the uncertainty of the resulting savings figure.ASHRAE TC 9.9 thermal guidelinesData centers · InternationalASHRAE TC 9.9 thermal guidelines are recommendations from ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.9 that define recommended and allowable temperature and humidity envelopes for air at the inlet of IT equipment. They help data center operators balance equipment reliability with cooling energy, and are published in the book Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments.AWS Standard (Alliance for Water Stewardship)Water standards and regulation · InternationalAWS Standard (Alliance for Water Stewardship) is a global, site-level framework for responsible water use. It guides a site to understand its water use and shared catchment challenges, then act on five outcomes: good water governance, sustainable water balance, good water quality, healthy important water-related areas, and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.AWWA M36 water auditWater loss, utilities and public funding · North AmericaThe AWWA M36 water audit is the American Water Works Association method for auditing water systems and controlling losses. It sets out a standard water balance in which system input volume is divided into authorized consumption, apparent losses and real losses, so utilities can quantify non-revenue water and target the losses that matter.
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Baggage handling system energyAirports · Airports, GlobalBaggage handling system energy is the electricity used by an airport's conveyors, sorters, screening machines and storage systems that move checked bags. A large system has thousands of motors, and many run whether bags are present or not, so idle running, drive faults and poor sleep modes can make it a major terminal load.Benchmarking ordinanceBuilding performance standards and benchmarking · TermA benchmarking ordinance is a local or state law that requires owners of covered buildings, often including the government's own buildings, to measure and report their annual energy use, and sometimes water use, usually through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The goal is to make building performance visible and comparable so owners and policymakers can act on it.BERDO 2.0Energy standards and regulation · BostonBERDO 2.0 is Boston's Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance, as amended in 2021. It requires large buildings to report energy and water use each year and sets emissions standards that step down over time, reaching net zero emissions by 2050.BMS, BAS, EMS, BEMSOperations and asset management · TermBMS, BAS, EMS and BEMS are overlapping terms for building management systems, building automation systems, energy management systems and building energy management systems. Together they describe the controllers and software that run HVAC, lighting and plant, and that track energy use. The boundaries between them vary by vendor and region.BOD and CODDairy and food processing · GlobalBOD and COD are measures of how polluted wastewater is. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the oxygen microbes use to break down organic matter. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the oxygen needed to oxidize it chemically. Dairy and food effluent is high in both, and discharge permits limit them.BREEAM In-UseAir quality standards · InternationalBREEAM In-Use is the BREEAM certification scheme from BRE for existing, operational buildings. It helps owners and occupiers assess and improve the sustainability performance of an asset in use, covering energy, water, health and well-being, resilience, materials, pollution and land use.BRSRCarbon and ESG reporting · IndiaBRSR is Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting, the disclosure framework mandated by India's Securities and Exchange Board for the top 1,000 listed companies by market capitalization. It covers environmental, social and governance performance, including energy consumption, water withdrawal and consumption, and intensity metrics.Building performance standards (BPS)Building performance standards and benchmarking · US cities and statesBuilding performance standards, or BPS, are laws that require existing buildings to meet energy use or greenhouse gas emissions targets over time, with penalties or alternative compliance payments for missing them. Unlike benchmarking, which only requires reporting, a BPS requires measured improvement. Several US cities and states have adopted them.
