Real Estate Sector Embraces Sustainability to Prepare for Upcoming Water Shortages and Rate Increases

The world’s water use is significantly influenced by the real estate industry. Large amounts of water are needed to build and renovate, generate the necessary resources for projects, and sustain buildings and housing development. Additionally, millions of liters of water pass through the pipelines of homes with each use of a tap, shower, toilet, or heating. The consequences, both financial and environmental, are high when you consider undetected leaks, wastewater treatment, and excessive consumption.

OriginClear, the Clean Water Innovation Hub, recently announced a collaboration with Inc. 500 real estate pioneer Ivan Anz, founder of PhilanthroInvestors, to develop off-grid housing solutions. Anz shared, “As people move into attractive cities and states, developers are looking at more affordable land off the grid.” He added, “Instead of paying millions for sewage connections, they are learning they can sign a contract for self-sufficient water service.”

OriginClear’s Water On Demand™ water treatment finance program enables users to become self-sufficient for water without requiring a large upfront capital expense – users can simply pay for usage. Off-grid housing developments in Utah and Florida are already in the planning stages.

In addition to off-grid housing developments, OriginClear can also help commercial and residential buildings. In fact, this kind of water independence is now becoming law. Riggs Eckelberry, founder and CEO of OriginClear,  shared that “San Francisco recently passed a law requiring every new building over 100,000 square feet to have a water-recycling system. There are similar requirements in Los Angeles, and programs like it are cropping up in Denver, Austin, Texas, and New York City.”

OriginClear offers a suite of products for these buildings that give developers, architects, and MEP engineers the opportunity to pick from a selection of pre-engineered water solutions that install like an HVAC system in large commercial and multifamily residential buildings, allowing them to design their buildings to incorporate that equipment. Eckelberry shared about the quality, “A modern building construction project is expected to have a minimum service life of 75 years, requiring integrated water systems that last just as long. While steel and concrete-based equipment solutions are costly, have a limited life cycle, and take longer to install, modular structurally reinforced thermoplastic systems plug right in and begin to work almost immediately.”

OriginClear offers this technologically superior, money-saving equipment through its subsidiaries, Modular Water Systems and Progressive Water Treatment. And the solution has a solid track record of proven success with clients, including some of the most prominent household names in the world, including an American clean energy automaker, an eco-conscious luxury hotel chain, and a multinational technology company that is best known for its e-commerce.

As the real estate industry further embraces sustainability efforts to meet the growing demand and pressure from consumers, taking control over water usage is a smart hedge against upcoming shortages and increasing water rates.