November 23, 2009

Water scarcity should boost prospects for U.S. mechanical contractors

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Anticipated water shortages in the U.S. could result in unprecedented business opportunities for mechanical contractors, according to a study by the U.S. Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation.

The report anticipates that the public policy focus will soon shift to water conservation, water-efficiency technologies and on-site water treatment and re-use.

This in turn presents opportunities for contractors in a number of areas, from conducting water-efficiency audits to rainwater harvesting, gray water reuse and water conservation in cooling towers.

Dennis Langley, executive director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America, said the really good news is that the mechanical contracting industry can be part of the solution.

“I think the most important thing is that there are technology solutions that can help lessen the impact of what we think is going to be a pretty significant development,” he said.

“The folks in our industry, to a large degree, can help provide the solutions — they can be the guys in the white hats and red capes.”

In other developed countries, particularly Australia, severe water shortages have forced engineers, contractors, building managers and owners to adopt solutions that cut building water use by 30 per cent to 60 per cent. The foundation is an arm of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America.

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