Climate change, urbanization, and sustainability efforts all demand greater efficiencies in how buildings use and manage water and energy, which have become extremely interdependent. A building’s water supply/distribution and heating are highly energy intensive and contribute to greenhouse gases and operational inefficiencies, whereas the energy-intensive HVAC and cooling systems rely on water. Current codes and standards often function in isolation, lacking the cross-sector alignment needed to optimize a water–energy–quality nexus. Another challenge can be aggressive water conservation practices with unintended consequences, such as increased water age, degraded water quality, or cooling towers that provide hotspots for microbial growth, scaling, and corrosion. Researchers Juneseok Lee, Elizabeth Murphy, Medya Fathi, and Tamim Younos explore this interconnected energy, use, water use, and water quality in a new paper for the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, “Advancing Sustainability in Buildings through the Water–Energy–Quality Nexus.”
Their research fills a critical gap, synthesizing emerging knowledge on the interconnectedness within building systems. They developed a conceptual framework, reviewed enabling technologies, and provided recommendations to overcome barriers such as regulatory misalignments and outdated codes. Advantages include mapping WEQ interactions, identifying integrated strategies, and advocating for performance-based standards and delivery approaches that support cross-disciplinary coordination. Learn how to address design-and-operations problems by balancing energy efficiency, water conservation, occupant safety, and resilience at https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-7313. The abstract is below.
Abstract
In the United States, over 125 million buildings make up a complex and resource-intensive built environment, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions. These buildings are major consumers of both water and energy, and their operations significantly influence water quality within internal systems such as premise plumbing and cooling towers. Understanding these interconnections is critical because efforts to conserve energy and water can unintentionally compromise water quality and public health. This state-of-the-art review synthesizes research and technological advances from the last 15 years (2010–2025) at the intersection of water, energy, and water quality (WEQ) in buildings. As the interactions among these domains grow increasingly interdependent, a systems-level approach to the WEQ Nexus is essential to achieving sustainable, resilient, and health-protective building environments. This paper identifies key sustainability challenges, regulatory gaps, and emerging strategies, and outlines future research and policy directions to support integrated WEQ management in buildings.
Learn how you could enhance your building’s sustainability by better integrating its water, energy, and HVAC systems in the ASCE Library: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-7313.