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California SB 555Water loss, utilities and public funding · CaliforniaCalifornia SB 555 is a 2015 state law that requires urban retail water suppliers to complete and submit validated water loss audits every year, using the AWWA M36 method and the AWWA Free Water Audit Software. It also set the basis for state water loss performance standards, making measured loss data a regulatory requirement.Capital planning with condition dataCounties and local government · USCapital planning with condition data is the practice of using measured equipment performance, runtime, faults and energy use to decide which building systems to repair, replace or upgrade, and when. It supplements periodic facility condition assessments with continuous evidence, so limited public capital budgets go to the assets that most need them.CDP ClimateCarbon and ESG reporting · CorporateCDP Climate is the climate change section of CDP's annual environmental disclosure system. Companies report governance, climate risks and opportunities, emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3, energy use, targets and reduction initiatives, and CDP scores the responses for investors and purchasing organizations.CDP Water SecurityWater standards and regulation · CorporateCDP Water Security is the water section of CDP's annual environmental disclosure system. Companies report how water affects their business, their withdrawals, discharges and consumption, water risks and opportunities, governance and targets, and CDP scores the responses for investors and customers.CGWA NOCWater standards and regulation · IndiaCGWA NOC is the no objection certificate issued by India's Central Ground Water Authority for extracting groundwater. Industries, infrastructure projects, mining and many commercial users need one, and it usually comes with conditions on metering, recharge, monitoring and reporting of the water drawn.Clean-in-place (CIP)Dairy and food processing · GlobalClean-in-place (CIP) is the automated cleaning of tanks, pipework, heat exchangers and fillers without taking them apart. A CIP system circulates rinse water, detergent, acid and sanitizer at set temperatures and flows, which makes it one of the largest users of water, heat and chemicals in a dairy or beverage plant.CMMS and EAMOperations and asset management · TermCMMS and EAM are software systems of record for maintenance. A computerized maintenance management system, or CMMS, schedules and tracks work orders, technicians and spare parts. An enterprise asset management system, or EAM, extends that to the full asset life, including finance, procurement and renewal planning across an organization.CMS QSO-17-30 water managementHealthcare · USACMS QSO-17-30 is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services memorandum, first issued in 2017 and revised in 2018, that expects hospitals, critical access hospitals and nursing homes to have water management policies and procedures that reduce the risk of Legionella and other waterborne pathogens, considering ASHRAE 188 and the CDC toolkit.Coefficient of performance (COP)Dairy and food processing · GlobalCoefficient of performance (COP) is the ratio of useful heating or cooling a system delivers to the energy it consumes, with both in the same units. A chiller that removes three kilowatts of heat for every kilowatt of electricity has a COP of 3. Higher COP means less energy for the same duty.Compressed air leaksFMCG and manufacturing · GlobalCompressed air leaks are unintended losses of air from pipes, fittings, hoses, couplings, valves and tools in a plant's compressed air system. Because compressed air is expensive to produce, leaks force compressors to run longer and at higher pressure for no useful work. They are often the largest single waste in a compressed air system.Condition-based maintenanceOperations and asset management · TermCondition-based maintenance is a strategy that triggers maintenance work when measured equipment condition, such as vibration, temperature, pressure or current draw, crosses a defined limit, rather than on a fixed calendar. It reduces unnecessary servicing and catches deterioration earlier, and it supplies the measurement layer that predictive maintenance builds on.Correctional facility utilitiesCounties and local government · USCorrectional facility utilities are the water, electricity, gas, heating, cooling and ventilation used by jails, detention centers and prisons. These buildings run 24 hours a day with high occupancy, laundries, kitchens and showers, and secure plumbing that can be misused, so they are often among the most water and energy intensive buildings a county or state operates.County facilities energy managementCounties and local government · USCounty facilities energy management is the program a county government uses to track, control and report energy and water across the buildings it owns and operates, such as courthouses, jails, administration offices, libraries, health clinics, road depots and parks. It combines utility bill tracking, metering, maintenance and capital planning under limited budgets and staff.Courthouse and civic building operationsCounties and local government · USCourthouse and civic building operations is the day-to-day running of public buildings such as courthouses, city and county halls, libraries, community centers and administration offices. It covers heating, cooling, ventilation, water, lighting and maintenance, balancing public access, security, historic fabric and tight budgets with comfort and air quality for staff and visitors.CSRD and ESRSCarbon and ESG reporting · European UnionCSRD and ESRS is the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive together with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards that specify its disclosures. Companies in scope report sustainability information, including climate under ESRS E1 and water under ESRS E3, based on a double materiality assessment and subject to assurance.
