Water and Watts

The Southeast United States faces significant challenges in balancing water and energy needs due to population growth and frequent droughts. Thermoelectric power plants are the region's largest freshwater consumers, while water heating and treatment are major energy drivers. The document advocates for integrated policy priorities, including the adoption of water-efficient energy technologies, energy-efficient public buildings, and financial incentives for high-performance products like ENERGY STAR and WaterSense labels.

• Thermoelectric power plants in the Southeast are the primary drivers of freshwater withdrawals, accounting for approximately 65 percent of all withdrawals, which totals nearly 40 billion gallons daily.
• Water consumption at power plants occurs primarily through evaporation, with Southeast thermoelectric plants losing nearly 140 billion gallons annually to the atmosphere.
• Water heating is a major residential energy expense; an average home spends about $250 per year on the energy required for hot water, and in homes with electric heaters, this can represent 25 percent of total electricity use.
• Water and wastewater treatment are energy-intensive processes that can account for more than one-third of total municipal energy usage, while contributing 4 percent of total national electricity use.
• The adoption of water-efficient technologies could yield significant regional savings; for example, if 10 percent of Southeast homes replaced old toilets with WaterSense labeled models, it could save 25 billion gallons of water annually and reduce electricity use by over 80 million kWh.
• Solar hot water systems can provide between 40 and 80 percent of the domestic water heating for homes or commercial buildings, potentially saving a homeowner $150 or more annually.

APA

Chandler, J., Creech, D., Metzger, E., del Pino, S. P., Tapia, A., & Taube, B. (2009). Water and Watts. World Resources Institute. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/southeast_water_and_watts.pdf

Chicago

Chandler, Jess, Dennis Creech, Eliot Metzger, Samantha Putt del Pino, Alex Tapia, and Ben Taube. Water and Watts. World Resources Institute, 2009. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/southeast_water_and_watts.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chandler |first1=Jess |last2=Creech |first2=Dennis |last3=Metzger |first3=Eliot |last4=del Pino |first4=Samantha Putt |last5=Tapia |first5=Alex |last6=Taube |first6=Ben |title=Water and Watts |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=April 2009 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/southeast_water_and_watts.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chandler2009water, author = {Chandler, Jess and Creech, Dennis and Metzger, Eliot and del Pino, Samantha Putt and Tapia, Alex and Taube, Ben}, title = {{Water and Watts}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2009}, month = apr, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/southeast_water_and_watts.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }