ENERGY STAR labels are familiar sights on appliances, light bulbs and other products, and now, over 26,000 buildings also boast the certification. ENERGY STAR certified facilities earn the designation by demonstrating that their energy performance score is better than 75% of buildings nationwide. For green-minded businesses, the certification offers visible confirmation of their leadership in environmental stewardship. 

So what does water filtration have to do with energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR certification? Cooling towers can account for 20% or more of a facility’s energy costs, so they’re prime targets when identifying opportunities for saving energy – especially in warm climates where the towers run continuously for much of the year. And selecting a filtration system that removes suspended solids and controls bacteria can significantly improve the operational efficiency of cooling systems, resulting in energy savings of up to 40%!

AS Filtration’s cooling water solutions include the high-efficiency Aqua-Stream side-stream filter and Pathex antibacterial filter media. Together, they continuously filter a portion of cooling water to remove suspended solids (down to 0.5 microns) and kill waterborne bacteria on contact. The result is a highly efficient system with clean water and clear tubes and pipes. Killing bacteria concurrently with filtration leaves behind cooling water that’s clear, clean and no longer prone to the scaling, corrosion, and biofilm that make cooling towers sluggish energy hogs. View a case study highlight to see how one hotel saved 162,490 kWh per year with Pathex filter media in side-stream filters.

If your business is interested in earning ENERGY STAR certification, don’t forget to include your cooling water treatment system in your hunt for energy savings.

AS Filtration takes on a limited number of pilot programs each year to demonstrate the effectiveness of our cooling water solutions. If your business is working toward ENERGY STAR certification and would like to become a test site, please contact us.

Many common water treatment solutions today are reactive in nature, attempting to keep corrosion, biofouling, and scaling in balance. The symptoms can be managed, but they won’t go away until the major underlying problem, bacterial overgrowth, is solved.

Chemicals are hazardous to handle and store and are hard on equipment, often causing corrosion in pipes and tanks. Copper and silver are expensive, and bacteria can mutate after treatment, rendering the metals ineffective as long-term treatment options. Ozone is touted as a more earth-friendly option, but it causes corrosion and is dangerous to handle. It also requires specialized equipment that drives up maintenance costs. Finally, ultra-violet light needs frequent maintenance, performs poorly in turbid water (That’s worth repeating: It’s not effective on water that’s already dirty!), and it leaves your water vulnerable to mutating bacteria.

What if there was a way to eliminate expensive and dangerous procedures, reduce corrosion and clean water without harming the environment?

The AS Filtration Alternative

AS Filtration’s filter media products kill waterborne bacteria on contact during filtration, leaving you with clean, clear water that is not prone to scaling or biofouling. The filter media doesn’t use or leach chemicals, so it’s a sustainable option that prolongs your equipment life and reduces maintenance expenses.

By killing and controlling waterborne bacteria before problems start, both Pathex and PathShield filter media offer these benefits:

• Improved operational efficiency
  Keeping bacterial growth in check prevents scaling, corrosion and fouling, extending the life of your equipment and allowing it to operate more efficiently.

• Decreased maintenance costs
  The filter media can be used as a drop-in replacement for most sand and cross-flow filters, so it doesn’t require special equipment. The media is safe to store and handle, and there’s no need for constant monitoring and adjustment of pricey chemicals. Simple backwashing keeps the media operating at peak performance.

• Environmental protection
  Our filter media are EPA-registered pesticides. They don’t use or release chemicals, so they’re safe for your site and for the environment. Pathex and PathShield support your green initiatives and can help your facility earn LEED certification points.

• Treating the cause instead of the symptom
  Bacterial growth in water is the major underlying cause of common water treatment headaches like scaling, corrosion and biofouling. Controlling waterborne bacteria is the ounce of prevention that’s worth a pound of cure when it comes to water treatment. 

Whether your water treatment need is for stormwater runoff, cooling towers, or other industrial use, our expert engineers are ready to help find the best filtration solution for addressing your water treatment problems.

For more proactive water treatment tips, you may also like 4 Ways to Save Big on Cooling Tower Costs. 

With the refresh of our website, we’re revisiting newsworthy items, like this major announcement from 2014.

After stringent testing, our finest granule filter media, Pathex®, earned U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration as an antimicrobial pesticide.  

Pathex antimicrobial filter media kills waterborne bacteria, like coliform, on contact, without using or discharging harmful chemicals. Bacteria is killed instantly when it comes into contact with Pathex filter media, making Pathex an effective and environmentally friendly option for reducing and controlling waterborne bacteria. Its fine particle size makes it a perfect solution for centrifugal, high efficiency side-stream filter, and other slow flow rate applications. 

Traditional water treatment technology includes liquid biocide chemicals, oxidizing agents, ultraviolet lighting, or reverse osmosis, which often produce toxic disinfection byproducts and corrode downstream equipment. 

Pathex is uniquely recognized as the only filter media registered with the EPA while also holding certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for drinking water system components. Pathex is stable, non-toxic, non-leaching, non-corrosive, not consumed with use, requires no power source for efficacy and is not affected by temperature changes. 

View a video demonstration to see how Pathex works.

*Registration number 88965-1