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DC BEPSBuilding performance standards and benchmarking · Washington DCDC BEPS, the Building Energy Performance Standards, is a Washington DC program that requires covered buildings to meet an energy performance standard set for their property type, using annual benchmarking data. Buildings below the standard must improve over a multi-year compliance cycle. It was established by the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018.Digital twinOperations and asset management · TermA digital twin is a live virtual model of a physical site or system that mirrors its assets, their current states and how they connect, updated continuously from real data. Unlike a static drawing or BIM file, a digital twin changes as the site changes, so teams can see, analyze and act on actual conditions.District metered area (DMA)Water loss, utilities and public funding · TermA district metered area, or DMA, is a discrete zone of a water distribution network whose inflows and outflows are metered, so that water use and losses within it can be measured. By comparing what enters the district with what customers use, especially at night, utilities can localize leakage to a manageable area.Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and WIFIAWater loss, utilities and public funding · USAThe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and WIFIA are two US programs that finance water infrastructure. The DWSRF is a federal and state partnership that provides low-cost loans and other assistance to public water systems. WIFIA, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program, offers EPA credit assistance for larger water and wastewater projects.DSM and Al Sa'fatEnergy standards and regulation · DubaiDSM and Al Sa'fat is shorthand for Dubai's demand side management programs, led by DEWA under the Dubai Demand Side Management Strategy, and Al Sa'fat, the Dubai green building evaluation system administered by Dubai Municipality for new construction. Together they shape how existing and new buildings in Dubai manage energy and water.
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Effluent treatment plant (ETP)Dairy and food processing · India and GlobalAn effluent treatment plant (ETP) treats industrial wastewater from a factory before it is discharged or reused. In dairy and food plants, an ETP typically removes fats, solids and organic load through screening, equalization, biological treatment and clarification, and it is itself a large energy and chemical user.EISA Section 432 and the Energy Act of 2020Government and public sector · US federalEISA Section 432 is the provision of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that requires US federal agencies to designate covered facilities, evaluate their energy and water use on a recurring cycle, implement cost-effective measures, and benchmark metered buildings. The Energy Act of 2020 added to these requirements and to the role of performance contracts.Energize DenverBuilding performance standards and benchmarking · DenverEnergize Denver is the City and County of Denver's building energy program. It combines annual benchmarking with building performance requirements that set energy use intensity targets by building type, with interim and final targets and financial penalties calculated on the energy use above a building's target. It applies to larger commercial and multifamily buildings.Energy Conservation Act and BEEEnergy standards and regulation · IndiaEnergy Conservation Act and BEE is shorthand for India's Energy Conservation Act, 2001 and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency it established. BEE runs national programs including Perform, Achieve and Trade with tradable ESCerts for designated consumers, Star ratings for appliances and buildings, and the Energy Conservation Building Code.Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG)Water loss, utilities and public funding · USAThe Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, or EECBG, is a US Department of Energy program that provides grants to states, local governments and tribes for projects that reduce energy use and emissions and improve efficiency. Common uses include building retrofits, energy audits, efficiency programs and planning.Energy savings performance contract (ESPC) measurementCounties and local government · US public sectorEnergy savings performance contract (ESPC) measurement is the measurement and verification process that shows whether the energy and water savings promised in a performance contract actually occurred. Because the contractor's payments are funded from those savings, the public owner needs an independent, measured view of the baseline and the results over the life of the contract.ENERGY STAR Portfolio ManagerEnergy standards and regulation · USAENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the free online tool from the US Environmental Protection Agency for tracking and benchmarking building energy and water use. For many property types it calculates a 1 to 100 ENERGY STAR score that compares a building with similar buildings nationwide.EPA IAQ Tools for SchoolsEducation, airports and industry · USAEPA IAQ Tools for Schools is a US Environmental Protection Agency program that gives schools guidance, checklists and a framework for managing indoor air quality. It helps districts set up a team, assess conditions, fix problems, and keep improving, without requiring specialized equipment to get started.EPA WaterSenseWater loss, utilities and public funding · USAEPA WaterSense is a voluntary partnership program run by the US Environmental Protection Agency that labels water-efficient products and new homes, and promotes water-saving practices for consumers, businesses and institutions. Products earn the WaterSense