Energy & Sustainability worked example

Water Usage per Unit with total water withdrawn of 190,000 gal: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop total water withdrawn to 190,000 gal, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate water intensity per unit from total water use, production volume, and unit conversion.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total water withdrawn (metered): 190,000 gal (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 380,000)
  • Sellable units produced: 95,000 units (held at the documented default)
  • Reporting unit conversion factor: 1 x (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Raw water intensity = total water use ÷ production volume.
  • Reported water usage per unit works out to 2 gal / unit at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Raw water intensity works out to 2 gal / unit at these inputs.
  • Unit conversion factor works out to 1 x at these inputs.
  • Production volume works out to 95,000 units at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where total water withdrawn sits at 380,000 gal and the headline result is 4 gal / unit, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 2 gal / unit.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to total water withdrawn, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It treats all water as a single withdrawal figure and ignores source quality, discharge, and consumptive vs. non-consumptive use — a plant that recycles heavily can look identical to one that doesn't.

Results at a glance

  • Reported water usage per unit: 2 gal / unit (headline result)
  • Raw water intensity: 2 gal / unit
  • Unit conversion factor: 1 x
  • Production volume: 95,000 units

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Water Usage per Unit calculator, set total water withdrawn to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.