FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HOUSTON – October 1, 2026 – After implementing a retrofit water reuse system on its campus, new findings from Rice University and Texas Water Trade prove the innovative system in a single building saves the University 3.4 million gallons of water annually, serving as a scalable model for higher education institutions on how to reduce water use and costs.
In 2025, Rice University’s Ralph S. O'Connor Engineering and Science Building was retrofitted to capture and reuse the large amounts of condensate from the building’s heating and ventilation systems. The University tapped Texas Water Trade to communicate the system's performance, lessons learned and viability for future projects. The results found that the system not only paid for itself in 15 months through reduced utility costs, but it is expected to save the University tens of thousands of dollars and 3.4 million gallons of water annually.
“Rice University’s successful implementation of a large-scale water reuse system on campus is an important case study for other educational institutions to learn from and hopefully replicate,” said Chandler Crouch, Net Zero Water Engineer at Texas Water Trade. “This is an inventive, easily scalable strategy that can be implemented across campuses to reduce water demand, lower operating costs, and improve long-term water resilience for colleges and the communities around them.”
The case study highlighting the O’Connor building showcases an effective method of sustainable water reuse and shows that Net Zero Water solutions are not only possible for institutions of similar size, but already happening and delivering positive results for those that use them. Net Zero Water is a model design approach that emphasizes harvesting and reusing water sources such as rainwater, air conditioning condensate, and graywater, to meet non-potable demands including irrigation, toilet flushing, and facility cooling.
"In Houston’s humid climate, capturing HVAC condensate that would otherwise go down the drain and reusing it for non-potable purposes is a practical and sustainable solution,” said Ian Housman, Energy and Water Conservation Manager at Rice University. “Projects like this demonstrate Rice’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact through smart, innovative approaches, and we’re excited to share the findings that the Texas Water Trade Team worked with us to develop.”
Texas Water Trade tests and implements scalable solutions that address the state’s diverse water challenges. This includes collaborative water rights agreements, enhancing more than 4,000 acres of wetland habitat along the coast through its dedicated environmental water fund, providing reliable drinking water in West Texas with Vida Water, and working with developers and community leaders across the state to incorporate infrastructure, like the condensate capture system at Rice, that can help achieve net-zero water usage.
Read the case study and learn more about the opportunities for Net Zero Water in Texas at https://texaswatertrade.org/our-work/net-zero-water.
ABOUT TEXAS WATER TRADE
Founded in 2018, Texas Water Trade is the state’s leading nonprofit organization focused on scalable, market-based solutions that address Texas’ interconnected water needs today and for the future. Texas Water Trade believes in the power of collaboration and works hand-in-hand with partners from every sector across Texas, co-developing innovative, incentivized programs to encourage smart water management and ensure a sustainable water supply for Texas’ people, nature, and economy. Learn more at texaswatertrade.org.
ABOUT RICE UNIVERSITY
Rice's goal to become more sustainable in its use of critical resources, including
water, is evident in the improvements and investments made across the University’s
operations. Rice’s Office of Sustainability and the WaTER Institute are both key institutions advancing water sustainability on the campus and internationally.
Join Our Email List
Keep up with the current.