label after independent certification that they meet EPA criteria for efficiency and performance.EPBDEnergy standards and regulation · European UnionEPBD is the European Union's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. It requires member states to set energy performance requirements for buildings, run energy performance certificates, and require building automation and control systems in larger non-residential buildings, moving the stock toward zero emissions.ESOSEnergy standards and regulation · United KingdomESOS is the UK Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme. It requires large undertakings to assess their energy use and identify cost-effective energy saving opportunities every four years, with assessments overseen by a lead assessor. Recent phases added action plans and progress reporting.ESPC and UESC performance contractsGovernment and public sector · US public sectorESPC and UESC performance contracts are ways to fund energy and water improvements from the savings they produce. In an Energy Savings Performance Contract, an energy service company designs, finances and installs measures and guarantees savings. In a Utility Energy Service Contract, a utility provides similar services. Savings must be measured and verified.Estidama PearlEnergy standards and regulation · Abu DhabiEstidama Pearl is the Pearl Rating System, Abu Dhabi's sustainability rating framework for buildings, villas and communities under the Estidama program. Projects earn from one to five Pearls for design and construction performance across water, energy, materials, livability and integrated development.
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Georgia Water Stewardship ActWater loss, utilities and public funding · GeorgiaThe Georgia Water Stewardship Act is a 2010 Georgia law that promotes water conservation and requires public water systems serving 3,300 people or more to complete annual water loss audits using the AWWA M36 method, with validation, and to submit them to the state. It aims to make water loss measured and comparable across utilities.GHG Protocol Scope 1, 2 and 3Carbon and ESG reporting · InternationalGHG Protocol Scope 1, 2 and 3 is the classification of corporate greenhouse gas emissions set by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned sources, Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling, and Scope 3 covers other indirect emissions across the value chain.
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Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI)Water standards and regulation · UtilitiesInfrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) is the ratio of current annual real losses to unavoidable annual real losses in a water distribution system. It is a performance indicator for leakage that allows fairer comparison between utilities with different network sizes, connection densities and pressures.IPMVPEnergy standards and regulation · InternationalIPMVP is the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol, maintained by the Efficiency Valuation Organization. It defines principles and four options, A to D, for verifying the savings from energy and water efficiency projects by comparing measured use with an adjusted baseline.ISO 14001Education, airports and industry · InternationalISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an environmental management system. It helps organizations identify their environmental aspects, meet compliance obligations, set objectives and continually improve environmental performance using a plan, do, check, act approach. Organizations can be certified against it by accredited bodies.ISO 14064Carbon and ESG reporting · InternationalISO 14064 is a set of international standards for greenhouse gas accounting. Part 1 covers quantifying and reporting emissions and removals at organization level, Part 2 covers greenhouse gas projects, and Part 3 covers the validation and verification of greenhouse gas statements.ISO 16000Air quality standards · InternationalISO 16000 is a series of international standards for measuring indoor air. Its parts cover sampling strategy, measurement methods for specific pollutants such as formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds, and emissions testing of building products, giving reference methods for laboratory and field air quality work.ISO 41001Government and public sector · InternationalISO 41001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for a facility management system. It sets out how an organization plans, delivers, measures and improves the facility services that support its core activities, using the common ISO management system structure. Organizations can be certified against it by accredited bodies.ISO 46001Water standards and regulation · InternationalISO 46001 is the international standard for water efficiency management systems. It is the water counterpart to ISO 50001, asking an organization to review its water use, set a baseline, track water performance indicators and improve water efficiency through a continual plan, do, check, act cycle.ISO 50001Energy standards and regulation · InternationalISO 50001 is the international standard for energy management systems. It sets out a plan, do, check, act cycle in which an organization reviews its energy use, sets an energy baseline, tracks energy performance indicators and shows continual improvement in energy performance over time.ISO 55001Operations and asset management · InternationalISO 55001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an asset management system. It sets out how an organization aligns physical assets with its objectives, manages risk and performance across the asset life cycle, and keeps the evidence needed to show the system works. Organizations can be certified against it by accredited bodies.
