PUB develops sectoral water efficiency benchmarks to help industry raise their water efficiency performance.
The WEI serves as a performance indicator for water efficiency, and it refers to the amount of water used per business activity indicator*.
WEI = Total amount of water consumed / business activity indicator
*Business activity indicator – A measure of business activity that takes into account the business operations of the water user.
| Sector | Median Value |
|---|---|
| Office Buildings (with Water-Cooled Cooling Tower) | 1.0 m3 / m2 / year |
| Retail Malls | 1.1 m3 / m2 / year |
| 2.2 L / p / d | |
| 4-star Hotels (with Water-Cooled Cooling Tower) | 0.53 m3 / guestnight |
| 5-star Hotels (with Water-Cooled Cooling Tower) | 0.76 m3 / guestnight |
| Primary Schools | 11.5 L / p / d* |
| Secondary Schools | 13.2 L / p / d* |
| Junior Colleges | 13.4 L / p / d* |
| Data Centres | 2.1 m3 / MWh |
| Commercial Laundries | 13.1 m3 / tonne |
| Average Recycling Rates | |
| Wafer Fabrication Plants | 46% |
| Semiconductors (excluding Wafer Fabrication Plants) | 29% |
| Electronics | 45% |
| Biomedical Manufacturing | 15% |
* No of schools included in the WEI benchmarking:
Primary = 125
Secondary = 88
Junior College = 6
Disclaimer: The water consumption figures may not include tenants’ usage, depending on the specific site or building arrangement. In addition, the resultant WEI (consumption/BAI) may fluctuate and vary over the years due to many factors such as economic conditions and other external influences.
Published in Dec 2025.
