Hawaii Energy helps county improve water leak detection

With the help of Hawaii Energy, the county Department of Water Supply was able to purchase more than 200 noise data loggers to help identify hidden leaks in the county’s underground water distribution system.

The new noise data logging technology will allow DWS to detect invisible leaks early, resulting in an estimated annual energy savings of more than $265,000 and an estimated annual water savings of 700,000 gallons.

“Our statewide water system requires a large amount of energy in order to treat and pump water to customers,” said Brian Kealoha, executive director of Hawaii Energy. “The ability to detect leaks early will not only help save in energy consumption, but it will also allow us to be better stewards of our natural resources. By supporting programs like this, our goal is to make energy efficiency more accessible and more affordable to families and businesses throughout the state.”

In addition to helping with the initial purchase of the data loggers, Hawaii Energy presented a $121,258 energy rebate to DWS during the county Water Board’s recent meeting. Hawaii Energy began working with DWS in 2014 in support of its water-leak detection program.

“The new noise data loggers will allow us to find more leaks by improving our coverage of the water distribution system,” said Warren Ching, energy management analyst with DWS. “Each leak that is found and repaired reduces the runtime of our pumping equipment, which reduces our energy use. We are currently targeting energy intensive areas that are prone to leakage. This number of loggers could not have been purchased without the help of Hawaii Energy.”

Hawaii Energy helps island families and businesses make smart energy choices. To date, it has saved the people of Hawaii more than a billion dollars off their energy bills. For more information, visit hawaiienergy.com/about.