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LA EBEWEBuilding performance standards and benchmarking · Los AngelesLA EBEWE, the Existing Buildings Energy and Water Efficiency program, is a Los Angeles ordinance that requires owners of covered buildings to benchmark energy and water use every year and to complete energy and water audits and retro-commissioning on a periodic cycle, or show that the building already performs well.LEED O+MAir quality standards · InternationalLEED O+M is the LEED rating system for operations and maintenance of existing buildings, from the US Green Building Council. It certifies how a building actually performs in use, scoring energy, water, waste, transportation and indoor environmental quality based on measured data over a performance period.Legionella and HSG274 / ACoP L8Water standards and regulation · United KingdomLegionella and HSG274 / ACoP L8 refers to the UK framework for controlling legionella bacteria in water systems. The Approved Code of Practice L8 sets out legal duties, and HSE technical guidance HSG274 explains how to control risk through temperature control, flushing, monitoring and record keeping.Local Law 97Energy standards and regulation · New York CityLocal Law 97 is the New York City law that sets annual greenhouse gas emissions limits for most buildings over 25,000 square feet. Limits apply from 2024 and tighten in 2030, and owners whose buildings exceed their limit face a penalty for each ton of emissions over the cap.
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M&VOperations and asset management · TermM&V, or measurement and verification, is the process of determining the actual savings from an energy or water project by comparing measured consumption after the change with a baseline adjusted for conditions such as weather and occupancy. Recognized methods include IPMVP and ASHRAE Guideline 14.Maximum demand chargesFMCG and manufacturing · GlobalMaximum demand charges are the part of a commercial or industrial electricity bill based on the highest rate of power drawn during a billing period, usually averaged over a short interval and measured in kW or kVA. They are separate from energy charges, so a single short spike can set a cost for the whole month.MEES and EPCEnergy standards and regulation · United KingdomMEES and EPC refer to the UK Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for let property and the Energy Performance Certificates they rely on. In England and Wales, landlords of commercial property generally cannot let a building with an EPC rating below E unless a valid exemption is registered.Milk chilling and bulk milk coolersDairy and food processing · GlobalMilk chilling is the rapid cooling of raw milk after milking to slow bacterial growth before it reaches a processing plant. Bulk milk coolers at farms and village chilling centers hold milk in insulated, refrigerated tanks, which makes them a distributed refrigeration and power load that dairies often cannot see.MostadamEnergy standards and regulation · Saudi ArabiaMostadam is the green building rating system of Saudi Arabia, developed under the national housing and municipal ministry. It rates residential and commercial buildings on sustainability performance, including energy, water, materials, health and comfort, across design, construction and operation. It supports national efficiency goals.Municipal water loss control programCounties and local government · North AmericaA municipal water loss control program is a water utility's ongoing effort to measure, reduce and report water that is produced but not billed. It starts with a standardized water audit, separates real losses such as leaks from apparent losses such as meter error and theft, and then targets each with metering, pressure management, leak detection and repair.
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NABERS UKBuilding performance standards and benchmarking · United KingdomNABERS UK is an operational energy rating scheme for office buildings in the United Kingdom, adapted from the Australian NABERS system. It rates a building's actual measured energy use over twelve months on a star scale, rather than its design, and is used by owners to show and improve real performance.Non-revenue water (NRW)Water standards and regulation · UtilitiesNon-revenue water (NRW) is the difference between the volume of water put into a distribution system and the volume billed to customers. It includes real losses from leaks and bursts, apparent losses from meter inaccuracy, data errors and unauthorized use, and unbilled authorized consumption.NYC Local Law 84Building performance standards and benchmarking · New York CityNYC Local Law 84 is New York City's benchmarking law. It requires owners of large buildings to measure and report their annual energy and water use through the EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager each year. The results are published, and the data underpins the city's energy grades and its emissions law, Local Law 97.
