Drinking water systems consume considerable energy, and their energy requirements are only increasing with stricter water quality standards, scarcer water supplies, and growing water demand. In order to operate sustainably, these critical utilities need to deliberately manage their energy use and costs. The Better Plants program has developed a special series of trainings for this purpose.
The Better Plants program will deliver a Virtual Training (VT) for municipal drinking water systems from October 2 to November 20, 2025. This VT will be performed online by drinking water experts and energy efficiency experts. Participants will be trained in energy management practices for drinking water systems. Participants are expected to collect data from their own water systems, perform an energy assessment, and identify energy efficiency opportunities with help from the instructors.
To maximize the benefits from attending VTs, homework assignments will be given to the participants at the end of each session and will be due by the next session. These homework assignments are designed to enhance participants’ understanding of the concepts and to identify and quantify energy savings opportunities. During the last session of the VTs, participants will be asked to create a summary presentation based on their assessment of their own systems, present their findings, and share the final version with DOE.
The Municipal Drinking Water VT is comprised of eight (8) 2.5-hour online training sessions (2-hours formal training and optional 0.5-hour Q&A) that will be delivered every Thursday, 10 AM – 12:30 PM ET for eight (8) consecutive weeks. Participating in the VT is free and open to all participants. Drinking water system engineers, managers, and operators are invited to attend.
At the completion of the VTs, Professional Development Hours (PDHs) Certificates will be prepared for the attendees upon request.
Oct 2 to Nov 20, 2025; every Thursday 10:00 AM–12:30 PM ET (2-hour formal training + optional 0.5-hour Q&A)
Week 1: Oct 2, 2025 – Introduction, Energy Basics, and Power Company Relationships
During the first session, presenters will orient participants to the Better Plants program and share success stories from drinking water systems that have taken energy management to the next level. Participants will also learn how to complete basic energy calculations and how to work with their power companies.
Week 2: Oct 9, 2025 – Water Source Selection, KPIs, and Energy Teams
Participants will learn how to prioritize water sources by considering energy footprints. Training experts will introduce key performance indicators (KPIs) for water systems’ energy use. Finally, participants will learn how to launch an in-house energy team to build momentum around energy management actions.
Week 3: Oct 16, 2025 – Water Treatment and the 5 L’s
In Week 3, the series will address energy management opportunities at water treatment plants, including influent pumps, chemicals, mixers, backwash, compressors, and solids handling. Training experts will also begin covering five common energy efficiency problems found in drinking water distribution, known as the 5 L’s: leaping, looping, loading, losing, and leaking. Training experts will show examples and solutions for each, and participants will discuss possible occurrences in their own systems.
Week 4: Oct 23, 2025 – The 5L’s (cont’d) and Treasure Hunts
Training on the 5 L’s will continue. This session will also explain how participants can conduct a “treasure hunt”— a self-directed, on-site, and system-specific assessment of energy management opportunities. Participants will learn how to generate, evaluate, and pursue energy management ideas. A virtual treasure hunt during this session will help participants practice these skills.
Week 5: Oct 30, 2025 – Pumps
Pumps are the main energy consumers in most drinking water systems. Through an interactive exercise, participants will learn all about pump equipment, curves, sizing, control, and energy implications.
Week 6: Nov. 6, 2025 – Hydraulic Modeling and Energy-Efficient Design
Presenters will demonstrate how a computerized hydraulic model, as the digital twin of the real water system, can support energy analysis and optimize water operations. Participants will also learn best practices for designing energy-efficient water facilities from the start.
Week 7: Nov. 13, 2025 – Persistence Strategies
Energy management is not a one-time project, but a process that needs people, funding, and commitment over time. This session will cover persistence strategies and employee engagement techniques to help participants sustain energy management programs over the long term.
Week 8: Nov. 20, 2025 – Closeout
In the final week, training experts will share case studies of successful energy management programs. Participants will present and discuss a summary presentation based on the results of energy-saving efforts on their own systems. VT participants may invite their upper management to attend this wrap-up session. Once completed, VT attendees are given a Certification of Completion from the US DOE.