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Ofwat non-household marketWater standards and regulation · United KingdomOfwat non-household market is the competitive retail water market for businesses and other non-household customers in England, regulated by Ofwat. Since 2017, eligible customers can choose their water and wastewater retailer, while regional wholesalers continue to own and operate the networks.OSHA permissible exposure limitsEducation, airports and industry · USAOSHA permissible exposure limits, or PELs, are legally enforceable US limits on the amount or concentration of a substance in the air that workers may be exposed to, usually expressed as an eight-hour time-weighted average, with some short-term and ceiling limits. They are set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)FMCG and manufacturing · GlobalOverall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is a manufacturing measure of how much planned production time a machine or line spends making good product at full speed. It multiplies three factors: availability, performance and quality. OEE shows where time is lost, and pairing it with utility data shows what that lost time costs in energy and water.
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Pasteurization (HTST)Dairy and food processing · GlobalHTST pasteurization (high temperature, short time) is a continuous process that heats milk or other liquids to a regulated temperature, holds it for a set time, then cools it quickly. A plate heat exchanger with a regeneration section recovers heat, which makes the pasteurizer one of a dairy's main steam, hot water and chilling loads.Power factor and reactive powerFMCG and manufacturing · GlobalPower factor is the ratio of real power, measured in kW, to apparent power, measured in kVA. Reactive power, measured in kVAr, is drawn by motors, transformers and other inductive loads to sustain magnetic fields. A low power factor raises current and losses, and many utility tariffs penalize it or bill on kVA.Preconditioned air (PCA) and ground power units (GPU)Airports · Airports, GlobalPreconditioned air (PCA) and ground power units (GPU) are gate systems that supply parked aircraft with conditioned air and electrical power. They let airlines keep the aircraft's auxiliary power unit switched off at the stand, cutting fuel burn, emissions and noise, while shifting that energy load onto the airport's own electrical and cooling systems.Predictive maintenanceOperations and asset management · TermPredictive maintenance is a proactive maintenance approach that uses equipment data to catch early signs of wear or degradation, so maintenance happens in time and the failure never occurs. It differs from fault detection and diagnostics, which deals with faults after they happen.Public building benchmarkingCounties and local government · USPublic building benchmarking is the practice of measuring the energy and water use of government-owned buildings and comparing them with similar buildings, their own history and targets. Many cities, counties and states benchmark public buildings in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, sometimes because a local ordinance or state law requires it.PUE (ISO/IEC 30134-2)Data centers · InternationalPUE, or power usage effectiveness, is a data center efficiency metric equal to total facility energy divided by the energy used by IT equipment. A value of 1.0 would mean every unit of energy reaches the IT load. It was developed by The Green Grid and is standardized internationally as ISO/IEC 30134-2.
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SBTiCarbon and ESG reporting · InternationalSBTi is the Science Based Targets initiative, which sets standards and validates corporate greenhouse gas reduction targets aligned with climate science. Companies commit, develop near-term and net-zero targets covering their emissions, submit them for validation, and then report progress against them every year.SCADA, AMI, historiansOperations and asset management · TermSCADA, AMI and historians are three core operational systems in utilities and industrial plants. SCADA is supervisory control and data acquisition for running networks and processes. AMI is advanced metering infrastructure that collects interval reads from customer meters. A historian is a database that stores time-series data from these systems for analysis and records.SECREnergy standards and regulation · United KingdomSECR is Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting, the UK framework that requires quoted companies and large unquoted companies and LLPs to disclose energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, an intensity ratio and energy efficiency actions in their annual reports. The disclosure is made each financial year.SFG20Government and public sector · United KingdomSFG20 is the UK industry standard for building maintenance specifications. It provides a maintained library of planned maintenance tasks, frequencies and skill requirements for building services assets, covering statutory, mandatory and good practice work. Facility teams and contractors use it to build compliant, consistent maintenance regimes.Specific energy consumption (SEC) per liter of milkDairy and food processing · GlobalSpecific energy consumption (SEC) per liter of milk is the total energy a dairy uses to receive, process and store milk, divided by the liters processed. It turns a monthly energy bill into a comparable efficiency figure, so plants of different sizes, or the same plant across seasons, can be compared fairly.Steam traps and condensate returnFMCG and manufacturing · GlobalSteam traps are automatic valves that discharge condensate and air from steam systems while holding back live steam. Condensate return is the piping that carries that hot, treated water back to the boiler feed tank. Failed traps and poor condensate return waste fuel, water and treatment chemicals in food, dairy and FMCG plants.Sub-metering by production lineFMCG and manufacturing · GlobalSub-metering by production line means installing meters for electricity, water, steam, compressed air and gas on each line or process area, instead of relying on one site meter. It shows how much each line, product and shift really uses, so waste can be found and costs can be assigned to the products that cause them.
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TCFD and ISSB S2Carbon and ESG reporting · InternationalTCFD and ISSB S2 refers to two linked climate disclosure frameworks. The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures set out recommendations on governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets. IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures, issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board, builds on them and now carries them forward.Terminal HVAC zoningAirports · Airports, GlobalTerminal HVAC zoning is the division of an airport terminal into areas that are heated, cooled and ventilated separately, such as check-in halls, security, gate lounges, retail and back-of-house. Good zoning lets conditioning follow flight schedules and passenger flow instead of running the whole terminal at full output all day.Title 24, Part 6Energy standards and regulation · CaliforniaTitle 24, Part 6 is the California Energy Code, the Building Energy Efficiency Standards adopted by the California Energy Commission. It sets requirements for new buildings, additions and alterations, covering envelope, HVAC, lighting, water heating, controls and demand response readiness.Ton of refrigeration (TR)Dairy and food processing · GlobalA ton of refrigeration (TR) is a unit of cooling capacity equal to 12,000 BTU per hour, or about 3.517 kilowatts of heat removed. It comes from the heat needed to melt one short ton of ice in a day, and it is used to size chillers, refrigeration plants and air conditioning.
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Washington Clean Buildings ActBuilding performance standards and benchmarking · Washington StateThe Washington Clean Buildings Act is a Washington State law, enacted in 2019, that requires larger commercial buildings to meet a weather-normalized site energy use intensity target and to put energy management and operations plans in place. It is one of the first statewide building performance standards in the United States.Water positiveWater standards and regulation · CorporateWater positive is a corporate commitment to return more water to communities and nature than the business consumes, usually by a stated target year. It combines reducing water use at the company's own sites with replenishment projects in the watersheds where it operates.Weather normalizationOperations and asset management · TermWeather normalization is the practice of adjusting energy consumption for differences in weather, usually with heating and cooling degree days, so that one period can be compared fairly with another and one site with another. It separates the effect of weather from the effect of operations, equipment and behavior.WELL Building StandardAir quality standards · InternationalWELL Building Standard is a performance-based system from the International WELL Building Institute for measuring, certifying and monitoring features of the built environment that affect human health and well-being. Its concepts include air, water, light, thermal comfort and more, with continuous monitoring features in the Air concept.WUE (ISO/IEC 30134-9)Data centers · InternationalWUE, or water usage effectiveness, is a data center metric that relates annual site water use to the energy used by IT equipment, usually expressed in liters per kilowatt-hour. It was introduced by The Green Grid and is standardized as ISO/IEC 30134-9. It shows how much water a site uses to support its computing load.
Questions
Common questions
Aqueduct supplies measured inputs for energy, water, air and carbon standards such as ISO 50001, ASHRAE 62.1, LEED, WELL, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, Local Law 97, GRESB, CSRD and AWWA M36 water audits.
No. Aqueduct supplies continuous, verified measurements and exports. Your team or consultant runs the program, submits the report and holds the certification.
Each entry links to a compliance page where available, with the evidence the standard asks for and the data Aqueduct supplies. See the compliance hub for the full list.
See Aqueduct on your own facility.
Bring a site, a utility bill or a question. We will show you where the loss is.